Bidding in our2022 fundraising auction is now closed. Winning bidders will be notified by email and/or phone and may come by to pick up their items until 7:30pm tonight and anytime during our regular operating hours up until December 24th. Call 207-743-8820 or email us at the garden if you would like to make other arrangements for picking up your item. Thank you for your support and generosity. Congratulations to all of our winning bidders!
Item #01 — A Week in Paris Studio Apartment
Valued at $1,300
Minimum Bid: $1000



Ready to travel? Don’t miss your chance to be the winning bidder on our Paris (Maine) to Paris (France) signature McLaughlin trip.
Immerse yourself in the art and culture of romantic Paris, France while staying in this historic apartment located in the 2nd Arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine. The apartment is around the corner from a pedestrian street where you will find all you need – the best patisserie, charcuterie, and wine shops – for a leisurely breakfast or relaxing dinner at home. You will be surrounded by wonderful restaurants, cafes, and shopping; the Louvre, the Tuileries Gardens, and the center of Paris are all nearby.
The apartment with its historic stone and wood architecture, has a double bed, a fold-out couch, an open kitchen and a separate study. It can accommodate 2-4 people and includes TV and internet access as well as free international phone calls. Dates will be arranged with the owner and will accommodate COVID travel restrictions as necessary.
A small cleaning fee is required. Transportation is not included.
Donated by Tony Kleitz
Current Bid: $1100
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #02 — 3 Days / 2 Nights at the Migis Lodge on Sebago Lake
Valued at $1,200
Minimum Bid: $650
Spend a relaxing getaway on the shores of beautiful Sebago Lake in South Casco, Maine. This three-day, two-night package for two in one of Migis Lodge’s private cottages or lodge rooms includes three meals a day, activities, and use of all facilities. You will experience classic Maine, nestled in the woods on a secluded shoreline of Sebago Lake. You can relax by the water enjoying the fresh air and views, play tennis, share a lunch together on a private island, or spend time on the water sailing, kayaking, or water skiing. Book a massage at the wellness center or join any of the wellness classes. End each day watching the sunset over the lake. Most importantly, you will enjoy sharing time together!
The certificate is based on availability—weekends in July and August are not available. The season runs from Father’s Day in June through Columbus Day. Gratuity and transportation are not included.
More information is available at: www.migis.com
Donated by The Porta Family
Current Bid: $1000
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #03 — One night for 2 with breakfast in an Oceanview room at The Inn at Ocean’s Edge
Valued at $350
Minimum Bid: $200
Perched on the shores of Penobscot Bay between the historic port of Camden and the sandy crescent of Lincolnville Beach, The Inn at Ocean’s Edge is a quintessentially Maine oceanfront boutique hotel just minutes from Camden & Belfast. You’ll find many of the on-site amenities you’d expect from a Maine luxury hotel … immerse yourself in the infinity pool overlooking the ocean, explore the rocky beaches of Penobscot Bay, or stroll through the quaint coastal towns of Midcoast Maine. Relish in the finer things in life at our Poolhouse Spa, a limited-service spa featuring massage rooms, a cedar sauna, hot tub, and of course our heated outdoor infinity edge pool. However you choose to enjoy your stay at The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, our expert staff is dedicated to making your experience unique and extraordinary. For over a decade the Inn has been managed by the Migis Hotel Group, welcoming many new and returning guests every summer. It is our goal to seamlessly blend the comforts of modernity with the elegance and charm of our Maine hotel in this beautiful yet natural landscape by the sea. We hope you will visit us soon and discover why our guests consider us one of the best hotels in Maine!
Valid from Mid May through June and September to Mid October (holiday weekends excluded). Includes breakfast.
Donated by The Porta Family
Current Bid: $300
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #04 — 4 tickets for the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s Magic of Christmas
Valued at $392
Minimum Bid: $200
Enjoy this cherished holiday tradition (now in its 43rd year!) and celebrate the season with Christmas classics new and old. The winner of this auction item will receive four tickets to any PSO Magic of Christmas performance this 2022 season. Show dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 9, 10 and 11 and December 16, 17, and 18, and there are matinee and evening performances from which to choose. Visit Portland Symphony Orchestra website for a full list of performance dates and times. The value of this gift is $392, though the experience of attending the show is priceless. Please note that seating availability may vary so it is best to claim your tickets as soon as possible to get your preferred seating. McLaughlin supporter and board member Jim Kennedy will be among the musicians playing in the show!
