Asticou Azalea Garden

Mount Desert, Maine, United States

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Asticou Azalea Garden in Mount Desert, Maine, was created in 1956 by Charles Kenneth Savage, a lifelong resident of Northeast Harbor, using plants purchased from Beatrix Farrand’s Reef Point Estate in Bar Harbor after it closed.

The garden, covering about 2.3 acres, is designed in the style of a Japanese stroll garden, featuring meandering paths around a central pond, gravel and sand gardens raked to suggest flowing water, and stone accents representing islands. It showcases a vibrant collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, native Maine plants, and other perennials that bloom in succession from May through October.

Savage combined Japanese garden design principles with Maine's coastal landscape to create a serene, reflective space that gives an illusion of expansiveness. The garden is open to the public during daylight hours in the warmer months and remains a beloved blend of cultural and natural heritage maintained by the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve.