Just outside the Vegetable Garden fence is the Pollinator Garden. Blithewold's garden staff designed this garden with native honey bees, butterflies, and other insects in mind, filling it with pollinator-friendly coneflowers, thistles, summer phlox, and golden-rod.

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Walk through the open meadow towards the beehives.

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Continue down the path, past the beehives, towards the water, until you reach the signpost. We’re heading to the Rock Garden and Water Gardens next, which was Bessie’s favorite part of the grounds.

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Bessie became very active in shaping the grounds alongside DeWolf between 1901 and 1913. In the few years after Augustus’s death, when Bessie was recovering and raising a small child, landscaping work was understandably minimized. The work escalated again in 1901 when she commissioned the greenhouse and later married William McKee. It grew in earnest in 1902, when DeWolf permanently moved from New York to Bristol, visiting frequently, walking the grounds to check on progress, and proposing new ideas. Estelle Clements' diary reveals that he often dined with the family. The work was ongoing and frequent until 1913, when DeWolf passed away.

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As you approach the water, you’ll notice a signpost along the path with a detour for the Rock Garden. Take this detour: turn left and walk across the grass. We’ll return to the water’s edge for fantastic views of Narragansett Bay soon.