Garden Design Maine | Perennial Garden Designer in Limerick ME - Garden Restoration & Custom Planting Design

Garden Restoration and
Custom Garden Design

Garden Restoration and Custom Garden Design in Shapleigh, ME

When these homeowners purchased their “forever” home on Silver Lake in Shapleigh, the landscape showed signs of a once thoughtfully designed garden that had fallen into disrepair over time. Garden Design Maine was brought in to restore and refresh the property, creating a cohesive, low-maintenance landscape that reflects the homeowners’ style and favorite garden memories.

Garden Design Goals

This garden restoration project focused on blending renewal with personalization. Key goals included:

Restore and refresh an overgrown, neglected landscape
Create cohesive garden areas with distinct character
Incorporate long-blooming, low-maintenance perennials
Design spaces for both beauty and everyday enjoyment
Reflect the homeowners’ preferred colors and past garden experiences

Before the Garden Installation

While the property had strong bones and an established layout, years of neglect had left the garden overgrown and lacking cohesion. The challenge was to revive the existing landscape while introducing new plantings that would bring structure, color, and long-term vitality.

Before: Front of the house garden

Before: Side garden area

Garden Design Concept

The design focused on restoring key garden areas while introducing new plantings tailored to the site’s varied conditions. The front garden embraces sun-loving, colorful perennials, while the side yard transitions into a calm, shade-tolerant planting designed for durability and ease of care.

Together, these spaces create a balanced landscape that feels both vibrant and restful.

Seasonal Flowering Perennials

A curated mix of long-blooming perennials ensures continuous color throughout the growing season. Selections include lavender, catmint, coneflower, phlox, astilbe, geranium, and hellebore—chosen for their resilience, beauty, and ability to thrive in Maine conditions.

Garden Areas and Planting Highlights

Front of House
The sunny front garden was designed as a vibrant, cut-flower-friendly space filled with long-lasting blooms. A soft palette of pinks and peaches creates a romantic feel, while layered perennials provide continuous color and texture.

Climbing roses trained on twin trellises frame the bay window, adding vertical interest and creating a striking focal point. Additional plantings—including yarrow, agastache, anemone, poppy, phlox, sedum, and coneflower—offer both outdoor beauty and flowers for indoor arrangements.

Design rendering, before climbing roses were selected.

Planting day, September 2025

Side Yard (Shade Garden)
Between existing shrubs, a calm, shade-loving garden was created using deer-resistant and durable perennials. Plantings include astilbe, columbine, painted ferns, foxglove, masterwort, geranium, and hellebore.

This area provides a lush, textural contrast to the sunny front garden while enhancing an often-overlooked space.

Installation and Outcome

The result is a thoughtfully restored landscape that blends structure, color, and personal meaning. By combining resilient plant selections with a tailored design approach, the garden now offers season-long beauty and a renewed sense of place for the homeowners.

Plants Featured in This Garden Restoration Design

The following perennials and shrubs were selected for their durability, seasonal interest, and ability to thrive in both sunny and shaded Maine garden conditions.