Star Farm

05/28/2026

This Friday meet me at the Hampden Farmer’s Market for some wonderful perennials for your Maine garden AND TOMATOES! Currently I have 20 varieties available, most are heirloom but I also have some fun hybrids. They are potted up individually so that they’ve had room to grow and are hardened off and ready to go into the ground. Prices are $3.00 each or 2 for $5.00. All have photos and descriptions.

The farm stand at my nursery - 7 Enjoy Life Lane in Old Town is also open and is restocked Saturday after Friday’s market. Many perennials are still waking up and coming along, so the selections will change weekly as plants become ready to go to their new homes.

This is what I’m bringing to market this week -

TOMATOES - Many varieties to choose from like ‘Green Sausage’ - ‘Chef’s Choice’ - ‘Black Krim’ (a personal favorite) and 3 different cherry tomatoes to name just a few.

White Astilbe - Astilbe is very easy to grow in moist, but well-drained, soil of average or better fertility, in part shade to full shade. This early blooming shade perennial features creamy white plumes above a tidy mound of finely divided dark foliage.

Lupinus polyphyllus - Lupine - Tall showy flowers are nice in mass plantings and to help soil erosion. Remove spent blooms to encourage re-bloom and to prevent plant exhaustion making seeds. Maine is known for it’s lupine but the lupine mostly recognized (polyphyllus) is not a native plant. *Deer resistant.

Rosa glauca - Starry, single pink flowers in spring with blue foliage. Huge orange hips remain on the bush through fall and winter. A very hardy, drought resistant shrub. Hardy to zone 2. A great pollinator as well as important to birds in the winter months. Grows 6 - 8 ft. with a graceful arching habit.

Tanacetum parthenium - Feverfew - a medicinal herb with lovely daisy like flowers and fine foliage. Because of it’s aroma, deer don’t care for it. It likes a sunny area and grows about 12” or so high.

Liatris spicata - Native North American wildflower, long blooming and adaptable. Thrives in full sun but prefers moist soil. It is tall and upright making an excellent cut flower. Outstanding for pollinators and a great nectar source for Monarch butterflies and bees. Zone 4.

Digitalis purpurea - Pink Foxglove - Magnificent spikes of pink flowers. Grows to 3 or 4 ft. This is a short-lived perennial or biennial. Allow to self seed for a continual yearly blooming plant. Enjoys a little afternoon shade otherwise performs fine in the sun. Zone 4.

Asclepius incarnate - Milkweed - A stately plant with strong stems of long narrow leaves and pink or white flowers. This is a native that is good in wetlands and the larval host plant for Monarch butterflies. Invaluable for bees as well. Zone 4.
Malvacea sylvestnis - French Hollyhock - A striking plant producing non-stop flowers on a 3 to 4 foot stalk. Sadly not a perennial in our area but worth planting and allowing some flowers to go to seed for more plants next year.

05/28/2026

05/14/2026

I have made this recipe several times and it is magical! I can't recommend it enough!

04/30/2026

Back at the Hampden Farmers' Market this Friday from 2-5!

Saturday, May 2nd I’m opening the market stand at my nursery on Enjoy Life Lane in Old Town. I’m still working on it but will be ready for a soft opening Saturday. I know we’re all eager to get into the garden and plant! Many perennials are still waking up so the selections will change weekly as plants become ready to go to their new homes.

This is what I’m bringing to market tomorrow -

Penstemon digitalis - ‘Husker’s Red’ - This is a great perennial! Forms a large handsome clump of shiny dark leaves with small pinkish/lavender flowers rising up from the base. Important native and pollinator plant also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. This is a very tolerant plant which thrives under most conditions. Hardy to zone 3.

Gypsophila paniculata - a pretty double-flowered baby's breath that offers big airy clouds of white blooms in early summer. The flowers can be cut and dried and used during the winter months. A free branching, heavy bloomer with small double white flowers, hundreds in each spray. Blooms July to October. Winter hardy to zone 3.

Doronicum orientale - Leopard’s Bane - One of the earliest bloomers in the daisy family so it’s vital to pollinators that are searching for early nectar. Prefers moist, rich soil. Sun to part shade. Hardy to zone 3. *Deer resistant.

Jacob’s Ladder - Polonium yezoense - Compact perennial with large clusters of star shaped flowers with fern like foliage. Nice in natural settings. Enjoys partial shade. Hardy to Zone 3. *Deer resistant with it’s bitter taste and strong scent.

Epimedium rubrum - Beautiful mounding, evergreen ground cover for dry shady areas. Pretty raspberry edging on the fresh emerging foliage. Dainty pink fairy-like flowers dangle above the foliage. A good early pollinator. *Deer resistant.

