Garden Photo of the Day

The gardens at Cedarholm Garden Bay Inn in Maine

Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Gail Gee

Happy President’s Day, everyone! Today’s photos are from Gail Gee in Fulton, Maryland. We featured Gail’s ridiculously gorgeous rose arch a couple of years ago (refresh your memory HERE), but today she’s taking us on a trip to Maine–specifically the Cedarholm Garden Bay Inn in Camden.

Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Gail Gee

She says, “The inn keepers at this inn, George and Kristin, are hands-in-the dirt gardeners. I have seen a lot of gardens in my time but I can’t remember a garden that I have enjoyed more! The plant combinations are really remarkable.”

Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Gail Gee

I agree, Gail. Thanks so much for introducing us to this garden destination! Everyone, be sure to check out the Cedarholm website, where they have even more photos of these fabulous gardens.

Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Gail Gee

******Hey all–I’ve been noticing a few photo-bashings in the last week or so, and want to encourage everyone to be mindful that this is not a photography blog, but rather a gardening blog, which is about as benign as it gets. We’re all just sharing what we love. Most of us don’t have extravagant cameras or professional skills, but we do our best, and just want to share either the rewards of our gardening labors (have we ever met a more talented bunch of gardeners, like, EVER??) or someplace avid gardeners might want to visit in the future. Complaining about photo quality just discourages people from sharing, which we definitely do not want to do. Be nice…..and life will go on…. Thank you for listening…and hopefully understanding.******

Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Gail Gee

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Comments

  1. user-1020932 02/18/2013

    i , for one, enjoy ALL the photos submitted here every morning with my wake up coffee. even though i could never re create , duplicate or maintain many of the large scale , elaborate gardens it's great to see them. i always take away an appreciation for the creativity, a new plant i was not familiar with or a new idea of plant combinations. i'm a nosy reader and will check the submitters profile and have found many who have blogs and/or websites FULL of other photos and ideas. this featured garden is especially lush and full of color and would love to visit and be surrounded by everything there "all at once". as a gardener i can't help but think with this garden as well as others featured,, , how much time is spent there grooming, deadheading, nurturing it all.

  2. mrspain 02/18/2013

    I agree with tntreeman, i enjoy everyone's photos. I look forward to the photos the same way I look forward to my first cup of coffee every morning, they start my day and give me ideas with my garden.

  3. mrspain 02/18/2013

    I agree with tntreeman, i enjoy everyone's photos. I look forward to the photos the same way I look forward to my first cup of coffee every morning, they start my day and give me ideas with my garden.

  4. User avater
    Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 02/18/2013

    Gail, thanks for sharing photos of this exhuberant garden! I went back to look at the photo of your rose arch and Michelle is right: ridiculously gorgeous. I hope you have sent more photos of your garden to Michelle.

  5. User avater
    meander_michaele 02/18/2013

    Hi, Gail, I used to live in Fulton back in the 80's(on Cherry Tree Drive) and it certainly is a beautiful part of MD.I was not a follower of GPOD when you posted the picture of your stunning rose covered arch and the link to other photos of your magical garden. You are definitely a garden appreciator who walks the walk and I certainly agree that today's featured garden looks like a wonderful place to visit and leisurely wander about. In the fourth picture down....does that show an overlap of peonies(large white flowers) in bloom with asiatic lilies (light yellow)? I guess a more concentrated growing season opens up possibilities for different flowering plant combinations...I never thought about that before.

  6. bee1nine 02/18/2013

    Wow! Talk about color in the first photo! All those flowers
    blooming at one time! Gail, you must have made your trip to
    Maine at the 'peak season'. Lovely, bountiful gardens indeed!
    Thank you for sharing your wonderful photos.
    And... thanks Michelle for mentioning about the 'photo
    bashing' I know I'm not a big 'photo buff' when it comes to
    cameras!

  7. Plant_Paradise 02/18/2013

    Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos. It looks like a lovely place to visit. It is always a pleasure to see the creativity of so many different gardens. Thank you Michelle for addressing the photo-bashing issue, it has left a bad taste. We gardeners love looking over the fence to see what others have done. It's all about the plants and the gardens, so please stay positive and keep sending your photos because there are so many us who appreciate your efforts.

  8. Ginnyde 02/18/2013

    I agree with all of the other comments. I enjoy being able to see what other gardeners are doing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all are taste are different. Thank goodness. What a boring garden we would have if everyone liked and did the same thing. I appreciate each and every garden each day. Thank each and everyone for sharing your favorites with all of us. True gardeners don't judge of gardeners as they know all the work that goes into it. Thanks again for sharing.

