special thanks garden sponsors · a rock garden of sedum and lavender flourishes beside a small...

Gardens in the WatershedA tour of seven very special properties

on the St. George peninsula.

This annual event, now in its 25th year, has beenproduced by a dedicated group of volunteers who

enjoy sharing the most beautiful places we know in the Georges River region.

Named after the river, the St. George peninsula has been a source of natural resources for hundreds of years. The Georges River Land Trust’s roots are firmly planted here, too. Our Land Trust was founded by residents of St. George who had the foresight to extend conservation efforts to the entire watershed region.

Your participation in this event helps to support this work! Permanent conservation easements ensure critical habitat remains available to wildlife in perpetuity. Nature preserves, educational programs and the Georges Highland Path provide recreational activities for the entire family to enjoy and our newest acquisition, the Langlais Sculpture Preserve, will cultivate a new generation of fans of this whimsical and important Maine artist.

Please support the area businesses that have made this event possible and consider a contribution to further our conservation efforts! Join us as a member to receive advance notice of the many activities we produce each year to further your enjoyment of this place we love – and ensure that it remains a special place for generations to come.

See you in the watershed,

Lunch selections must be pre-ordered no later than July 6th via the enclosed Order Form .

Lunches will be available for pickup at Garden #4 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on day of tour.

Visit the gardens in any order and rideshare with other garden enthusiasts . Two great ways to help reduce congestion and increase your enjoyment throughout the day!

Need extra assistance? If so, you may be dropped off and/or picked up at each garden’s entrance.

Photographs may be taken for personal use only.

Port-a-potties will be available at Garden #4 ( lunch location) and Garden #7.

Cookies will be for sale at Gardens #2 and #7.

Pets, smoking and pinching/removing plant material are not permitted at any of the garden sites.

Bring along a handy road map!

* LEAD SPONSOR *

First National Bank and First Advisors

* MEDIA SPONSOR *

Maine Home + Design Magazine

* SPECIAL THANKS *

Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh and Jocelyn Paquette

* GARDEN SPONSORS *

A.E. Sampson & Son, Ltd.Camden Real Estate Company

Eastern Tire & Auto Service, Inc.Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

The Lodge at Camden HillsLyman-Morse Boat Building Company

Maine Authors Publishing & CooperativeMonhegan Boat Line, Inc.

ReVision Energy

* TOUR DAY SPONSORS *

$100 - $499

Pat Ashton & Robert Steinmetz

Blue Tulip

Bracy's Boathouse Rental

Caldbeck Gallery

Coastal Landmark Construction, Inc.

The Free Press

The Grasshopper Shop

Green Thumb

Hampton Inn & Suites Rockland/Thomaston

S P O N S O R E D B Y :

M E D I A S P O N S O R :

TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED ONLINE OR VISIT:

Belfast: Brambles • Camden: Planet ToysRockland: The Grasshopper Shop, Eastern Tire & Auto Service,

Georges River Land Trust officeRockport: Green Thumb, Plants Unlimited

Tenants Harbor: Hedgerow

Tickets may also be purchased at any garden on day of tour.

C H I L D R E N U N D E R 1 2 F R E E

$25in advance

$30day of tour

S U n d a y,

10am - 4:30pmJuly 10, 2016

R A I N O R S H I N E

T O U R T I P ST H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R S U P P O R T

A D M I S S I O N

WelcomeT O T H E 2 5 T H A N N U A L

Pamela Dewell, Executive Director

Hedgerow

Jess's Fish Market

Norma Jones

Key Bank

Scott B. Kingsley, D.M.D

Knox Machine Company

Lee Schneller Fine Gardens, Inc.

Robert and Dorothy Liberty

Maine Water Company

Mars Hall Gallery

Mount Pleasant Dental Care

Norton & Masters, CPAs

Park Street Cleaners

Jane and John Rasmussen

Seasons Downeast Designs

Molly Sholes

Albert and Christina Tilt

TREEKEEPERS LLC- Johnsons Arboriculture

U.B.S. Financial Services, Inc.

