On the outskirts of Kennebunkport, Maine, on Western Ave. (appropriately named since Kennebunkport is on the eastern coast of Maine, so pretty much everywhere from there is in a Western direction) is one of the quaintest, if not THE quaintest nursery greenhouses I’ve ever visited. Come along with me as I share a quick tour from my visit to Snug Harbor Farm, Kennebunkport, Maine.
The antique buildings of Snug Harbor Farm sit close to the edge of the road, but in the front lawn, they have enough room to have tables full of unique plants and topiaries.
We’ve driven by literally 100’s of times, but never stopped… until this day. I had been doing a little work in the front flower garden area of the cottage and needed a few plants and some inspiration. This was the perfect spot for both!
There are a few antique buildings and a barn that you can peruse through, full of lovely gift items, plants and working space where the employees make floral arrangements, I suppose. I’ll show you a few pictures of inside these building a little bit further down in this post, but it was around the back of the buildings where the hidden surprise was for me.
I had no idea from the many times of driving by Snug Harbor Farm, just how expansive the place really is with the sweet treasure trove of garden inspiration that lie behind those buildings…
Snug Harbor Farm has greenhouses full of topiary standards they’re growing.
Many different varieties of plants they’ve trained and pruned into these lovely tall narrow forms.
They also had these larger topiary plants. So lovely.
And then I found the greenhouse with the succulents! Wow!
It was a sea of succulents… So many different shapes, colors and sizes… the texture contained in this table full of succulents was, well, it was yummy! It was so visually fulfilling, I don’t know how else to describe it… just yummy!
Just look at the miniature leaves in the rectangle terra cotta pot… love the frosty mint green color too.
Along the side of one of the greenhouses was this beautiful row of large terra cotta pots.
Beyond the pots, even further back there are miniature horses next to what appeared to me to be a man-made lake. I saw several different varieties of chicken and fowl wandering the grounds as well. It is because of this that they do not allow you to bring your dogs with you to your nursery visit. (so many places around Kennebunkport are very pet friendly, but I totally understand why dogs here would be a not so good idea!)
I saw this really unique use of a metal garbage can:
They had a row of them lined up and planted as miniature water gardens. With the tall plants (cypress?) in them, all together, it made a visual screen… kind of an inspiring idea… even could be applied on a patio space for added privacy or to cover an eyesore of an a.c. unit or something.
This was a beautiful planter with really interesting plants in it. There was dirt, but really wet dirt, so again I think it’s a sort of water or bog garden.
And something I’ve read about in garden books, but actually have never seen was this:
An espaliered apple tree. Through pruning and training, the branches on this tree are grown in a narrow lateral layers. It was fun to see it done in real life. I’ve read how it can be done, usually in formal shapes, to look pretty, but mostly to allow a limited garden space to grow and produce fruit trees. Smart and pretty…
Inside the shop…
there was an eclectic mix of plants, cut flowers, statuary, pots and containers and lovely accessories and gift items,
The barn…
was set up with a more rustic decor befitting the style of the space. I thought the unique table with large terra cotta urn planters for the pedestals and what appears to be an old door for the table top was creatively perfect for this space.
The topiaries were so lovely! I look forward to going back to Snug Harbor Farm… it was a wonderful place to stroll around the grounds and get carried away in ones cultivating thoughts.
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