In 1810, new owners constructed the five-bay, cape-style house, which forms the central part of the larger home that now overlooks Hull’s Cove and Frenchman Bay. In the mid-19th century, a 36-foot-long barn-like structure was added to the southern end of the cape house.

In 1917, Olive Bigelow Tilton acquired the property. A well-known artist who designed covers for Harper’s and Vogue magazines, Mrs. Tilton named her new summer residence Cover Farm. She transformed the barn into a living room that opened onto a formal garden she created.

In 1922, Mr. and Mrs. John B. Thayer of Philadelphia acquired Cover Farm. The Thayer family continued cultivating the garden and preserved, almost unchanged, the brick paths and formal beds designed by Mrs. Tilton, as well as the arborvitae and yellow stucco wall that surround them. A large apple tree, which may predate the garden, still stands in the southwest corner of the enclosure.

In the fall of 2021, the house underwent interior renovations that carefully preserved its original feel and appearance. At the same time, the garden was updated to simplify maintenance and respond to climate change. A cutting garden filled with annuals needing regular watering and grooming was transformed into a more self-sustaining garden filled predominantly with native perennials and drought-resistant plants. Heirloom rose varieties were replaced with more disease-resistant Millennial roses.

Today, maintaining the garden requires three days of concentrated care three times a year, in late spring, mid-summer, and fall. During the summer season, it takes approximately two hours each week to deadhead, edge, and tidy up the garden. Onward to the garden’s next 100 years!

Fittingly, today, a more modern oceanfront estate with stunning gardens occupies three acres on Lookout Point that were once part of Mongazon. In 1979, the Dyer family, who had vacationed on Mount Desert Island for three generations, bought this property, attracted by the sweeping views of Frenchman Bay and the stunning sunrises and moonsets. They named it Oceansedge. For nearly five decades, Jack Dyer has lovingly cared for this gracious, gray-shingled home and its surrounding gardens.

At the entrance gate to Oceansedge, stone urns and hanging baskets overflow with red devil verbena and geraniums (grown from seed here) above banks of lush ostrich ferns. Nearby, a statue of Jack’s beloved, departed Golden Retriever, Oliver, keeps watch.

Under century-old pines, the driveway passes apple, cherry, plum, and dappled willow trees. In spring, all blossom in pink, the favored color here, from the pink granite chimney to the crushed stone underfoot.

Huge, decades-old rhododendrons (pink) border the parking area where what Jack calls “light houses” sit atop poles. Jack built each of these colorful miniature homes in a different architectural style with stained glass windows that are illuminated from within day and night, all year. Above, ponds fed by natural springs, so they never freeze, attract ducks, deer, and other forest creatures year-round.

On the waterfront, two tiers of annuals and perennials blossom along the patio’s stone wall. Nearby, the statue of an angel resting on a pedestal tilts her head upward, perhaps soliciting favor for this slice of heaven.

*The French phrase “Mon Gazon” translates loosely as “My Ground.”

On their honeymoon 22 years ago, Rosemary and Rick fell in love with this site whose back property line melts into Acadia National Park, offering views of Blue Hill and Cadillac and Sargeant mountains through the trees. They built a shingle-style house with room for family visits. Busy professionals back then, Rosemary taught music, and Rick taught art and theatre. Since the couple retired six years ago, they’ve refocused their artistry. Rick paints watercolors, Rosemary plays piano, and together they create the gardens at Stone Haven.

Surrounded by forest, a carpet of moss, and Maine low-bush blueberries, the perennial garden includes a crushed pink granite path, a fire pit with lounge chairs, a nearby pergola for outdoor dining, and clematis climbing on charming black steel obelisks called tuteurs. This year’s soft color palette is pink, lavender, purple, blue, white, and silver with touches of yellow.

Ten years after creating the perennial beds, the Osanns decided to grow vegetables and herbs, since they love to cook. Rick constructed seven cedar and fir raised beds, enclosed to deter deer, squirrels, and rabbits. Today, the beds are lush with herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and summer squash. Rosemary starts the seedlings in the garden shed/artist’s studio by the perennial garden.

A year ago, the Osanns decided to transform a wooded area in their backyard into a small, tranquil Asian garden. They carefully chose rocks, plants, and other elements that would evoke a sense of serenity and harmony with nature. A walkway with granite stones encourages a contemplative meander.