Endless Summer Flower Farm – Dahlia Gardens

Endless Summer Flower Farm, located just two and a half miles from downtown Camden is a favorite destination of both Hartstone Inn guests and locals alike.  Featuring spectacular dahlia gardens, the over 180 varieties are a breathtaking sea of colors.  Do you garden?  They have over 2500 plants that are all labeled and available to …
Read More

Rockport Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale

The Rockport Garden Club’s annual plant sale will take place Saturday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Aldermere Farm on Russell Avenue. The sale offers locally grown annuals, perennials and some unusual varieties of plants. Also offered will be herbs and vegetable plants, plus an assortment of hand-painted flower pots and miscellaneous …
Read More

Camden Garden Club’s House and Garden Tour

Thursday, July 21, 2011 9:30am to 4pm From their website:  “The Garden Club’s main event and only fundraiser is its famous Annual House and Garden Tour. Held on the third Thursday in July since its inception in 1947 this tour has become so popular that many tourists plan their vacations around it. In 2011, the …
Read More

The Hartstone Inn Garden

It is summer in Cmaden and that means our gardens are growing here at the Hartstone Inn!  We try to grow as much produce as we can to use in the restaurant.  Here is a list of what we are growing this season: Beets: Chioggia–an Italian heirloom with concentric white and red layers, and Red …
Read More

Backyard Project

It may be chilly in Maine, but spring is very much on our mind.  So much so we thought it would be fun to “talk” gardens.  Have you decided what you are going to grow this season?  If you live in a cooler/harder climate like we do, March is the time to decide whether you …
Read More

Only in Camden Maine!

Is there anyplace else in the country you can enjoy going to the dentist?  Dr. David & Julia Olivas have their practice off from Route 1, on the Camden – Rockport border and have made visits to their office fun (for foodies)!  Julia’s girls are her prize Buff Orpington hens and live in their custom …
Read More

Fresh Black Raspberry Mojito

I have always loved raspberries-all kinds. When we purchased the house on Free St, I mentioned to Mary Jo that I would finally have the space to plant some. One day, to my surprise, Mary Jo returned from the nursery with one small black raspberry plant. Three years later, the plant has spread and taken over much of the back yard!  I feature the berries in the …
Read More

Endless Summer Dahlias

Mary Jo and I just picked up our new dahlia bulbs from Phil Clark at Endless Summer Flower Farm which is located right here in the coastal community of Camden, Maine (Zone5), two and a half miles inland from the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway (village center). The flower farm specializes in dahlias and they currently grow over 225 …
Read More

2009 Garden Series at the Hartstone Inn

We are very excited about our new upcoming gardening series here at the Hartstone Inn and Hideaway featuring our vegetable garden guru, Shelley Johnson. Shelley tends all of the culinary gardens at the Inn and also grows produce on her farm for the Hartstone kitchen. She has a great wealth of knowledge when it comes to …
Read More

Merryspring Nature Center – Spring Calendar

Merryspring is a non-profit, privately-owned 66-acre park and education center in Camden and Rockport, Maine, with nature trails and gardens open to the public every day free of charge. http://www.merryspring.org WORKSHOPS & CLASSES – Space is limited.  Call 207-236-2239 to pre-register. Drawing with Lynn Travis – Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m., April 23 & 30, May 7 & 14, …
Read More

Carrot Soup Recipe

  On December 11, 2008 I blogged about my final vegetable harvest of the season. I had just pulled my last carrots out of my raised beds the day before and went on to promise a recipe for my carrot soup. So here it is: 2 Tablespoons canola oil 2 medium-sized yellow onions, peeled and …
Read More

Final Vegetable Harvest of 2008

After weeks of cold weather, snow and ice, the ground has thawed enough for me to get my final harvest of carrots out of my raised bed garden. If you recall from my May 12, 2008 blog article titled “New Herb & Vegetable Garden Beds” I planted the carrot seeds on April 15th, harvesting most …
Read More