A Visit to Asticou Azalea Garden in Maine
Right nearby Skylands, my home in Seal Harbor, Maine, is the Asticou Azalea Garden. Located in Northeast Harbor, the Asticou Azalea Garden, part of the Asticou Inn, was designed and built in 1956 by Charles K. Savage, the owner of the inn. In 1955, Beatrix Farrand, the renowned landscape gardener and landscape architect, announced her plans to dismantle her fabulous gardens at her Reef Point estate in Bar Harbor. With the financial help of John D. Rockefeller Jr., Savage was able to acquire many of those specimens and fulfill his dream of building Asticou Azalea Garden, modeled after a classic Japanese design.
Early spring at the gardens begins with a flourish of cherry blossoms followed by a colorful explosion of azaleas in every imaginable shade. During summer the gardens are verdant and peaceful. Then, in autumn, things get exciting again with all of the colors of a typical New England fall. The garden is owned and maintained by Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve and a committee of volunteers. Recently, I strolled through with Shaun, my gardener in Bedford, and we got many good ideas for what to plant around the pond at my farm. Please enjoy this stunning autumn display of the Asticou Azalea Garden.
1 The autumn splendor of Asticou Azalea Garden
2 In Autumn, the garden glows with blazing reds, yellows and oranges.
3 All those colors make for superb reflections on the pond.
4 The Asticou Azalea Garden is an oasis intended to encourage visitors to relax and reflect.
5 In the foreground are the fluffy blooms of Cotinus coggygria - Pink Champagne Smokebush - a lovely specimen. The taller evergreens in the background have been shaped by Japanese cloud pruning.
6 The leaning tree is another example of cloud pruning, or Niwaki. This type of pruning removes certain tree limbs, creating unique form.
7 The bare tree is a Japanese cherry, which blooms in mid-May, heralding the start of the season.
8 Shaun snapped a picture of me taking a picture.
9 Magnificent foliage all around the pond!
10 One of several ancient stone lanterns tucked in among the plantings
11 So many interesting shapes and colors
12 Little benches are strategically placed throughout the garden so that visitors may sit and reflect.
13 The very pretty foliage of a rhododendron
14 An errant bloom of rhododendron impeditum - Cloudland Rhododendron is a mounding or cushion-shaped dwarf rhododendron with tiny leaves as well as a small stature.
15 The fiery autumn foliage of a stewartia
16 Another view of the pond
17 Little pathways meander throughout the garden.
18 A gently moving stream leads to the placid pool.
19 Quaint stone steps, get you across the stream.
20 Another view
21 In a Japanese sand garden the sand represents water and the stones islets.
22 In The Sand Garden, there is a strong feeling of serenity.
23 Even this pot of succulents appears very Japanese.
24 This Japanese maple is a magnificent shade of purple.
25 Another pathway
26 And another ancient stone lantern
27 One last view of the pond
The Asticou Azalea Gardens are so breath-takingly beautiful!!!! Martha, you get to go to the most amazing places.
If you put any of these ideas in place at your pond, make sure to have before and after pictures, please. I'm sure it will look fantastic.
In photo number 18, the little falls and the water right below it almost looks like ice, and in contast with the water and colorful plants above it, it is amazing!!
Thanks for "taking" us along, Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | October 26th, 2010 at 12:48 am
Good morning Martha!
WOW! Breathtaking autumn display of the Asticou Azalea Garden. Thank you for the fabulous tour and always wonderful posts. Wish you great success.
Regards,
Rowaida
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | October 26th, 2010 at 1:03 am
Hi Martha, watching you on the Jay Leno show tonight so I decided to look up your website via Google and found your blog. Nice pictures from the Azalea Garden. Anyway, take care. AJ
Posted by: AJ | October 26th, 2010 at 1:31 am
Martha, I would like to recommend to you America's #1 rated Japanese Gardens in Illinois (near Chicago). I went when I was new to blogging so the photos on my entry aren't very extensive. http://tinyurl.com/3ymppwp
Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos. I loved the first photo and the last photo the best!
Posted by: Karen | October 26th, 2010 at 3:31 am
What an absolutely gorgeous spot!
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | October 26th, 2010 at 6:38 am
Thank you for that last view of the pond. I did not want to leave the garden.
Posted by: Carmen from Spain | October 26th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Thank you Martha just superb.
Posted by: Aussie gal | October 26th, 2010 at 8:09 am
The quaint stone steps are not in a straight line as it keeps the devil off your back. He has to travel in a straight line.....
