Shortly after we moved to Maine last fall, a blog post from Gardenista showcased the nursery called Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk. Once I saw the blend of old with new, I added it to my list of places that we have to visit in Maine. Since then, the last 9 months of flown by and left little time to drive the hour and a half to Kennebunk to see Snug Harbor.

Then, last week I was scheduled to take our summer interns on a nearby field trip. We had to reschedule the trip at the last minute which left a hole in their schedule. On Tuesday afternoon, I asked the interns if they would like to head down to Snug Harbor Farm on Wednesday as a last minute plan b. They of course said yes.

So on Wednesday, July 3 we took off from Boothbay mid-morning to fight the holiday traffic on the Maine turnpike to go see a nursery and garden center.

Once we arrived, we met with the owner Tony and the store manager, Todd. They oriented us with the nursery and garden center and then let us go free. There are several poly tunnels behind the old buildings. Inside of the poly tunnels are all kinds of succulents and one of a kind, custom made containers. Tony also specializes in topiaries and the tunnels are where the topiary of cypress and myrtle get their start.

The greenhouses are surrounded by containers, art, and hardy plants. The treat is to walk into the climbing hydrangea covered pot barn. Inside of this old structure are stacks of custom made terra cotta containers.

After spending over an hour walking through the outside offerings, I ventured inside to check out the garden shop. Wow! It reminded me of a chic garden boutique that I might encounter in Brooklyn. It was hip and fresh. The offerings were one off or small, specialized wares. Beautiful glass cloches sat next to hand dyed batiks.

Once you head to the front of the store, you see tables of beautiful perennials for sale. Under the big tree in front of the store is local produce for sale. Todd gave our group some fresh, Maine strawberries for the long ride home.

We had a great afternoon and I will definitely be back to see more!

–Rodney