I have a gardening addiction: My Vacation In Maine

 Maine is a regular vacation destination for me, two close friends and some of my family members. Luckily, we travel well together. Here are some of my observations about gardening in Maine. 

Annual flowers are beautiful well into fall. Our trips are usually in early October and we found gardens galore. Here are some pics from one of my favorites, Thuya Gardens in Northeast Harbor, just outside Acadia National Park. 

Annuals and perennials are planted together in long beds against a backdrop of evergreens in Thuya Gardens, located in Northeast Harbor, Maine. Thuya delights the senses with tall, beautiful plantings. 

Asters, botanically known as Symphyotrichum, are stalwart bloomers in early fall along the coast of Maine. 

Asters paired with celosias offers a nice texture and color to the garden.  Celosias are being used more and more in late summer and fall gardens. 

Nicotiana, aka ornamental tobacco, adds bright color to the bed alongside Black-eyed Susans and Salvia.

Zinnia, an annual that will succumb to frost any day now, is planted with Dusty Miller, Rudbeckia and Salvia. All around the garden, tall Zinnias and Dahlias play a huge part in brightening up the perennials around them. 

The tall Joe Pye Weed dominates a bed that also features Salvia, Marigolds, Dahlias and more. All of the gardens provide nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds migrations. 

Blue and purple Asters and Zinnias share the fall garden spaces at Thuja. Most of these are cultivars; native asters abound in the wild spaces here in Maine. 

Bright red Coleus and Zinnias alongside Cleome and Salvia are offer amazing contrast. 

Dahlia blossoms in the concrete planter gives a feeling of tranquility with the water.

Trails through the garden lead into the woods and eventually to a terrace that takes one to the harbor. 

A peek through the trees to Northeast Harbor.

Maybe it's because the season is shorter in Maine; gardens around homes, hotels and public spaces are beautiful. Thuya garden offers a look into the gardening legacy around the resort areas in coastal Maine. 

I hope you can use some of these ideas for your own gardens. Take photos of what worked (and what didn't)in your landscape and draw upon some ideas for next year. 

In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice holiday season.