“For privacy, views, and uniqueness, you can’t beat these cottages, and they’ve won accolades from the national media again and again.”
~ Insider’s Guide ~ Maine Coast

If  you would like to experience the perfect Maine getaway at a truly unique haven you will see why Cedarholm Garden Bay Inn is a noted Maine Coast gem. Designed and built by your hosts with meticulous attention to detail, each cottage is tastefully decorated with our guests comfort a priority.  All accommodations have their own private deck, wet bar, with some featuring native stone fireplaces and 2 person spa tubs. Our emphasis is “comfort without the stuffiness combined with natural hospitality”. Exceptional oceanfront location, renowned perennial gardens, serene and relaxed atmosphere, make the Inn a requisite visit for the selective traveler. Guests love our home baked specialties many of which use fruits grown here at the Inn.

Part 2

As we near Little Cape Point we look back at Cape Cove and admire the natural beauty that surrounds us. On our first visit to this preserve, the shore was in full bloom with a sea of purple Iris Hookeri and wild pink Sweet  Peas. The Iris is just one of many rare plants that thrive in these harsh conditions.

Cape Cove

Approaching the point you will find an abundance of sealife.

Little Cape Point

Along the Maine Coast rock formations display many examples of Dikes, this particular area provides a good example. The southern end of the island where the rock drops steeply into the sea is what The Nature Conservancy explains as the  ”Fundian Fault”, “a long crack in the earth’s crust that extends from the Bay Of Fundy to the coast of New Hampshire.”

Granite Lined With Dikes

Many varieties of seaweed line the shore.

Seaweed Along The Shore

This one reminds us of a horse’s tail that has been wrapped with a bandage.

Seaweed

A cute fawn is unaffected by our presence.

Fawn

Blue blazes and cairns mark the trail.

Trail Marker

Soon we will be reaching the Mud Hole trail.

A Peaceful Setting

The trail hugs the shore where there are many tricky areas to be mindful of. Slippery rocks, deep crevices and a few areas that require minor rock scaling.

Following The Trail Along The Shore

Our coastal walk has come to an end. The Mud hole trail brings us back into the deep forest and winds along a picturesque fjord-like cove .

Returning Via The Mud Hole Trail

A last glance at the stunning scenery before heading back through the woods.

One Last Glance

Lots of discoveries in the woods. Here a fungi is growing off of the bark of a pine tree.  Are there any fungi enthusiasts out there?  Would love to know the name of this species.

Fungi Growing On An Evergreen

The moss and lichen covered forest silences your footsteps which creates an extremely tranquil setting.

Moss Covered Forest

Great Wass Island Preserve is one of the many gifts of nature. Thank you Nature Conservancy for protecting and preserving this treasure.

A Paradise In Maine – Part 1

Parking Area

After the close of another season, on this late November day we finally had some time to journey outside Camden Maine’s network of hiking trails. Nearly a decade has gone by since our last visit to this memorable Down East gem and this time around do to our familiarity of the trails we had family and friends join us.

Getting an early start is a must at this time of year as darkness falls early. After a 1 hr. 45 min. ride we cross the bridge over the Moosabec Reach to Beals Island, continue on to Great Wass Island following the signs along the gravel road to the preserve.

Hiking the 5.5 mile Great Wass Island Preserve loop will take up to 5 hrs round trip. That allows a little time for beach combing, woodland discoveries and a brief lunch. This preserve is chock full of rare plants, peatlands, wildlife and is highlighted with a picturesque granite shoreline.

Starting Out

We start by taking the Little Cape Point Trail and wind through the forest southeasterly for 2 miles.  Blue blazes mark the trial.

Moss Covered Forest

Lichen

Beautiful mounds of moss and pillowy lichen carpet the rockery and forest floor along the way. Half way through the trail the forest opens to a long stretch of exposed smooth granite. From here a vista of the unique coastal-raised bog with its carnivorous plants comes into view. Incredible!

