Bountiful Home Gardens in Maine

Bountiful home gardens in Maine, were brought to life by a couple who have spent the past 12 years pouring their hearts into their home’s landscaping.

When Erin and Dan Clark met, they both had children, and Dan owned an extensive property with good bones, but with an aesthetic best described as “man cave.” The couple fell in love and have spent the past 12 years sharing life and loss. Sadly, one of Dan’s sons passed away. He lives on in their hearts, and turning the former bachelor pad into a home complete with stunning home gardens that thrive thanks to Erin’s green thumb has been healing for the family. Under Erin’s guidance, a bevy of garden plots, courtyards and structures were planted and installed. “I like to refer to myself as a garden artist,” says Erin, who is a self-taught gardener. “My starting point is a visual in my head. I know how I want things to look and get to work.”

patio and garden path to she shed in Maine home — BLUSHING BEAUTY. For Sweet Pea Cottage, Erin wanted a very pale-pink color—but one that wasn’t the overly saccharine shade of cotton candy or bubblegum pink. “Subtle and sophisticated is what I had in mind,” she says. “And I found the perfect shade. It’s called Pink Sea Salt by Behr.” The color complements all her pink blooms without being gaudy or overpowering the flowers.

arbor with John Davis Roses honeysuckle and morning glories — BLUSHING BEAUTY. For Sweet Pea Cottage, Erin wanted a very pale-pink color—but one that wasn’t the overly saccharine shade of cotton candy or bubblegum pink. “Subtle and sophisticated is what I had in mind,” she says. “And I found the perfect shade. It’s called Pink Sea Salt by Behr.” The color complements all her pink blooms without being gaudy or overpowering the flowers.

Breaking Ground on the Home Gardens in Maine with the Courtyard Garden

When Erin first moved in with Dan there were no gardens at all, just a small deck leading down to a huge lawn. “The first thing we did was rip the deck off and build a much larger one with a gazebo attached,” Erin says. The couple knew they wanted a patio off the large staircase coming down from the deck, so when they renovated their home in 2013, they had the patio installed in a large bell shape. “It remained that way for years, but it always looked like a sore thumb, and we didn’t have much of a purpose for it. It fell flat,” Erin says. So, they decided to take a staycation and pour themselves into reinventing the area around the patio, complete with an arbor and picket fence with scalloped rounded pickets to create a courtyard.

“The inspiration was a similar look to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay,” Erin says. Once the project was done, it looked as though it had always been there, and it was dubbed the Courtyard Garden, the first of their home gardens in their Maine residence.

Erin homeowner and gardener opening her she shed French doors — Mind for Design. The design for the cottage was conjured up by Erin and inspired by her deep obsession with She Sheds—and the fact that she never saw one that was exactly what she wanted. “So, I drew a picture and shopped for windows, and Dan built it from my illustration,” she says.

interior of she shed with view to outdoor dining area — Mind for Design. The design for the cottage was conjured up by Erin and inspired by her deep obsession with She Sheds—and the fact that she never saw one that was exactly what she wanted. “So, I drew a picture and shopped for windows, and Dan built it from my illustration,” she says.

Sweet Pea Cottage

Next, Erin dreamed of a small cottage (she shed) where she could be creative and paint. “I talked incessantly about it and designed the cutest little cottage I could think of,” she says. “I think Dan got sick of listening to me, got out his measuring tape and said, ‘Come on, let’s go start your cottage!’” They laid out where they wanted it that night and he started on the foundation the next day. It has an antique stained-glass door and windows, wide pine floors and a shiplap interior. Erin dubbed it Sweet Pea Cottage because of its soft pinky/peach color and it needed to be named after a flower, obviously, she says.

Erin looking over Maine home gardens — Paradise Found. Sometimes Erin can’t believe she lives here. “It is so rewarding to relax and look back at all of the work we’ve done and the home and life we’e created,” she says. “I feel very peaceful and grateful here.”

she shed door built around antique stained glass window — Paradise Found. Sometimes Erin can’t believe she lives here. “It is so rewarding to relax and look back at all of the work we’ve done and the home and life we’e created,” she says. “I feel very peaceful and grateful here.”

Sweet Pea Garden

In the meantime, Erin decided she needed a huge garden and paths leading from the Courtyard Garden to Sweet Pea Cottage, so in the fall of 2021, she started Sweet Pea Garden. The couple dug out sod, brought in final-stage loam soil and huge rocks to line one side of the pea-gravel path from the arbor of the courtyard to the front doors of Sweet Pea Cottage. “We also installed an old antique fountain I found at an antiques show,” Erin adds. They leveled up the ground to the right of the cottage, put in a gravel patio and placed a table Dan built on it along with some antique bistro chairs and a charming pink umbrella.

garden path leading to pink cottage style she shed in Maine home — Bend in the Path. A curved path leads from the Courtyard Garden to Sweet Pea Cottage. “We laid many hoses to plan out the path, and we took the drone up to perfect the curves,” Erin recalls. “The path is lined with landscaping fabric and edged with 5- to 6-inch natural stones, and the pathway is filled in with pea stone.”

Of course, a garden artist’s work is never done, and Erin now has her eye on adding a greenhouse built from antique windows. For now, she and Dan enjoy their own personal gardens of paradise, where love is truly apparent and is one of the key ingredients for how well their flowers grow.

To see more of the Clarks’ home and gardens in Maine, visit them on Instagram @clark.cottage.gardens.

**Knock on Wood**. The couple were worried a wood chandelier wouldn’t hold up to the weather, but Erin really wanted one—so they decided to take a chance on it and Dan dipped the bulbs in silicone to give them an old-fashioned look. “Someday it will have to be replaced, but I have another one saved in the attic for that day,” she says.

**Hearty Hydrangeas**. Blush hydrangeas are from Proven Winners.

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