Viking, Inc.

* GARDEN FRIENDS *

< $100Brae Maple Farm

Brian and Marilyn Trask

True Hall Real Estate

Turkey Cove Auto Repair

Union Farm Equipment, Inc.

207.594.5166 GeorgesRiver.org

Featuring Seven Gardens on the Water In St. George, Spruce Head and Port Clyde

25 TH ANNIVERSARY

Gardens in the WatershedA tour of seven very special properties

on the St. George peninsula.

This annual event, now in its 25th year, has beenproduced by a dedicated group of volunteers who

enjoy sharing the most beautiful places we know in the Georges River region.

Named after the river, the St. George peninsula has been a source of natural resources for hundreds of years. The Georges River Land Trust’s roots are firmly planted here, too. Our Land Trust was founded by residents of St. George who had the foresight to extend conservation efforts to the entire watershed region.

Your participation in this event helps to support this work! Permanent conservation easements ensure critical habitat remains available to wildlife in perpetuity. Nature preserves, educational programs and the Georges Highland Path provide recreational activities for the entire family to enjoy and our newest acquisition, the Langlais Sculpture Preserve, will cultivate a new generation of fans of this whimsical and important Maine artist.

Please support the area businesses that have made this event possible and consider a contribution to further our conservation efforts! Join us as a member to receive advance notice of the many activities we produce each year to further your enjoyment of this place we love – and ensure that it remains a special place for generations to come.

See you in the watershed,

Lunch selections must be pre-ordered no later than July 6th via the enclosed Order Form .

Lunches will be available for pickup at Garden #4 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on day of tour.

Visit the gardens in any order and rideshare with other garden enthusiasts . Two great ways to help reduce congestion and increase your enjoyment throughout the day!

Need extra assistance? If so, you may be dropped off and/or picked up at each garden’s entrance.

Photographs may be taken for personal use only.

Port-a-potties will be available at Garden #4 ( lunch location) and Garden #7.

Cookies will be for sale at Gardens #2 and #7.

Pets, smoking and pinching/removing plant material are not permitted at any of the garden sites.

Bring along a handy road map!

* LEAD SPONSOR *

First National Bank and First Advisors

* MEDIA SPONSOR *

Maine Home + Design Magazine

* SPECIAL THANKS *

Dr. Leonard Greenhalgh and Jocelyn Paquette

* GARDEN SPONSORS *

A.E. Sampson & Son, Ltd.Camden Real Estate Company

Eastern Tire & Auto Service, Inc.Lie-Nielsen Toolworks

The Lodge at Camden HillsLyman-Morse Boat Building Company

Maine Authors Publishing & CooperativeMonhegan Boat Line, Inc.

ReVision Energy

* TOUR DAY SPONSORS *

$100 - $499

Pat Ashton & Robert Steinmetz

Blue Tulip

Bracy's Boathouse Rental

Caldbeck Gallery

Coastal Landmark Construction, Inc.

The Free Press

The Grasshopper Shop

Green Thumb

Hampton Inn & Suites Rockland/Thomaston

S P O N S O R E D B Y :

M E D I A S P O N S O R :

TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED ONLINE OR VISIT:

Belfast: Brambles • Camden: Planet ToysRockland: The Grasshopper Shop, Eastern Tire & Auto Service,

Georges River Land Trust officeRockport: Green Thumb, Plants Unlimited

Tenants Harbor: Hedgerow

Tickets may also be purchased at any garden on day of tour.

C H I L D R E N U N D E R 1 2 F R E E

$25in advance

$30day of tour

S U n d a y,

10am - 4:30pmJuly 10, 2016

T O U R T I P ST H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R S U P P O R T

A D M I S S I O N

WelcomeT O T H E 2 5 T H A N N U A L

Pamela Dewell, Executive Director

Hedgerow

Jess's Fish Market

Norma Jones

Key Bank

Scott B. Kingsley, D.M.D

Knox Machine Company

Lee Schneller Fine Gardens, Inc.