  9. tractor1 02/18/2013

    This site is named (aptly) "Garden PHOTO Of The Day". Without the photos this site wouldn't exist. All we who visit can take from this site is what we can see in the photos. I for one believe that the photography is more important than the verbal descriptions... I firmly believe a picture is worth a thousand words... people who garden don't need anyone to tell them it's a rose, a daisy, a fern. No one needs professional equipment nowadays to take quality photos, a modicum of technique is much more important, especially with today's computerized digicams that do most of the work for us, and of course personal effort. More than anything else in any venue I believe that no one should take offence at constructive criticism, not unless they think that they already know everything and/or they suffer from paranoia. If folks participating here are going to be muzzled then what is the point of having the ability to post our comments... then just display the pictures, remove the comments section altogether, and everyone just shut up... we already know that all the plants are gorgeous in their own right, nature did that, saying so over and over is gross redundancy smacking of supreme disingeuousness. I think the lurkers who ooze out from under their rocks only to make disparaging remarks about those who genuinely care about the quality of this site are who are truly rude, shallow, and totally lacking in maturity, they contribute nothing but negativity. They need to practice what they preach, constructive criticism and personal attacks are planets apart on the nice things to say scale. Have a nice day.

  10. trashywoman62 02/18/2013

    Usually I run off at the mouth; today...WOW, just WOW!!!

  11. user-282771 02/18/2013

    I am glad I was able to share the photos. The garden truly was amazing. We actually discovered the inn on our last day of vacation and extended our stay just to spend the night. It was well worth the airline cancellation fees!

    The entire property is designed and maintained by the owners. Not only are the gardens beautiful the cottages are immaculate.

    The white flowers in the fourth photo were dahlias.

  12. karenm7459 02/18/2013

    Absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. pattyspencer 02/18/2013

    This is a beautiful garden. I like it because it looks more like a home garden than a professional garden. It just glows with all the colors and variety.

    Didn't get on my computer much last week so apparently I've missed the bruhaha on which Michelle speaks. I know from experience that since we cannot see faces that mere words can be taken out of the contentext of which they are meant and not everyone has a thick skin. Then again criticism can be tempered with offering helpful suggestions to make that critcism sting a little less. Not everybody has to like everything on this site and not everything requires a comment (good or bad). We should just all be here to admire (or not) what other do (sometimes it takes a lot of gumption to put your photos out there and I take my hats off to you because I for one don't have the nerve to)- not pick it apart.

  14. user-7006902 02/18/2013

    I have to envy that beautiful Lambs Ear edge, and of course, all those blooms.

  15. user-1020932 02/18/2013

    i envy that lambs ear border too here by mid summer it "melts" . helen von stein had always performed for me without that happening until last year . july/august 2012 helen had melted too. it always returns the next season but after that meltdown it never recovers so much in that season. i do have good success with Salvia argentea for that color/texture but it does not have the growth habit of Stachys at all. i'm still studying/enjoying these photos

  16. user-282771 02/18/2013

    The lambs ear was perfect. Kristin used it to tie the garden together. I don't know if you can tell from the photos but, the beds are broken down into different color schemes with certain plants repeating to connect the entire garden. I realize that I am gushing but, any of the best perennial garden designers would be proud to call this their own.

  17. Snowqueenl 02/18/2013

    I love the statement "like looking over the garden fence". That's just how I feel when I open the Fine Gardening site. When asked what I'm reading, my reply is " I'm getting my garden fix for the day". This is especially important to me this time of year and when we are traveling away from my own garden. I'm fortunate to have a rather spectacular garden ( will get my act together one day and send photos) myself, that doesn't diminish my pleasure when viewing other gardens. It's just another of life's little bonuses.

  18. tractor1 02/18/2013

    user-282771: The photos at the Cedarholm Garden Bay Inn web site are stunning, some are of the same views you submitted: http://www.cedarholm.com/gardens_and_grounds.html

    I've given this issue some more thought. "Garden Photo Of The Day" is obviously about the garden photos, why else the word "Photo" in the blog title? There are other blogs at Fine Gardening for those who are not into photos. Perhaps to save all this grief the word "Photo" should be removed and since so many voiced how they're not into photos *more accurately* call this blog "Garden Of The Day". . . just a thought.

  19. tractor1 02/18/2013

    A word of caution, Lamb's Ears can be very invasive:
    http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofile1/p/LambsEars.htm

  20. PassinThru 02/18/2013

    A beautiful garden, thanks so much for posting. And thanks, Michelle, for finally addressing the obnoxious comments from a poster who now sees fit to parse your suggestions. This is a simple "Garden Photo of the Day" blog meant for sharing and enjoyment. It's not named "Garden Professional Photo of the Day" or "Gardening Photo Tips" or "How to Use a Tripod to Photograph Your Garden." Anyone who can't understand this ... well, there's nothing more to say.

    Keep the photos (amateur and otherwise) coming! They are a great way to start the day, and I appreciate the time and effort that people put into this.

  21. annek 02/18/2013

    What a varied and versatile Garden-Photo-of-the-Day group! Such plant enthusiasm all bound up in one blog. I enjoy hearing all the perspectives and revisit the photos several times based on what has been written. It is my morning dose of sunshine during the cold, dreary days of winter. And although I agree that we should all strive to submit good photos, I don't think I've seen any truly bad ones. You all keep me going through the five howling months of winter so keep on submittin'!

