My Summer in Maine 2019, Part One
Whenever I go to Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, the days are always filled with lots of great activities - hiking, boating, climbing, antiquing, and touring local gardens are often on my list. I also love spending time with my family and good friends while preparing and sharing some of the best meals of the season.
This summer was especially memorable. I hosted and enjoyed numerous gatherings - large receptions as well as smaller, more casual breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The flowers from my gardens were abundant and extraordinary, and with the vegetable gardens in Bedford and at Skylands producing so much bounty, our meals were sensational - we all ate and ate and ate so many delicious foods.
This is the first of several blogs I will share featuring some of the highlights of this summer in Maine - enjoy.
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- The Living Hall at Skylands is always used during summer months. This grand faux-bois cement table is where I like to display large flower arrangements. About 100-stems of lilies were used for this arrangement made by Kevin. The lilies are from my garden at Bedford. We planted more than 1500 white lilies of various types and transported some by truck to Skylands.
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- Gorgeous arrangements don’t always have to be giant in size – these lily arrangements work perfectly on this table in my living room.
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- These beautiful and bold green houseplants are in my faux wicker trough planters from my collection at QVC. They come in two sizes – 20-inches and 16-inches long. https://qvc.co/2kJwXFn
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- Here are some of the lovely lily flowers from my long pergola at Bedford. When arranging cut lilies, handle them with care – they can bruise easily.
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- And don’t forget, all lilies have heavily pollinated stamens which stain, so as soon as the flower opens, it’s important to gently pull the anthers with a tissue, or pinch them off with gloved fingers.
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- I’ve had this old cactus for quite some time. It lives in my living hall. Recently, I gave the tops a good pruning – it had grown so tall and unruly. I think it looks much better now.
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- During summer, we also fill several garden planters with moss and other natural elements. Once the season is over, we always make sure the moss we harvested is returned to the forest where it can regenerate and flourish.
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- This was one of our first salads at Skylands. Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans – everything comes straight from my garden.
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- And of course, the adults also have delicious cocktails – these glasses are topped with Himalayan pink salt and black salt for margaritas.
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- Through the trees is a beautiful summer view of Seal Harbor. Maine is so magical this time of year.
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- On this day, I hosted a gathering for the Bar Harbor Garden Club in celebration of its 85th Anniversary. I gave 60-guests a tour of Skylands and then we all enjoyed refreshments on my terrace.
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- We made fresh cookies early that morning – sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies and one of my favorites – ne plus ultra cookies. These cookies are dense with chocolate chips, raisins, pecans, and more.
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- One of my favorite traditions is coming to Skylands in spring and filling the large planters on my terrace with beautiful specimens. My greenhouse at Skylands cannot accommodate the large plants, so many of them are wintered over at my Bedford farm and then loaded onto a trailer to Maine for the summer months. They thrive on this terrace all season long.
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- Just up these steps from the main terrace is my West Terrace, where I often serve refreshments under the kiwi vine-covered pergola. The planters on the ledge are the ones I planted last May – everything has grown so beautifully.
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- I hang ferns on the West Terrace every year. These ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’, are among the most popular with their frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds.
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- My guests from the Bar Harbor Garden Club were also served refreshing pomegranate iced tea and blueberry scones.
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- And lots and lots of fresh fruit – there’s nothing better than fruit on a warm summer’s day.
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- Many made their own shortcakes with cookies, whipped cream, strawberries, and peaches.
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- This is an Alocasia planted in a faux bois pot and paired with Lysimachia. I love the large leaves of Alocasia, also known as elephant ear.
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- Here are true lilies growing outside this leaded window, with a variety of hostas below. Lilium is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs and all with large, prominent flowers.
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- Here is a closeup of one of the colorful lily blooms.
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- Some lilies can be quite tall – some grow in height up to six feet.
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- Here is my big trough planted with many succulents. I bought this massive stone trough at Trade Secrets in 2013. It looks so beautiful here on the Maine terrace.
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- And here is one of my planters from above. I love this view looking down.
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- And of course, on one of the landings off the West Terrace, reclining in the foliage, is the lady – La Riviere by Aristide Maillol.
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- My flower cutting garden and my vegetable garden are located in the same area. This bed is filled with white snapdragons, Antirrhinum majus – native to parts of China and the US. Its name comes from the pinch-able blossoms that open and close like the mouths of friendly dragons.
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- Everything is very well maintained and weeded – it is so pleasant to cut from this garden. We use lightweight fencing secured with stakes to support the developing stems so plants don’t flop over.
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- This is one of my favorite trees on the right – a giant spruce. The view of Seal Harbor is from the far end of the terrace looking out towards the Cranberry Islands.
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- The group loved taking photos of my 1958 Edsel – a two-door six-passenger station wagon called a Roundup – only 963 were produced.
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- Here I am with some of the members of the Bar Harbor Garden Club – it was a perfect morning for a garden tour. Happy 85th Anniversary. On my next blog – more photos from Maine, including my birthday celebration!
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