Robert and Dorothy Liberty

Maine Water Company

Mars Hall Gallery

Mount Pleasant Dental Care

Norton & Masters, CPAs

Park Street Cleaners

Jane and John Rasmussen

Seasons Downeast Designs

Molly Sholes

Albert and Christina Tilt

TREEKEEPERS LLC- Johnsons Arboriculture

U.B.S. Financial Services, Inc.

Viking, Inc.

* GARDEN FRIENDS *

< $100Brae Maple Farm

Brian and Marilyn Trask

True Hall Real Estate

Turkey Cove Auto Repair

Union Farm Equipment, Inc.

207.594.5166 GeorgesRiver.org

Featuring Seven Gardens on the Water In St. George, Spruce Head and Port Clyde

25 TH ANNIVERSARY

a variety of lilies, dahlias, colorful annuals and herbs. It’s a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies.

We suspect it was the original owners who clear cut the property down to the water. The area was a tangle of weeds and ledge. Our first thought was a meadow of wild flowers; alas, after two years it was all clover! We then set out to create a variety of rock gardens from the large areas of ledge to provide color and visual interest. The stonewall was installed to break up the “bowling alley” effect. Below that wall we’ve planted a butterfly garden with milkweed, buddleia, and colorful perennials. Paths go off into the woods where one might find fairy houses, pet cemeteries, and even a freestanding stone fireplace! The gardens continue to evolve, and each year brings something new.

7 Lori and David Schwartz

S P E A K E R | 2 p.m.: Invasive Insects and Plants by Morten Moesswilde, Maine Forest Service District Forester for the Midcoast

R A F F L E D R A W I N G | 4 p.m.

Cookies for purchase

Port-a-Potty

The granite pillars along the entry to the Baseball Field bring back happy memories of children playing baseball during the long summer days on this open land. Today the ballfield serves others on the peninsula as a designated landing zone for Life Flight of Maine.

Continuing down the driveway, guests are greeted by the sparkling vista of the Port Clyde harbor and terraces of gardens resplendent with lilies, mums, salvia, phlox, Russian sage, roses and huge hydrangea bushes. A cutting garden beyond the pergola brims with sunflowers, dahlias, asters, gladiola and zinnias. Rugosa bushes nestle among mugo pines, spruce and junipers, adjacent to our favorite summer garden, the tomato bed. The plants are well protected from harbor winds by grape vines twining up the stonewall behind them. At a lower level, a rock garden of sedum and lavender flourishes beside a small patch of low and highbush blueberries.

Behind the house a paved terrace framed with a variety of roses offers a private haven. Giant dahlias, calendulas and fragrant lavender fill the garden with colors and fragrance. Walking further north, guests enter a curved formal garden of double rows of boxwood centered by a Jay Sawyer iron sculpture.

At the end of an allee of mature pines, guests will be surprised by a Japanese teahouse where woodland flowers peak through the moss and ferns to create a quietness found only in the woods. Legend has it Buddhist monks built the teahouse. Special thanks to Denise Drolet, Chip Christianson and Caleb Hall for their care of this beautiful property.

G A R D E N S I T E S

1 Fred and Mary Carey

Our gardens have been works in progress since 1997 when we cleared wooded land to build our house. We are self-taught gardeners and most of what we have created has been through trial and error. In the beginning we added some rock walls to provide definition to the wooded landscape and over the years we have continued to add rock walkways and wooded paths.

Rather than start with a meaningful plan, our gardens have evolved to include annuals (which we start from seed), perennials, shrubs, bushes and ground covers, in addition to a good sized vegetable garden. We would rather spend our time working in the gardens than mowing grass, so the lawn gets smaller and the gardens get bigger.

Our criteria for choosing plants is fairly loose. If it’s colorful, “well behaved” or can be eaten, it stays—otherwise, it probably won’t last long. Our vegetable garden provides a bounty each year and our flower gardens provide beautiful bouquets for our house and to share throughout the season—nearly until next year’s seed catalogs arrive and we start the process again.

2 Terry Smith

S P E A K E R | 11 a.m.: Weeds Make Me a Better Gardener by Jody Payne, former Curator and Director of the Rock Garden and Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanical Garden

This 150-year-old cape once housed the village general store and post office and was the nerve center of this granite quarrying town. Since the house was unoccupied for more than 35 years, extensive renovations were needed; only then were we able to turn our attention to the garden. Working around geological features, we cleared pucker brush from the ledges and a colorful rock garden was tucked between the rocks and boulders, using many varieties of ice plants, pinks, hen and chicks and sedums as well as numerous annuals.

Farther back on the property and behind the shrub border is a semi formal garden consisting of four sections including a granite urn center. These beds are filled with a variety of flowering plants such as salvia, margarites, phlox, zinnias and more. Past the wooden tool shed is a shade garden, and continuing down the granite path, you come to a large Dahlia bed. Tropical plants including Brugmansia and Jacobina summer outdoors after spending the winter in the greenhouse.

Behind the small vegetable plot, a grass garden is in progress, and all of the gardens are framed by the woods, old stonewalls and a view of the ocean.

Garden 1 | 46 Treasure Point Rd., St. George

Garden 2 | 292 Clark Island Rd., Spruce Head

Garden 3 | 299 Clark Island Road, Spruce Head

Garden 5 | 75 Long Cove Rd, St. George

Garden 6 | 33 Angiers Lane, Port Clyde

Garden 7 | 20 Ballfield Rd., Port Clyde

3 Bill and Sandy Hobby

This property was the site of the original boarding house accommodating many quarrymen that worked on Clark Island from the late 1800's through the depression period. The Hobbys have owned and gardened here since 1994, but the gardens are tended for only four months seasonally. Every year presents changes to the landscape based on weather, survivability and health of the plant material.

The front garden has ornamental evergreen and deciduous plants including Japanese cutleaf maple, prostrate Norway spruce, chamaecyparis and weeping blue spruce. The informal garden facing the ocean has a granite path that meanders through lupines, foxgloves, poppies, lilies, rosa rugosas and is interspersed with nursery stock. The reclaimed land in back is a relaxed mix of mostly perennials, some flowering shrubs, and paths that lead you by a large granite pool, fun art, and benches for enjoying the ocean views. There is also a pergola covered in wisteria and a small shade garden on the north side of the property. All of the granite and brick used throughout the gardens has been discovered while planting. For educational purposes, many plants will be labeled for the tour.

4 Adjoining the Wheeler Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Dr. Len Greenhalgh & Jocelyn Paquette

Lunch site

Port-a-potty

Located at the very center of the old Clark Island granite mining community, this property, bought in 1986 for environmental conservation purposes, was little more than a piece of ledge covered with a mountain of discarded mining debris. After 30 years of sheer determination and do-it-yourself spirit, just two people have transformed it into a set of gardens tailored to the unique location. At the same time, the surrounding wetlands have been cleared of debris, 30-feet deep, to create the Wheeler Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. In collaboration with Georges River Land Trust, we continue to extend the protection of increasingly-scarce coastal wooded wetland habitat, with 86 acres and half a mile of shoreline now protected.

The central garden was staked out first, then the U-shaped house was designed to surround it and create a southward-facing microclimate to protect the shrubbery from Maine’s harsh winter winds. The terraced gardens on the eastern side descend from the house to the surface of the “lake,” masking the jagged irregularities of the old quarry wall. We have since added shade gardens and a grassy ramp that enables ducklings and goslings to feed in the upper lawn areas.

What amazes most people is that the entire project has been accomplished by a couple of inexperienced gardeners undaunted by the scale of the undertaking. Learning through trial and error to build stonewalls, we now have more than forty raised beds

constructed and planted. The plantings closest to the house emphasize aesthetics, while those closer to the wildlife sanctuary are designed to provide food, shelter and nesting sites for the wide variety of wildlife that shares the space. Another 2-acre wildlife pond was created over the past winter and the work is not finished: it’s a work in process, just like any other garden!

5 Pocket Cove Leslie Hyde and Anne Cogger

In 1981, we purchased this property where no one had lived for 35 years. The farmhouse, stonewalls and picket fence garden were lovingly built in the 1880's by a quarryman and his family. When we arrived, gardens and pastures were overgrown and there was no view of the water. The house didn’t have indoor plumbing or insulation and there was only an antique wood stove for heat. Daylilies, lilac and the giant ash and catalpa trees are remnants of the original gardens. Building on the work of previous owners, we have deepened and expanded our relationship with the land.

A stonewall-enclosed cow paddock has been converted to a vegetable garden. Crumbling stonewalls have been rebuilt and the picket fence garden restored. Remnant cut granite has been hauled from abandoned quarry motions scattered about the 45 acres to create stone pathways, patios, retaining walls and rock gardens. Thin layers of topsoil have been carefully removed from domes of granite to expose the stark beauty of the glacier-polished ledge. Rock loving plants have been tucked into soil packed crevices. The ancient catalpa forms a spectacular flowering border to the yard in mid-July.

A pathway to the shore is bordered by hillside rock and fern gardens. Stone steps lead to Blueberry Hill with a view over all the gardens and a filtered glimpse of Long Cove. Follow the path through the woods to a seaside wildflower meadow. Along the shore, you’ll find Pocket Cove, the property’s namesake. Across the water is GRLT’s Tommy’s Island Preserve and to the south is the High Island Preserve.

6 Ed & Mary Cady

In 1999 we purchased this 100 year old stone Arts and Crafts style home situated on seven acres with a panoramic view of Penobscot Bay. It was the view that sold us, as both the house and gardens were in need of major renovations. Work on the house took nearly two years; we were then ready to take on the gardens! The southern exposure, rocky terrain, steady winds and resident deer population have presented many challenges, but after 15 years we’ve created gardens that mostly survive what nature throws at us and give us great joy.

The magnificent Japanese maple on the north side of the house is probably as old as the house itself, and bathes the stone patio in a beautiful rosy light in the fall when its leaves turn crimson. The cutting garden adjacent to the screened porch changes yearly with

L E G E N D

Lunch site

Cookies for Purchase

Port-a-potty

Gardens of

Gardens

a variety of lilies, dahlias, colorful annuals and herbs. It’s a magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies.

We suspect it was the original owners who clear cut the property down to the water. The area was a tangle of weeds and ledge. Our first thought was a meadow of wild flowers; alas, after two years it was all clover! We then set out to create a variety of rock gardens from the large areas of ledge to provide color and visual interest. The stonewall was installed to break up the “bowling alley” effect. Below that wall we’ve planted a butterfly garden with milkweed, buddleia, and colorful perennials. Paths go off into the woods where one might find fairy houses, pet cemeteries, and even a freestanding stone fireplace! The gardens continue to evolve, and each year brings something new.

7 Lori and David Schwartz

S P E A K E R | 2 p.m.: Invasive Insects and Plants by Morten Moesswilde, Maine Forest Service District Forester for the Midcoast

R A F F L E D R A W I N G | 4 p.m.

Port-a-Potty

The granite pillars along the entry to the Baseball Field bring back happy memories of children playing baseball during the long summer days on this open land. Today the ballfield serves others on the peninsula as a designated landing zone for Life Flight of Maine.

Continuing down the driveway, guests are greeted by the sparkling vista of the Port Clyde harbor and terraces of gardens resplendent with lilies, mums, salvia, phlox, Russian sage, roses and huge hydrangea bushes. A cutting garden beyond the pergola brims with sunflowers, dahlias, asters, gladiola and zinnias. Rugosa bushes nestle among mugo pines, spruce and junipers, adjacent to our favorite summer garden, the tomato bed. The plants are well protected from harbor winds by grape vines twining up the stonewall behind them. At a lower level, a rock garden of sedum and lavender flourishes beside a small patch of low and highbush blueberries.

Behind the house a paved terrace framed with a variety of roses offers a private haven. Giant dahlias, calendulas and fragrant lavender fill the garden with colors and fragrance. Walking further north, guests enter a curved formal garden of double rows of boxwood centered by a Jay Sawyer iron sculpture.

At the end of an allee of mature pines, guests will be surprised by a Japanese teahouse where woodland flowers peak through the moss and ferns to create a quietness found only in the woods. Legend has it Buddhist monks built the teahouse. Special thanks to Denise Drolet, Chip Christianson and Caleb Hall for their care of this beautiful property.

G A R D E N S I T E S

1 Fred and Mary Carey

Our gardens have been works in progress since 1997 when we cleared wooded land to build our house. We are self-taught gardeners and most of what we have created has been through trial and error. In the beginning we added some rock walls to provide definition to the wooded landscape and over the years we have continued to add rock walkways and wooded paths.

Rather than start with a meaningful plan, our gardens have evolved to include annuals (which we start from seed), perennials, shrubs, bushes and ground covers, in addition to a good sized vegetable garden. We would rather spend our time working in the gardens than mowing grass, so the lawn gets smaller and the gardens get bigger.

Our criteria for choosing plants is fairly loose. If it’s colorful, “well behaved” or can be eaten, it stays—otherwise, it probably won’t last long. Our vegetable garden provides a bounty each year and our flower gardens provide beautiful bouquets for our house and to share throughout the season—nearly until next year’s seed catalogs arrive and we start the process again.

2 Terry Smith

S P E A K E R | 11 a.m.: Weeds Make Me a Better Gardener by Jody Payne, former Curator and Director of the Rock Garden and Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanical Garden

This 150-year-old cape once housed the village general store and post office and was the nerve center of this granite quarrying town. Since the house was unoccupied for more than 35 years, extensive renovations were needed; only then were we able to turn our attention to the garden. Working around geological features, we cleared pucker brush from the ledges and a colorful rock garden was tucked between the rocks and boulders, using many varieties of ice plants, pinks, hen and chicks and sedums as well as numerous annuals.

Farther back on the property and behind the shrub border is a semi formal garden consisting of four sections including a granite urn center. These beds are filled with a variety of flowering plants such as salvia, margarites, phlox, zinnias and more. Past the wooden tool shed is a shade garden, and continuing down the granite path, you come to a large Dahlia bed. Tropical plants including Brugmansia and Jacobina summer outdoors after spending the winter in the greenhouse.

Behind the small vegetable plot, a grass garden is in progress, and all of the gardens are framed by the woods, old stonewalls and a view of the ocean.

Garden 1 | 46 Treasure Point Rd., St. George

Garden 3 | 299 Clark Island Road, Spruce Head

Garden 5 | 75 Long Cove Rd, St. George

Garden 6 | 33 Angiers Lane, Port Clyde

Garden 7 | 20 Ballfield Rd., Port Clyde

3 Bill and Sandy Hobby

This property was the site of the original boarding house accommodating many quarrymen that worked on Clark Island from the late 1800's through the depression period. The Hobbys have owned and gardened here since 1994, but the gardens are tended for only four months seasonally. Every year presents changes to the landscape based on weather, survivability and health of the plant material.

The front garden has ornamental evergreen and deciduous plants including Japanese cutleaf maple, prostrate Norway spruce, chamaecyparis and weeping blue spruce. The informal garden facing the ocean has a granite path that meanders through lupines, foxgloves, poppies, lilies, rosa rugosas and is interspersed with nursery stock. The reclaimed land in back is a relaxed mix of mostly perennials, some flowering shrubs, and paths that lead you by a large granite pool, fun art, and benches for enjoying the ocean views. There is also a pergola covered in wisteria and a small shade garden on the north side of the property. All of the granite and brick used throughout the gardens has been discovered while planting. For educational purposes, many plants will be labeled for the tour.

