The Madman Goes to Maine

Hooray! The Madman goes to Maine – our first road trip since COVID grounded us in 2020. As you may recall, we made plans instead of resolutions this year. As so often happens, life got in the way and kicked our plans to the side, but we’re back.

When planning we said we would not miss any grandson’s birthday. But, wouldn’t you know it, when Patrick’s came around in January, the family was down with COVID. Sure enough, plans changed.

By April, everyone was healthy for Liam’s birthday, so we celebrated with a double-wide cake. And, by the time Teddy turned three in June, we could make the trip to Maine. I guess two out of three isn’t bad. On this trip, a birthday wasn’t the only stop.

Looking At A Greenhouse In Maine

We took a morning to drive to the Bangor area to visit Maine Garden Products. You see, the madman has been talking about replacing his greenhouse. I think it’s a ploy to expand his operation. He’s been very busy lately starting new succulents, and everything’s going to need a winter home. After much pressing, I’ve discovered that his plan is to move his current greenhouse to the backyard, then to put a new one in its place. When he told Pike at Maine Garden Products about his plan, Pike said they have come up with a new design. He wanted the madman to come see the new design before making the final decision.

The Freedom Greenhouse with some new features is still available, but Pike knows the madman and he wanted him to see a prototype of the new design in Maine. I’m not sure whether the madman wanted to see Pike and Cathy or the prototype more, but up we went. After a pleasant morning shooting the breeze and looking at options, the madman made his decision. He would be getting the new model of the greenhouse. Then Pike hit him with the bad news – they are so backed up that delivery looks to be near the end of the year. I’m thinking, what a great Christmas present!

Visit in Belfast, Maine

With our business concluded, we decided to take the coastal route back to Boothbay. Conveniently, this led us through Belfast, one of America’s “culturally cool communities,” according to USA Today. The madman really doesn’t care about cultural coolness, he just wanted to visit our dear old friends Jeff and Mary – perhaps the nicest couple on earth. The madman recalls a visit in October 2019 just before COVID struck. The four of us plus hundreds of our best friends spent the afternoon and early evening admiring the former Presidential yacht, USS Sequoia. Heavy equipment pulled it from the harbor to its restoration site at French and Webb, Inc. on Front St.

Back then, the plan was to keep the four-year restoration work open to the public. As it seems with everything else, COVID nixed those plans, too, and likely extended the life of restoration. Right now, the yacht is enclosed in a tent and the madman said he heard noise from inside, so he assumes they are working on it. When they finish the restoration, they will return the Sequoia, named a National Historic Landmark in 1988, to Washington, D.C.

A Birthday Party Calls

As nice as our visit was in Belfast, we had to return to the Boothbay area to visit family, but we did find ourselves with some free time Saturday morning, so to the gardens we went.

In addition to Teddy, Boothbay is home to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, the largest botanical garden in New England. The madman considers this a relatively new garden, officially opening in 2007. Planning actually began much earlier when a group of local residents decided to create a world-class botanical garden featuring plants native to coastal Maine and imports that would survive in that climate. When 148 acres of coastal property became available, the founders all mortgaged their own homes to start the project. “Wow!” the madman said. “That’s commitment.”

Must-See Garden In Maine

Over the years, the garden has grown and thrived, making it a must-see for any gardener or resident for that matter, of New England. As usual, the madman’s favorite part of any botanical garden is the conifer collection. But I wanted to visit the new collection of trolls – The Guardians of the Seeds by Thomas Dambo. When I pulled the madman to Roskva, he was hooked, too.

Since this wasn’t our first visit to the garden, we knew we wanted to go beyond the Great Lawn and meander through the Haney Hillside Garden. The spruce, firs and pines were all forming candles – the new growth was beautiful. In between native trees, groupings of cultivars and non-natives blended in seamlessly. Hidden throughout the forest were pockets of Pink Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium acaule)  – a reclusive native wildflower belonging to the orchid family.

Old Yields To New

The madman always marvels at young seedlings growing throughout the forest floor. Someday, these guys will be the kings of the forest. Along the Maine Woods Trail, we could easily see the transition. Some of the older trees were dying, but seedlings were thriving in the leaf litter throughout the forest floor. The madman says we all have to do our part to keep invasive earthworms out of our forests. This will help preserve the natural woods as we discussed in our post on worms. And, speaking of preservation, the trolls aren’t only for decoration. They are the Guardians of the Seeds and tell the story of preservation, regeneration and recycling.

Story Of The Trolls

The Giant Trolls were created by Thomas Dambo, a recycle artist from Denmark. Dambo made each troll out of recycled materials. Each one represents a different part of the tree. With his feet stretched out, Birk represents the roots. Wide and rugged, Roskva personifies the trunk of the tree. Lilja, youngest of the trolls, holds out her hands to grasp the flowers. The outstretched arms and legs of Soren, with his spiky hair represent the branches. And Gro is the wanderer, leaving in the fall, just like the leaves of the deciduous trees.

As the story goes, the trolls were saddened by the little people who began destroying the forest by cutting down the trees. They gathered seeds from the native species and hid them in a secret spot. But they want to share the secret and encourage visitors to stop by each troll and look for clues to the hidden location.

Taking Care Of The Planet

What a fun way to highlight the importance of taking care of our planet. According to the garden, the trolls will remain as long as they would like to stay. But the climate of coastal Maine is harsh, and they are made of recycled materials, so they won’t last forever. Make your plans to see them.

We are back in Connecticut, and while we were away, summer came. We still have plants to get in the garden, but first, some lemonade.