Open Garden Days continue July 1 at the Lush Gardens surrounding a Lincolnville architectural gem
LINCOLNVILLE – In 1972, architect and artist Jack Silverio set out to design and build an aesthetically distinctive and lifestyle-sustaining homestead on an abandoned farm in Lincolnville. There, in true Maine style, he and his wife, Susan, an early childhood educator, have been able to happily live and work for 50 years.
The Silverios’ gardens at 105 Proctor Road in Lincolnville will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, rain or shine, as part of the Belfast Garden Club’s summer event, Open Garden Days. Admission is $5. It is the second of nine private gardens the club is showcasing this summer on Saturdays through Aug. 19.
In Lincolnville, the Silverios’ 50-acre homestead encompasses the architect’s studio, a cottage where Susan Silverio long taught a multiage kindergarten, and the remarkable house, which was featured in the August 2022 issue of Down East magazine. The home is designed of hipped-roof boxes that harken back to medieval Scandinavian religious structures and which, tall and slender, are easy to heat with wood stoves.
Both now retired, the Silverios maintain an ambitious 50-by-60-foot garden area that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. They developed the garden’s fertile soil over decades using manure from a small flock of sheep as well as compost.
“My goal is constantly blooming flowers — beginning with spring bulbs and ending with autumn dahlias — and fresh vegetables on our plates from early spring throughout the winter,” says Susan Silverio.
Through the years, she says, they have appreciated advice from fellow gardeners in the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. The newest features in their garden, however, are Jack Silverio’s outdoor sculptures.
For more on the Open Garden Days schedule, visit belfastgardenclub.org. A season pass may be purchased for $35. Proceeds support the garden club’s school programs, camp scholarships, library donations, and Belfast’s public gardens.