4 Adjoining the Wheeler Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Dr. Len Greenhalgh & Jocelyn Paquette

Lunch site

Port-a-potty

Located at the very center of the old Clark Island granite mining community, this property, bought in 1986 for environmental conservation purposes, was little more than a piece of ledge covered with a mountain of discarded mining debris. After 30 years of sheer determination and do-it-yourself spirit, just two people have transformed it into a set of gardens tailored to the unique location. At the same time, the surrounding wetlands have been cleared of debris, 30-feet deep, to create the Wheeler Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. In collaboration with Georges River Land Trust, we continue to extend the protection of increasingly-scarce coastal wooded wetland habitat, with 86 acres and half a mile of shoreline now protected.

The central garden was staked out first, then the U-shaped house was designed to surround it and create a southward-facing microclimate to protect the shrubbery from Maine’s harsh winter winds. The terraced gardens on the eastern side descend from the house to the surface of the “lake,” masking the jagged irregularities of the old quarry wall. We have since added shade gardens and a grassy ramp that enables ducklings and goslings to feed in the upper lawn areas.

What amazes most people is that the entire project has been accomplished by a couple of inexperienced gardeners undaunted by the scale of the undertaking. Learning through trial and error to build stonewalls, we now have more than forty raised beds

constructed and planted. The plantings closest to the house emphasize aesthetics, while those closer to the wildlife sanctuary are designed to provide food, shelter and nesting sites for the wide variety of wildlife that shares the space. Another 2-acre wildlife pond was created over the past winter and the work is not finished: it’s a work in process, just like any other garden!

5 Pocket Cove Leslie Hyde and Anne Cogger

In 1981, we purchased this property where no one had lived for 35 years. The farmhouse, stonewalls and picket fence garden were lovingly built in the 1880's by a quarryman and his family. When we arrived, gardens and pastures were overgrown and there was no view of the water. The house didn’t have indoor plumbing or insulation and there was only an antique wood stove for heat. Daylilies, lilac and the giant ash and catalpa trees are remnants of the original gardens. Building on the work of previous owners, we have deepened and expanded our relationship with the land.

A stonewall-enclosed cow paddock has been converted to a vegetable garden. Crumbling stonewalls have been rebuilt and the picket fence garden restored. Remnant cut granite has been hauled from abandoned quarry motions scattered about the 45 acres to create stone pathways, patios, retaining walls and rock gardens. Thin layers of topsoil have been carefully removed from domes of granite to expose the stark beauty of the glacier-polished ledge. Rock loving plants have been tucked into soil packed crevices. The ancient catalpa forms a spectacular flowering border to the yard in mid-July.

A pathway to the shore is bordered by hillside rock and fern gardens. Stone steps lead to Blueberry Hill with a view over all the gardens and a filtered glimpse of Long Cove. Follow the path through the woods to a seaside wildflower meadow. Along the shore, you’ll find Pocket Cove, the property’s namesake. Across the water is GRLT’s Tommy’s Island Preserve and to the south is the High Island Preserve.

6 Ed & Mary Cady

In 1999 we purchased this 100 year old stone Arts and Crafts style home situated on seven acres with a panoramic view of Penobscot Bay. It was the view that sold us, as both the house and gardens were in need of major renovations. Work on the house took nearly two years; we were then ready to take on the gardens! The southern exposure, rocky terrain, steady winds and resident deer population have presented many challenges, but after 15 years we’ve created gardens that mostly survive what nature throws at us and give us great joy.

The magnificent Japanese maple on the north side of the house is probably as old as the house itself, and bathes the stone patio in a beautiful rosy light in the fall when its leaves turn crimson. The cutting garden adjacent to the screened porch changes yearly with

L E G E N D

Lunch site

Cookies for Purchase

Port-a-potty

Gardens of

Gardens

special thanks garden sponsors · a rock garden of sedum and lavender flourishes beside a small...

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