Sweet Love

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We didn't have much in the way of April showers, so let's move on to May flowers — and one of our favorite floral destinations in Maine.

Sweet Pea Gardens is the type of place that plant purists absolutely adore. Yes, owner Susan Keating sells other herbs and flowers at her charming organic garden in Surry, near Blue Hill. But the sweet peas keep people coming back for more.

Sue fell in love with the delicate, butterfly-like blossoms — and their intoxicating scent — as a girl, and she grew up watching her mom in the garden. After she and her husband moved to Maine in 1992, Sue started a garden and tried her hand at the farmers market scene, selling veggies, preserves and — of course — cut sweet peas. The flower sales really blossomed, and in 1998, Sweet Pea Gardens was born. Since then, Sue has appeared in such publications as Martha Stewart Living, Garden Design and Good Housekeeping, as well as "Gardens Maine Style" by Rebecca Sawyer-Fay and Lynn Karlin.

It's worth the trip, whether you're looking for seedlings, hard-to-find seeds or inspiration — Sue is a bit of a sweet pea herself, and she's always willing to offer advice. If you can't make the drive, click here to visit Sweet Pea Gardens online.

Technically, you should've planted them in mid-April, but since the showers never seemed to materialize, maybe these can be your May flowers — and what they bring is way better than pilgrims.

Image courtesy of Sweet Pea Gardens.

1 comments:

Samantha Warren Weddings said...

I've done several downeast weddings with Susan and her work is amazing! So fresh and fun, and I love that her outfit on the wedding day has always matched the couple's wedding colors. Shows how close an eye she keeps on the details!

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