7 Days a Week, Dawn to Dusk, Free, 207-733-2902, 4.5 miles on North Lubec Road, Lubec

From the The Quoddy Tides Summer Guide, Summer 2001, by Norma Harrop:

Cottage Garden in North Lubec a Downeast summer wonderland
Free to the public from June through August, Cottage Garden flourishes on the North Lubec Road, a green, flower-filled wonderland for tourists and residents alike, as well as a tribute to its creators, Alan and Gretchen Mead.The Meads retired to Lubec several years ago, having long operated a nursery in Vermont. Alan says, "We've done the garden to show what people can do if they stay with it and not be in a hurry."

About 4.5 miles from the North Lubec turnoff, the garden stretches over an acre, bisected by the road. Visitors explore at their leisure and are welcome daily from June through August from dawn to dusk to linger for an hour or spend a day meandering through the varied landscape.

On the side of the road, perennials lavish color around the Meads' 1840s cape. Beyond, a path beckons to a woodland glade, with here and there an Adirondack chair or rustic bench to invite sit-downs. Across the road, another tree-lined trail winds through mini-gardens...streamside, alpine, and there's even a secret place waiting to discover.

Along the way, visitors meet a profusion of wildflowers and rhododendrons and rarities such as yellow trillium. Frisky goldfish tend a pool of water lillies. Farther on, Alan has skillfully constructed a sturdy, railed wooden walkway that fords a ravine to end at an enclosed gazebo. Then a clearing opens, where seeded beds of herbs, vegetables and berries are sprouting. Work is also progressing on an arboretum., and Alan has started chestnut, Russian olive and walnut trees.

The Cottage Garden holds myriad delights for viewers, but as Alan stresses, "We haven't planned on such a grand scale that people are blown away looking at it." Gretchen's small gift shop on the property provides yet another lure, with framed prints mounted above handicrafted, painted furniture, whimsical birdhouses and other enduring folk art. For all ages, cottage Garden makes for treasured memories of nature's summer glory Downeast.