Elizabeth Brown’s High Tide Garden marks the record storm tide that hit coastal Maine in early 2024.
“The High Tide Garden is a living conversation about rising sea levels and their impact on coastal communities. On January 13th, 2024 a historic high tide rose to the edge of the George Marshall Store Gallery, in this exact spot, before receding and pulling out to sea. From the vantage point of this garden, it can be near impossible to imagine the tidal York River lapping the edge of this stone wall.
Two garden beds expand upon the idea of historic high tide lines. The first bed, nearest the river, incorporates native plantings known to tolerate sea spray. The second, close to the stone wall, is designed with texture and height in mind– an organic emphasis of the line of the sea on that day in early winter.”
What’s Growing?
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Sweet Alyssum
Cleome hybrid
Sedum
Sutera cordata
Angelonia Angustifolia
Cosmos -
Solidago
New England Aster
Helenium Autumnale
Pycanthemum muticum
The two garden beds that now bloom at this floodmark invite visitors to sit and observe the shoreline. Flowers were selected with consideration for texture, scent, color, and scale, creating a fully sensory experience that also tells the story of native versus non-native plants.
The garden is situated on the gallery’s rear lawn, open for all to visit and reflect. We will share updates as it blooms and grows throughout the season.
Elizabeth Brown is a Maine Master Gardener, certified therapeutic horticulturist, and founder and owner of Foxglove Farmhouse, a small regenerative flower garden in York.