Posted by: Susan | October 26th, 2010 at 8:09 am
The colors of the foliage plus the serenity of the gardens is just breathtaking. What a wonderful place to visit... just to sit and contemplate. Have you ever visited Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA? I visited it for the first time last July, and was totally blown away by the variety and beauty of the gardens. The conservatory was my favorite. It really was spectacular! I'd like to visit it again during the Christmas season. Just a little off topic...watching 'Dancing With The Stars' last night, the camera spanned the audience and showed you sitting there. How cool! Have you ever thought of doing that show? That would be great!
Posted by: Judy | October 26th, 2010 at 10:12 am
Just as Evenline wondered to Acadia, Azaleas may be more at home in Louisiana,somehow. Dakota is far from DWTS but we can dance and sing as trolls from Turtle Mountains forest did last night at Halloween party. Loved Bette Midler on Hallmark channel show and her work with community gardens in NYC. Anything you do is great, including us in your wonderful busy life. thanks
Posted by: ann | October 26th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Hi Martha,
It would be great to live near that garden just to visit during every season. I especially like fall foliage but I’m sure it is equally beautiful in spring and summer. Thanks for the introduction to this garden and for your beautiful pictures.
~
It looks like you’re enjoying California – I saw you in the audience on DWTS last night and of course watched you on the Jay Leno Show. I’m a big fan of DWTS and have not missed a season. It was great to see some of the dancers from the past perform on video – some of them were as good as the pros. Have a great day! Trish
Posted by: Trish | October 26th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Hi Martha, WOW! These photos are extremely stunning and brilliant! Everyone of these photos is superb and wonderful to observe. I love the ones that show reflectiveness on the still water! Reminds me of the lakes up near Mt. Rainier-so beautiful! Will love to see what you and Shaun plant around your beautiful pond. Azaleas are wonderful, small rhodies! Sure looks and sounds like you had a blast in Los Angeles the past couple of days. Loved seeing your twitpics, presence on DWTS and on Jay Lenos Show!!! Thanks for sharing all of this, Martha-I love every bit of it! Have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | October 26th, 2010 at 11:49 am
Beautiful! Is it any wonder I love fall so much!?!?
Posted by: Heather @ Creative Family Moments | October 26th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
picture perfect!
Posted by: Donna Thompson | October 26th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
The capture of a reflection in a still body of water is always lovely.
Posted by: Margie | October 26th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
It reminds me of beautiful Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, in the Fall.
Posted by: Lorraine | October 26th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Stunning photos of the pond and surrounding landscape. Indeed, a place for quiet enjoyment!
Posted by: sherey | October 26th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
What a beautiful place. I know you will surround your pond with as many beautiful plantings as you can, We will be able to see your plan in the near future, I hope. The still water picture was stunning,just like one of Monet's paintings. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Libbygirl | October 26th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
The last pic is amazing, it makes me want to be one with nature!
Posted by: tina conran-rothwell | October 26th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Martha, your pictures of Asticou Azalea Gardens are fabulous. I was there a week ahead of you and was pleased that I took many of the same pictures and views. I also got a picture of a bush with red berries that I hoped you took, but I didn't see it. I don't know the name of it & hoped you posted it. It wasn't marked in the garden either. I plan on using it for my Christmas card this year. The last time I was at Asticou Azalea Gardens it was late June with all the Azalea in bloom........Oh, how much I feel centered when I leave a garden as beautiful as this one.
Posted by: Nancy Hamann | October 28th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Martha, We are so glad you are able to enjoy the Asticou Azalea Gardens. However, it should be noted that the Asticou Azalea Gardens were never part of the Asticou Inn. To be historically correct, this area was once a considerable settlement of 35 or so year round people from several different families. The settlement became known as Asticou village and claimed the location of the first Post Office and Postmaster in the Northeast Harbor area. There were two hotels (the Asticou Inn and the Roberts House), a village store, livery stable, shipping wharf, garage and gas station all in the immediate area.
All too often the word "Asticou" is automatically associated with the present day hotel, one of the last survivors of a former era.
Rick Savage, rmsavage2@myfairpoint.net
Posted by: Rick Savage | October 31st, 2010 at 5:56 pm
What a beautiful place. I love the fall colors, can't image how beautiful it will become once everything turn orange and red.
Posted by: Jacky | October 3rd, 2011 at 6:48 pm