Asticou Azalea Garden facts for kids
The Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor, Maine, United States, is a popular visitor attraction. It was created by lifelong resident of the village, Charles Kenneth Savage, in 1956. Savage also created Reef Point Estate in nearby Bar Harbor. It was from Reef Point that several specimens, with the financial assistance of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., were moved, including the weeping hemlock, just north of the main bridge.
Located at the intersection of Route 198 and Route 3 (Peabody Drive), the 2.3 acre garden and its pond are open to the public during daylight hours from May 1 to October 31. It features a selection of rhododendrons and azaleas, including the Rhododendron canadense, Maine's native azalea. Styled after a Japanese stroll garden, the fine-gravel paths are raked regularly in a manner that suggests flowing water. There is also a sand garden, where this effect is repeated but with the addition of stones, which are meant to represent islands.
Savage was also the owner of the Asticou Inn, which is located on the opposite side of Peabody Drive. Group photographs for weddings at the inn are often taken in the Garden.
Gallery
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A sign at the entrance from the Routes 3/198 parking lot near the northeast corner of the Garden
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Concentric circles in the sand garden
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An example of the Japanese influence
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More raking effects
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A 2006 view from just inside the Peabody Drive entrance
- Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve. "Asticou Azalea Garden"
