tarbin gardens

It was very quiet and peaceful. Out of the way - you have to go down 127 for a ways to find it. Try the cream tea - a nice touch after spending time in the gardens.

Tucked away in rural NH are the lovely Tarbin Gardens. We started our mid-September visit with a guided tour of the gardens, close to 1 1/4 hours of easy walking amongst the many diverse areas of this wooded property. Richard takes care of all of the gardens and is a fount of botanical knowledge! We were not bored for one minute with his interesting commentary of the history of his family and the property to naming the perennials, annuals, trees, and vegetables! There are animals (Highland cattle, exotic goats, chickens) which will delight children! The cream tea served outside on the patio was the perfect way to end our 3-hour visit! Don't miss the greenhouses filled with unique plants! We are already planning our next outing to Tarbin Gardens next spring!

We went to Tarbin Gardens on a day with a few showers, at the beggining we were afraid to come in with my one year old baby.. it looked very small.. once we started to walk, we were amazed with all the beautiful gardens, growed with a lot of love just by one men and his mother.. My baby was peaceful and my husband and I enjoyed it very much. The cream tea is excellent and the price worth it.. Avoid this place if you are looking for something spectacular "disney style" ; this is a hidden gem for people who can appreciate simple and beautiful things such nature... We were amazed and we are willing to come back!

This is a hidden gem. Enjoy the drive to it on a country road and experience numerous gardens and have a proper English tea in the rose garden with a fountain. Very relaxing and peaceful. Great place to celebrate a birthday with a friend!

My daughter and a friend went to Tarbin Gardens to have afternoon tea and explore the grounds. The garden is quite nice. There are many beautiful lillies in bloom right now (end of July). The colors in many gardens were vibrant and beautiful. The formal garden is beautiful. The barnyard was fun for my daughter. As soon as we entered all of the animals started talking to us. The ponds are cute. The buildings with flowers have an array of plants and animals to look at. The tea service was delicious. We had a pot of tea with cream and sugar waiting for us at our assigned time. Then we were brought our tray of scones, lemon tarts, biscotti, jam cookies, chocolate cake, and clotted cream and jam. She told us how to prepare our scones. Everything was delicious. One we were served she checked on us once and then disappeared. We waited 20 minutes after we were finished to ask for a box, but no one ever returned so we just ate everything (it was way too good to leave) that was left and continued to explore the gardens. The only major complain't that my friend and I had was there was a lot of stuff everywhere that the public shouldn't see. Things like piles of wood, bags of gardening products, sheds messily packed to the top with items, unclean animal cages, a washing machine in a random shed with bunnies, just clutter and items that should not be where they are. If they cleaned up everything and made it really nice I bet there would be many more visitors at this potential hidden gem.

I really didn't know what to expect when I saw some information on Tarbin Gardens as a place to go in Tilton. I believe it was suggested to spend about and hour but it was a beautiful day and a wonderful place to walk through and view all the pretty gardens. We were able to stay for 2 hours easily and still didn't cover all of the grounds. They even offer a tea which unfortunately we did not have time to indulge in. It was set up in one of the gardens and looked very enjoyable. Next time we plan to stay at Black Swan Inn B&B (please check them out!) in Tilton we will definitely return to Tarbin Gardens just to wander and unwind for a couple of hours ~ and to enjoy some tea.

We really enjoyed the quiet and the gardens that are nestled in the middle of a wood/ forest. We indulged in an English tea- surreal because we are from England! We were made very welcome & wandered round for about 45 minutes. It was very peaceful.

We went here with my daughter for her birthday. It was a wonderful walk around the gardens. My wife who is british found the web site with the option of tea. It was an amazing day. The woman was very friendly and her son helpful around the grounds. The treats with the tea were fresh and the tea made perfectly. We plan on making this an anual trip to celebrate my daughters birthday.For little kids it is a nice Alice in Wonderland kind of place.

What a lovely thing to do in the picture perfect late summer day than enjoy a garden tour & complete it with English Tea in the early afternoon! Besides the beautiful plants there were tropical birds, plus all kinds of chickens, not to forget to mention hummingbirds darting around drinking up befor their long flight south. English tea included whole wheat scones with delicious currant jam & cream along with some tea cookies & cake all of which were delicious! Almost forgot - a huge pot of tea to wash it down. Cost for enter & tea were very reasonable.

