Mount Desert -- Somes Meadow
- General
- The gardens at Somes Meadow consist of a front sunken border garden, a cottage garden, a shady border, a large cutting/vegetable garden, and foundation plantings around houses and outbuildings. The property is surrounded by a large meadow that sweeps down to the shore of Somes Sound. The site of the cutting/vegetable garden was originally a clay tennis court, so the beds were raised 18-24" with granite edges. Sapling arbors and towers and birch tree twigs give added support to plants as well as added height and interest to the garden. The gardens within the weathered fence are separated by large granite curbing block obtained locally. "The concept of the garden is to respect the 'spirit' of the place' and seem at home in Maine. A garden that is not too formal..."
- Persons associated with the property and garden include: Somes family (former owners, 1836-1962); Mr. and Mrs. Hanes (former owners, ca. 1962-1972); Robert Patterson (architect, 1962); Don Smith and Son (nurserymen, 1978); Paul Ritter (gardener, 1978-1990); and Joy Lyons (gardener, 1989-present).
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Mount Desert
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Somes Meadows (Mount Desert, Maine)
- United States of America -- Maine -- Hancock County -- Mount Desert
- Topic
- Raised bed gardening
- Gardening in the shade
- Gardens -- Maine -- Town of Mount Desert
- Vegetable gardening
- Cottage gardens
- Cutting gardens
- Provenance
- Garden Club of Mount Desert
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Maine
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File ME121
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Bibliography
- Garden featured in: Paula Dietz, "A Cultivated Coast," in House and Garden, September 1991 Garden featured in: Susan Jennett Bleecker, "An Intimate Point of View," in Town and Country, June 1996. Garden featured in: A Practical Guide to Garden Design, July 1996. Garden featured in: Mary Tonnetti Dorra, Beautiful American Vegetable Garden, pp. 14-20. Garden featured in: Rebecca Sawyer-Fay, Gardens Maine Style (Down East Books, 2001) pp. 34-35.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes a work sheet, site plan, plant lists, and copies of articles.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