A Pause On One Of Many Boardwalks

As the trail continues we reach a narrow boardwalk that runs through a swamp, a known comfortable home here for thoese carnivorous pitcher plants.

Little Cape Point Trail Head

The trail ends at the shore with breathtaking views of the seemingly endless miles of granite disappearing into the cold blue sea. 

Reaching The Shore

A Southerly View

This time around the tide was in so we were forced to walk the grassy shore here which seemed to contain more deer droppings than blades of grass.

Walking The Shoreline

In order to connect with the Mud Hole Trail  to complete the loop, you must walk the 2 miles of shoreline northerly from the Little Cape Point Trail. We continue along the shore to Little Cape Point where we had fond memories  from our last trip of  watching harbor seals playing near the shore.

Enjoying The Scenery

Following the shoreline toward the point we marvel at the beauty of the clear emerald colored water lying calmly in small picturesque coves.  

Walking The Loop At Cape Cove

At the end of the cove the trail now continues upward over rocks and tree roots. A knotted rope aides in climbing the hill to access Little Cape Point.

A Little Help

Over And Up

Nearing the half-way point!

To be continued…    Click here for a map and directions to the beautiful Great Wass Island Preserve.  You may also read detailed information through The Nature Conservancy In Maine’s website.

Harvesting flowers throughout the growing season is twofold. You prevent unwanted self seeds from taking over precious garden space plus you get to preserve the beauty of the flowers all year long by drying them. Now that winter has settled in here in Maine this is a good time to replace tired floral arrangements.

A Sampling Of Our Harvests

We’ve collected over 20 varieties of flowers throughout the growing season and hang them in a cool and dry place.

Chinese Lanterns In The Garden

Chinese Lanterns are traditionally harvested when they are orange but we pick them from when they are green, then gold, straight through until they nearly turn burnt orange. 

Ready To Harvest Straw Flowers

[View with PicLens]

Nigella

Nigella’s “love-in-a-mist” ballon-shaped seed pods with its delicate and lacy greenery is an all time favorite.

Lanterns With Artemisia

Silvery Artemisia harvested before it goes to seed offers flowing textures that brighten the color and enhance the shape of these delicate yet structured papery orange chinese lanterns.

 These tired arrangements are in need of refreshing.

Cornucopia Of Flowers

The soft lime green color of the Annabelle Hydrangeas have faded along with the beautiful dark cherry and lime tones of the PeeGees. Hydrangeas are  also harvested in stages to capitalize on all of their varying shades of color.

Spray With some Fading Echinops

Dried flowers add beauty, texture, and color anywhere.  In this example,  a low ceiling did not provide enough room atop kitchen cabinets for baskets or other large decorative items, so a collection of dried flowers from our gardens filled the space nicely.

Dressing Up Cabinets

Even during the coldest and grayest days of our long Maine winters, these dried flowers bring warmth and cheer. They are also a daily reminder of brighter, warmer and longer days.

End Cabinet

Here Lamb’s Ears, Blue Hydrangea, Poppy seed pods, and PeeGees finish off the space above an end cabinet.

Artemisia, Lanterns, and Eucalyptus

It is said that Chinese Lanterns brings good fortune to a home.  

Basket Of Flowers

Here a basket of colorful flowers adds life to a bathroom tub surround.

Top Of An Armoire

Bouquets of dried flowers and a basket filled with lanterns take up empty space atop an armoire.

Annabelle, Astilbe, Poppies, Nigella, Strawflowers, And Statice

This time of year has been unseasonably warm and we have been thouroughly enjoying our walks to the top of Mount Battie.

Reaching The Top At Sunset

Turret Atop Mount Battie

Viewing the sunset over the western mountains and the moon rising in the eastern sky illuminating Penobscot Bay.

An Easterly View

Camden Harbor, Southerly View

A sign of quieter times where recently filled parking lots are empty and lonely view finders stand.