    The gardens featured today make me want to go visit the Inn and stroll along the pathways marveling at the devoted skill and love of both the gardeners and Mother Nature. A glorious vision of petalled beauty. wow! Thanks for taking them, Gail.

  22. User avater
    meander_michaele 02/18/2013

    Thanks, user-282771, for clearing up my befuddlement about the fourth picture down and whether or not peonies were blooming simultaneously with asiatic lilies...beautiful stands of dahlias during that time of year make much more sense.

  23. CCCDDD 02/18/2013

    I love all the photos and appreciate the efforts of all of the people who dare to share. I particularly enjoy seeing what is happening in other parts of the world.
    Just read a book about Piet Ouldolf who suggest that gardeners should concentrate on creating a garden with a variety of plant shapes, sizes, foliage textures. Flowers and colour are secondary because they don't last.
    Your garden should look good in a black and white photo.
    By extension a less than crisp picture gives you the opportunity to appreciate the different shapes.
    Please keep the photos coming.

  24. Nancy9350 02/18/2013

    I never thought to criticize the quality of the photos . . . I just enjoy, usually early on in the day like many other visitors to this site. I do enjoy the gardens made on a shoestring the most, probably, as they relate to mine. I love that these folks do their own gardening work, and appreciate how much work that must be! Beautiful lush garden beds!

  25. CJgardens 02/18/2013

    Gail, thank you for sharing the photos of Cedarhohlm Gardens - they are gorgeous. I love all the colors and varieties of flowers wonderfully combined together. I visited their website and enjoyed all their photos. Then I checked the additional pictures of your beautiful gardens. WOW - What an extensive project but worth all the effort.
    I've been battling a cold so I missed a few days. What a delight to catch up today. The Butchart Gardens are so lovely, they almost don't seem real. I have totally enjoyed Tatyana's blog also. She is talented in many ways. And the additional postings from Jeff were appreciated but my favorite part was the dailogue going on in the comments. Jeff, I bet you have many friends and many good stories. So how did your first day of "spring gardening" go? I was so jealous of those of you with blossoms beginning in their yards. Wisc. is getting two more snow storms this week alone.

  26. user-1020932 02/18/2013

    cjgardens, you are too kind. my first day of spring gardening was postponed, 16 degrees this morning. i do have many friends and many "garden wives" around town. last week was fun with the comments and i DO like to talk! i would very much like for all of us to meet somewhere/someday. i nominate Michelle's house :)

  27. MichelleGervais 02/18/2013

    I'm game! GPOD meetup at my house this summer!! And if you take me seriously I will panic... But still be game!

  28. user-1020932 02/19/2013

    ohhhhh, this is definitely going on the calendar!

  29. janetsfolly 02/19/2013

    Camden has long been a favorite place to visit...I know where I'll be staying next time! These gardens make me wish I were a butterfly, just to REVEL in them! The idea of everyone meetin at Michelle's sounds great but I'm still thinking about that Halloween bash, tntreeman. Might be my favorite holiday, the season of the year, the masquerade, the opportunity to step outside our 'normal' persona...
    Anyway, I'm so glad folks keep sending their photos. I've learned a ton! Thanks to one and all!

  30. user-1020932 02/19/2013

    you are more than welcome at Halloween. we have quite a mix of people and costumes are not mandatory but are encouraged. those not in costume are ridiculed mercilessly

    i think this meeting at Michelle's is gaining momentum. summer GPOD meeting,,, sounds sort of like a previously undisclosed migratory marinelife confab

  31. cwheat000 02/19/2013

    I love this garden. I agree with the book CCCDDD read, about plant size , texture, shape, etc. being more important in design, than color alone. This garden has it all. I almost feel as if a lot of today's garden's are a little restrained. There is something so joyous, free and wonderful about an exuberance of color. I am for freedom of expression in gardens and in our comments. There is something I love about every garden and every commenter posted here. Keep it all coming in it's unedited way. The variety keeps it interesting. As for a gpod meeting this summer, I would love to meet all of you. If it comes down, I live way too close to Michelle to not be game.

  32. marciaelaine 02/19/2013

    It must be nice to be a photographer and never have any poor quality pics. I for one do not criticize others. I have never really seen any poor quality pictures. Not all of us know the names of all flowers and we are gardeners, the subtitles are a big help.
    This garden at the Inn is spectacular in color and placement. I would love to walk through it and stay at the Inn. Have a good day everyone.

  33. Krackerjack 02/23/2013

    I'll be honest up front. I am taking a class on blogging and my assignment was to find a blog I'm interested in and make a comment as part of my assignment. My goal is to start my own blog soon using my experience as a self taught amateur gardener. Just to comment on the photo, however, it deserves to be its own jig saw puzzle. Imagine the hours looking at the detail of all the beautiful plants in little pieces and then finally seeing it all together (hopefully without any missing pieces). Then stepping back and admiring it and being giddy with success that it is completed. That's much like the feeling from admiring your own handiwork out ones back door. So that's my first comment ever on a blog but I hope to be back.

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