“Fairest of the months!
 Ripe summer’s queen
 The hey-day of the year
 With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
 Sweet August doth appear.”
 ~ R. Combe Miller

Well, hello! It’s been a while. How did we get to mid August so quickly? Tom and I have been dividing our summer between DC and Castine, Maine. If you spot a silver mini-van with DC tags crammed with dogs, furniture and stuff puttering along I-95, that would be us! Wave hi, okay?

There’s much to catchup on, so let’s start with our garden in DC.

This August has been cooler than normal, and it feels marvelous. The plants love it, too. The first photo from a few weeks ago shows the row of Russian sage along the pergola. I shared it on INSTAGRAM and many of you “liked” it – thank you!!
A couple weeks later, the Limelight hydrangeas to the right of the garden pavilion burst into bloom. Next to the hydrangeas is Blue Fortune agastache with its lavender-blue flowers. Both long bloomers are showstoppers of the August garden.

The white border really shined this season. With more of a cottage garden spirit, the planting here is less formal. There is still structure, such as the evergreen shrubs to anchor the perennials, but the overall appearance is a bit softer. Surrounding the granite sundial are Minnie Pearl phloxes – this is their second flush of flowers. Also in bloom are veronicas (below) and daisies.

Not much new inside except for a few tweaks and additions of books and creamware. I was invited by Kim at Savvy Southern Style to chat about my favorite room – did you see my guest post on our library? Thanks so much, Kim!
In Castine, the exterior of our grey house has yet to be painted as the short summer is, as you can imagine, the busiest season for local painters. While I love grey, I plan to perk up our historic home with crisp white paint, graphic black shutters and sunny yellow doors. So that’s the exterior color scheme!
As for the gardens, we’ve planted 18 Limelight hydrangeas, five white spruces and many native cinnamon ferns. The front perennial beds need simplifying and weeding. I’m thinking of a white, pale-yellow and green garden – simple, cheerful, summery!
Here is a sneak peek of the dining room with botanical prints of ferns inspired by the local flora.
We continue to explore beautiful Maine, and took a “daycation” up to Lubec and Eastport. Lubec was just delightful – an unspoiled Downeast coastal gem. Being the easternmost town in the U.S., you can enjoy the sunrise before the rest of the country. Also the fresh, salty air!
Don’t miss The McCurdy Smokehouse Museum, the last traditional smoked-herring facility that closed in 1991. Next door, there is a charming gallery featuring the works of local artists.
Across the Lubec Narrows, enjoy views of the Mulholland Point Lighthouse on Campobello Island, Canada. If you are a lighthouse enthusiast, this is the region for you. There are five around Lubec and another one in Calais.
The harbor and historic cottages. New Brunswick, Canada can be seen from Lubec. Greetings to my Canadian friends and readers 🙂
Speaking of lighthouses, the boldly striped red-and-white West Quoddy Head Light is stunning against the blue sea. I hear it is quite the Maine experience on a misty, foggy day with the sound of the foghorn.
The most eastern point in the U.S. – quite the setting with the rocky cliffs, big tides and gusty winds!
After Lubec, we made our way to Eastport, a small city with lots of galleries, cafes and antique shops. We had a wonderful time chatting with the very friendly locals.
BTW, the Port of Eastport is the deepest natural seaport in the continental U.S. It was low tide when we visited.
Hope you’ve enjoyed seeing more of Maine!
Cheers,
Loi