Watching The Moon Rise

View Finders Will Soon Be Stored Away For Winter

Lighting The Star

Each year we look forward to the lighted star that is mounted on the turret atop Camden Hills State Park. As a tradition it is lit the day after Thanksgiving and remains erected until New Years Day. The star can be seen from miles away, a true sign of the holiday season.

Funny how after years of walking the auto road our timing on this trip coincided with Bob Oxton’s firing up the generator which illuminates the star.

Bob spoke of challenging past winters and his difficulty reaching the top some evenings to light the star and yet he has never missed a night for over 40 years of volunteering. Now that is a commitment!

The Lighted Star

A Beautiful Evening

It is November and time to plant our garlic patch and as mentioned in our harvesting garlic  post this past August we are sharing our planting techniques. Growing and planting garlic is simple. We look forward to this event each year because there is nothing like the enjoyment of the flavor and freshness of your own grown garlic.

We start with broadcasting aged manure and organic fertilizer to the area and then till it into the soil.

Tilling The Area

When the soil has been thoroughly tilled the area is graded.

Grading The Soil

Now we are ready to separate the bulbs into individual cloves. We start with our favorite variety Russian Red, this garlic is favored for its ease of peeling and wonderful garlic flavor. We retrieve the box of garlic bulbs from the cellar that we set aside from our summer harvest. The largest cloves are then culled for planting with the smaller ones set aside for cooking. Always remember the largest cloves yield the largest bulbs.

Beautiful Large Bulb Saved For Planting

Separating The Cloves

We place sticks at the end of each planting row and then tie a string between the sticks to keep our planting rows straight. 

Planting

We use a round stick to make holes 1-2 inches deep 4-6 inches apart and then followed up with placing the garlic cloves in each hole.When we finish planting the first row of garlic we remove the string to the next row and identify the row’s variety we just planted, in this case Russian Red. The cloves are planted just barely under the surface.

Elephant garlic is another variety we plant.  It is not as easy to peel as Russian Red but has a milder flavor that is enjoyed in salad dressings and other dishes. This clove weighs well over an ounce.

Elephant Garlic

Planting The Cloves

Rows Of Garlic

When all the cloves have been planted we rake soil over each row carefully so as not to pull out the cloves due to there proximity to the surface.

Covering The Rows

When all the rows have been covered we apply a heavy covering of straw to prevent the cloves from heaving during the winter months. We have just over a foot of straw for frost protection.

Applying The Straw

Lastly we place several large pine boughs to keep the straw from blowing away in our strong coastal winds.

Pine Boughs

Here the garlic will stay covered until spring, we will post on our garlic unveiling then.

It’s that time of year when we are digging up, dividing and preparing our dahlia tubers for winter storage. With over 100 dahlia plants we have our work cut out for us, but we manage to work at it bit by bit. First we trim up a few outer branches on each dahlia so we may easily access and cut the main stem.

Trimming Up Dahlia Branches

We leave a 6-8 inch handle which will come in handy for transporting to the rinsing and cutting station.

Leaving A Handle

Completing The Cut Down Process

After all the dahlias have been cut down, each stem is then properly tagged with the dahlia name. We dig up to 12 inches away around the perimeter of the stem so as not to damage the tubers underground and then they are carted to our rinsing station to rid all excess soil and set aside to dry. Every step is done with care to avoid damaging the tubers.

Rinsed Tubers

After all the tubers are rinsed we are ready to divide each clump into individual tubers. Some dahlias can be challenging as in this example of Lupin Ben so having patience is a plus.

Lupin Ben

We start by looking for “eyes” on individual tubers and in this case the red arrow indicates one of many. 

Tuber "eyes"

 In this example A  indicates where a tuber has been cut and B is next in line.

Dividing

The tuber is then cut, labeled, and treated with a fungicide before storing. We have two methods of storing our tubers. The larger ones are layered in pine shavings in a cardboard box and smaller tubers are wrapped in plastic wrap 5 to a pack without a single tuber touching one another and then stored in a plastic container.

Storing Dahlias