Thuya and Asticou Azalea Gardens
Thuya Garden
This post was originally published August 31, 2017.
Much to my dismay, my summer has ended, ushering me into the final semester of my college career. Before submitting myself to the humdrum of long research papers and weekly reading assignments, I ventured towards one of Maine's famous National Parks. Acadia is famous for its thunderous tides and rocky cliffs, but few people know of the gardens that sit on and around Asticou Hill in Northeast Harbor.
Both Thuya Garden and Asticou Azaela Garden are 60 years in the making. Under the landscaping prowess of Charles K. Savage, the gardens were created in 1956 and 1957 respectively. Before then, Thuya Garden was home to a small orchard of apple and cherry trees, along with Thuya Lodge, the 1916 second home of Joseph Henry Curtis, which is available for tours.
Curtis, with an affinity to nature, designed a series of paths up Asticou Hill between 1912 and 1922. These paths became known as the Asticou Terraces. Winding stone staircases past chattering squirrels lead to a series of lookouts over the boats docked at Northeast Harbor. Further up the trails is Thuya Garden itself with Thuya Lodge situated before it.
A monument for Curtis was added to the Asticou Terraces after his death in 1928. It reads: "Joseph Henry Curtis. Landscape Architect. Vigilant Protector Of These Hills. The Asticou Terraces Are His Gift Of The Quiet Recreation Of The People This Of This Town And Their Summer Guests."
Thuya Garden was rich with the scent of blossoming flowers that blotted the landscape in an array of colors. From my experience, Thuya Garden and Asticou Azalea Garden are in peak bloom at opposite times. Asticou Azalea is better visited in early summer, while Thuya's best display is seen later in the season. I caught the garden in full bloom with butterflies chasing each other between leaves and bees gathering pollen for their bee friends back home.
Butterflies at Thuya Garden
The Asticou Azalea Garden makes up for the fact that it has fewer flowers than Thuya Garden by housing a large reflective pond. The water may not be meant for swimming by anyone other than the ducks who frequent it, but it is clear and cool to the touch. Earlier in the season, Azaleas burst into bloom, turning the pond's water from blue to pink.
Asticou Azalea Garden
Charles Savage design for Asticou Azalea Garden holds Japanese influence. Small statues placed throughout the garden and strategically planted flowers over the reflective pond imitates the Japanese aesthetic. Near the entrance of the garden is a sand garden directly influenced by the popular sand garden in Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto. The Asticou Azalea garden, unlike its Japanese influencer, was designed at a curve to mimic the flow of the water in and around the rest of the garden. Under the shade of the trees, I could sit and watch the sand ebb and flow in stationary simplicity.
Duck at Asticou Azalea Garden