July 30, 2020

Nature clearly didn’t get the memo about restrained living during a pandemic. In places where the natural world gets an ample helping hand from professional gardeners and groundskeepers, this summer’s blooms range from the merely exuberant to the utterly fantastic. Getting away to these estates for a stroll through the landscapes will literally bring you to your senses. The properties below also have museums or mansions. We’ve indicated where buildings are open, but check the websites for details. Or just go for the grounds. The sensual landscapes and riot of colors in the gardens will lift your mood.

Heritage Museums & Gardens, Sandwich

In the height of summer there’s no denying the wow factor of this undulating 100-acre garden landscape dotted with museum buildings. All the idiosyncratic architecture — from a round barn to a circa-1800 windmill — takes a back seat to the extravagant blooms. July’s daylilies surrounding the Flume Fountain give way to the August groves of hydrangeas lining both sides of the paved path. The marvelously twisted limbs of rhodendrons — many hybrids were developed at the site — are a reminder of the spectacle of May and June.

Perhaps the gaudiest display garden of all, the McGraw Family Garden of the Senses, tends to attract as many pollinators as human viewers. Hummingbirds, four types of bees, and several butterflies and colorful moths set the blossoms aflutter throughout the day. The McInnes Garden behind the Special Exhibitions building is also planted to attract pollinators and serves as a monarch butterfly way station during the fall migration. The design of the garden lets you walk right into the center to observe the pollinators up close.