So, here we were...a beautiful Sunday in mid-August, mild temperatures, and my husband and I deciding how we'd like to spend our time outdoors. We came across the Tarbin Gardens website that advertised a hummingbird tour through tranquil gardens in a part of NH that we had never ventured. We called ahead to ask about cost, how they accept payment (cash or check) and decided to wend our way to Franklin. We were met by the owner (the mother) who took our money and said that our tour-guide would be with us soon. Two other couples joined us and we waited. A man in a torn tee-shirt, who had not considered bathing before greeting paying customers, showed up at 11 AM (the time the tour was scheduled to begin) and started chatting about Franklin and its history. Turns out that the man was the woman's son who did not care to share his name. Finally, at about 15 minutes after 11 AM I asked him, "Are you our tour guide?" He said "yes"...and we were on our way. Tarbin Gardens, as a few other reviewers have commented, is a tranquil area and property desperately wishing to be a well-groomed paradise. That's where it stops. Although the tour-guide was well-read about many things (plant origins and names, why our country's national bird is not the turkey, how Daniel Webster's house ended up in Franklin, why the Koi pond was minus Koi -- hint: the mink killed them all and he tried to shoot the mink out of the pond, etc.) the tour meandered through paths of overgrown foliage and dirty animal stalls. I applaud the Tarbin Garden folks for rescuing animals and I'm happy that they are living in a safe, albeit dirty and feces-covered, environment. But...I was there for a hummingbird tour. So, suffice it to say...please heed my advice. Go to their website, look at the named tours they have listed, and confirm that whatever you wish to see on the tour will be what you are paying for! Net/net: as far as birds go, we did see the owners two parrots in outside cages, chickens, roosters, and a peacock in a dirty, caged enclosure. And...as we turn down one of the overgrown paths, I stopped, gasped, and pointed. There was, indeed, one, single, lonely, and thirsty hummingbird!

These gardens are the largest open to the public in New Hampshire. We found them delightful in design and variety--and they are very well kept up. Visiting in mid-September, I was afraid too many plants would have gone by, but, no worry there. All kinds of flowers were still in bloom, everywhere in the extensive grounds. Also, there are many handsome non-flowering plants. Everything is well-labeled, too. Definitely take the map you will be offered by the friendly English woman who keeps the gardens with her son. You will need it; the grounds are extensive. At a far corner there are some animals: African goats, Scots Highland cattle, Guinea Fowl, etc. That was an unexpected treat. Do NOT miss the English cream tea. You reserve a time when you arrive at the Gardens, and tea, scones, strawberry jam, cookies, and clotted cream will be brought to you. Delicious. And, after walking these lovely gardens, you'll be ready for it.

Four of us enjoyed the Tarbin Gardens on a lovely September afternoon. The animals had just been fed, so they were interesting to watch. The gardens were lovely with many bushes still in bloom in mid-September. Afternoon tea was the best! I really enjoyed the scones and clotted cream. The tea was kept nice and hot as the pot was wrapped in a handknit cozy. All four of us want to return to the gardens in mid-spring when the magnolias and azaleas are in bloom. We will go back!

The garden is not very well kept, overgrown, not very well marked so you find yourself guessing at what the various plantings our. Self tour, no help. The worst part and the the part they should be ashamed of is their "Barnyard". Only in name. The chickens, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl are kept in enclosures that are covered in feces. The smell is horrible, the birds look awful. Donkey with a small muddy enclosure. An Inguana with a cage that is only two feet longer than him. The first thing I did when I came home was to write a letter to the New Hampshire SPCA describing in much more detail than what I have written here. The "Authentic English Tea". Don't bother with it, not worth it unless you like the smell of barnyard feces with your tea. This place should be shut down.

If you love visiting gardens, you will love this place. It is a relatively small family run place with lovely trails thru peaceful garden spaces. I had lived in this same town and had never visited... Our local book club visited last summer. What fun!! Perrenial flowers are available for purchase at fair prices and I was inspired with many new ideas for my own garden. I admire the owners for all the years of work they must have put in to create this space. Ending the visit with high tea and scones with local jams just added to the joy of visiting this place.

This is a very very peaceful place. Take a quiet walk, get absorbed in the plantings, and do not expect the moon. The real highlight is the totally civilized tea service in the garden. Teacups, fountain, beautiful flowers and dappled shade; a little tiered plate of adorable tea cakes. What a treat.