WRITTEN BY JEN LYNDS
For Marie Long of Nashua, New Hampshire, there is no better place to visit in Maine than Asticou Azalea Garden.
Located in the picturesque village of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, the garden blooms from spring through fall. In June, when the azaleas and rhododendrons are in bloom, wafts of citrus and honeysuckle drift through the air.
“The air is all sweet and sugary,” said Long, who noted that she has visited the grounds more than 10 times. “I have family in the area, and every trip to visit relatives meant a visit to see the beautiful flowers and the sand gardens, which are my favorite.”
Asticou Azalea Garden was envisioned by Charles K. Savage, a landscape designer from Northeast Harbor, and was completed in 1957. Savage designed a garden that reflected his love of the Maine coast and Japanese stroll gardens. There are not many public gardens north of Boston with a Japanese influence, but Asticou Azalea Garden is an exception. It contains raked-sand paths, boulders, streams, ponds, a moss garden, a sand garden, a stone lantern, and more.
Located at 3 Sound Drive, Asticou Azalea Garden is part of the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve. The preserve aims to conserve and share the beauty of its historic lands and gardens, according to Cassie Banning, the preserve’s director of horticulture. These include Thuya Garden in Northeast Harbor, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor, and Little Long Pond and Natural Lands.
Asticou Azalea Garden and Thuya Garden contain the plant collections of Beatrix Farrand, a prominent American landscape gardener and landscape architect. She designed approximately 110 public and private gardens across the United States.
Asticou Azalea Garden and Thuya Garden have much in common.
Between 1956 and 1961, Savage also designed Thuya Garden, located at 15 Thuya Drive on the Thuya Lodge property. The semi-formal herbaceous garden is open daily from May through October.
Rockefeller also provided financial support for Thuya Garden. Starting just off Route 3, the trail winds between boulders and the shimmering waters of Northeast Harbor.
Visitors follow a gentle climb bordered by vibrant annuals and perennials before arriving at a stone pavilion perched above the grounds, where a reflecting pool shimmers below and the harbor stretches beyond. Visitors ascend a set of rough, hand-hewn granite stairs. Wet ground, lush moss, and the sweet aroma of northern white cedar permeate the air.
“It is like you are visiting Narnia or some Lord of the Rings site,” said Abbie Tremblay, who visited Thuya Garden in 2024 from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was her first visit to Mount Desert Island. “I visited with my parents and my husband. We were stunned. We were amazed by the beauty of MDI, especially Thuya Garden. That was my favorite place to visit.”
Banning said a host of paid staff members and volunteers keep the gardens maintained and running.
“We have six or seven staff members at each garden, depending on the year,” said Banning. “We also have volunteers. They all work hard for the preserve.”
At Asticou Azalea Garden, staff dig and transplant woody plant material around the garden. They also purchase plants introduced to the landscape.
“That happens annually, but on a minimal scale,” Banning explained. “At Thuya Garden, we bring about 2,000 plants into the border garden annually.”
Banning said support for the gardens comes from a membership program and annual giving. The preserve also pursues grants.
“We have a pretty generous endowment, and we are so fortunate in that way,” Banning said.