Rhubarb - ‘Victoria’ - Sweetest and best cooking rhubarb. Prolific large red stems. Pick by pulling, rather than cutting. Remove seed heads for stem harvesting all summer. Benefits from a good top dressing of compost or manure. Zone 3.

Lychnis coronaria - Rose Campion - Old fashioned favorite with soft fuzzy leaves and brilliant magenta flowers. Deadhead to prolong the bloom period. Allow a few to self seed for a continual supply of new plants. Zone 4. *Deer resistant.

Scabiosa japonica alpina - A choice plant for front of the border and rock gardens. A great little plant for butterflies and pollinators. Flowers are pink or blue. Enjoys full sun to partial shade. Zone 4.

Lupinus polyphyllus - Lupine - Tall showy flowers are nice in mass plantings and to help soil erosion. Remove spent blooms to encourage re-bloom and to prevent plant exhaustion making seeds. Maine is known for it’s lupine but the lupine mostly recognized (polyphyllus) is not a native plant. *Deer resistant.

Sweet William - Dianthus barbarous - Wonderful spicy scented flower explosion. Good cut flowers or in a cottage garden. Biennial so allow to self seed. Sun and part shade. Zone 3. *Deer resistant because of it’s bold fragrance.

Viola labridorica - Labrador violets - A delightful perennial plant that adds a pretty touch of purple to garden landscapes. This charming plant typically reaches a modest height of about 4”. Striking purple-hued leaves, the plant flowers in spring with delicate violet blooms. The flowers typically rise just above the foliage. They also serve a a host plant to several varieties of butterflies. Great in woodland gardens. Hardy to Zone 2.

Thalictrum rochebruneanum ‘Lavender Mist’ - or sometimes called Meadow Rue. This beautiful plant has tall, delicate stems punctuated by clusters of columbine-like, bluish gray leaves. In summer, it bears sprays of nodding lavender-pink flowers that reach as high as 3 feet. Plant at the back of a border or as a see-through plant in a mixed border. It is also suitable for a wild or woodland garden and requires little maintenance. This plant thrives in partial shade and is a valuable pollinator and hummingbird magnet. *Deer resistant. Hardy to Zone 4.

04/25/2026

Last week was a great start to the growing season! Thank you to everyone who came out to the Hampden Farmers' Market. It was so lovely to see new and familiar faces alike. I am back today at the Hampden Farmers' Market from 2-5! I hope to see you there!

04/24/2026

Here you can see all of the plants I will be bringing to market today!

04/16/2026

Back at the Hampden Farmers' Market, tomorrow, Friday April 16th, for the first time this season! I’ll have native plants, pollinator supporters, and just plain beautiful plants for you to choose from. Large pots sell for $8.00. There are good choices for sun and shade as well as wet or dry. Each week I’ll bring an assortment of different plants including some herbs, seedlings, terrariums, and soon, a big assortment of tomato varieties - all with photos and descriptions. I also enjoy having a chat about planting and growing - no question is silly, let’s talk about any plant subject you may be wondering about. This is what I’m bringing to market tomorrow -

Strawberry Plants - I have 5 different varieties this spring. Some are everbearers (all summer) and some are June bearing. Small pots - 3 for $10.00

Other plants I will have available are Gypsophila paniculata, Achillia millefolium, Doronicum orientale (Leopard’s Bane), Jacob’s Ladder (Polonium yezoense), Epimedium rubrum, Rhubarb (Victoria), Lychnis coronaria (Rose Campion), Scabiosa japonica alpina, Lupinus polyphyllus (Lupine), Alpine Columbine (Aquilegia saximontana),Sweet William (Dianthus barbarous), Viola labridorica (Labrador violets), and many others!

06/23/2025

We had a GREAT turnout this past weekend at the plant sale! Thank you to everyone that came! It was so nice to see some familiar faces and also meet new gardeners!!

This week we are back to business - I’ll be at the Hampden Farmer’s Market as usual this Friday from 2pm - 5pm

If you missed out on this most recent plant sale or are looking for new goodies as the season progresses, we will be having another sale at the end of July… so keep your eyes peeled for that announcement!

06/20/2025

I will not be at the Hampden Farmers' Market today, but I’ll be back next week! If you’re craving some plants this weekend, I am having a plant sale this afternoon and tomorrow.

06/20/2025

It’s been a busy morning and a great turn out so far. We’re getting a little sprinkling right now but that’s not going to stop us. Come out and get some beautiful perennials today or tomorrow… we’ll be here 9-3 at 7 Enjoy Life Lane, Old Town