Donated by Portland Symphony Orchestra
Current Bid: $200
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #05 – Vintage Nicholas Mosse Pottery Bowl
Valued at $150
Hey all of you pottery collectors, look what we have here! This vintage Nicholas Mosse XL salad bowl measures 14 1/4 ” across and 7 1/2″ high and is decorated with hand sponged tulips with green leaves; the design is aptly called “Red Tulips.” Nicholas Mosse Pottery is hand thrown, turned, and decorated Irish spongeware made in Bennettsbridge Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Highly sought after for its charming landscape and garden designs, the pieces are made using the Mosse family’s own cured and blended Irish clay, then fired in their kilns overnight, using electricity from the passing water of the River Nore. Even if you are not a collector, this rare find will serve you well as a functional serving piece or tabletop centerpiece. The bowl is both dishwasher and microwave safe if used with care.
Donated by Joanne Sullivan
Current Bid: $150
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #06 –Cement Garden Leaf and a Johnny’s Selected Seeds Gift Certificate
Valued at $125
This cement garden leaf was made during a Foothills Garden Club project day and was chosen by members for inclusion into this year’s auction It is approximately 14.5″ high and 15 inches wide and can be left outdoors year round, but may last longer if stored under cover during the freezing winter months. The leaf is slightly bowled and can hold a shallow pool of water for pollinators and small wildlife, or could be used as a planter for succulents or other plants that don’t require deep soil. A $50 gift certificate to Johnny’s Selected Seeds is included courtesy of a friend of McLaughlin Garden. The certificate can be used at the retail store in Winslow, Maine or by shopping with them on-line. Johnny’s carries a top selection of flower, herb, fruit, and vegetable seeds as well as a vast array of gardening tools and supplies.
Donated by Foothills Garden Club and a Friend of McLaughlin Garden
Current Bid: $110
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #07 — A Personal Pilot for your Flight of Fancy
Scenic plane ride for 2 or 3*
Valued at: Priceless
Minimum Bid: $300
This is truly a “you get what you pay for” opportunity. Start out with a scenic airplane tour of the Oxford Hills and Western Maine in a Cessna 182 Skylane. The higher you bid the more personalized your flight of fancy can be. Work with pilot Bruce to customize an excursion of your choice.** Gaze upon familiar landscapes, see a favorite place, or just put the world back into perspective. Enjoy breathtaking views while winging your way over the splendorous landscapes that only Maine can offer or, depending on your bid amount, fly to a neighboring state and experience something new. If you really want to go all out on your bid, consider something like this: “One of the things I have enjoyed is lunch at Basin Harbor, Vermont.” says Bruce. “There is a grass runway situated on the shore of Lake Champlain. The restaurant is a converted cider mill.” Reward yourself with assurance that you have made an important contribution to your community.
Fly dates determined by availability and weather.
*weight limitations apply
**Your choice subject to the discretion of the pilot and the laws regulating small private aircraft.
Donated by Bruce Rood of Rare Air, Inc.
Current Bid:$300
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #08 — A Collection of 3 Barth Daylilies
Valued at $60
In the summer of 2010, O’Donal’s obtained the rights to the Barth Hybrid Daylily line, the longest continual line of hybridized daylilies in the world. Barth Daylilies were created in Maine and continue to be developed by the Barth family and grown at O’Donal’s Nursey in Gorham, Maine. The Barth line of collectible daylilies now includes over 90 varieties that are known for possessing multiple flowers of exceptional size, extensive branching, and extended bloom times.
Here is your chance to add these select and highly sought after collectible Maine plants to your garden while supporting the McLaughlin Garden & Homestead. We are fortunate to be able to offer this distinctive collection of three Barth Daylilies for this year’s auction:
‘Caroline Emma’ blooms mid-season, has 5″, creamy pink flowers with red eyes, and stands 32″ tall. ‘Elizabeth Davis’ blooms mid to late season, has impressive 8″ red flowers and stands 28″tall”. Sheepscot’ is a semi-double to double, yellow 5.25″ flower and stands 24″ tall.
The winning bidder will receive coupons that can be redeemed in late spring of 2023.
Donated by O’Donal’s Nursery
Current Bid:$75
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #09 — “Black Eyed Susan 2”- Original encaustic painting by Anne Stuer
Valued at $355
Minimum bid: $250
Encaustic and mixed media artist Anne Stuer of Sand Pond Studio, located in Norway, Maine, has been a generous supporter of the McLaughlin Garden for well over a decade. Her show in the McLaughlin Gallery in June of this year was a guest favorite, and kept her busy with trips back to the garden to replace sold work. Anne’s work can be found in galleries, shops, and at festivals throughout the Northeast and on the west coast.
Anne’s artwork combines two techniques, cyanotype printing and encaustic painting. She uses a mix of dried and live plants for printing, pigmented beeswax for painting, and occasional oil sticks for added color. The finish on her paintings is rich and smooth and could easily be mistaken for a hand painted ceramic tile. The 9″x12″ painting is called “Black Eyed Susan 2″ and is mounted in a black floater frame for a total measurement of 11.5″ x 14″.
Encaustic paint will not yellow, fade or darken over time. Beeswax is naturally resistant to moisture, so encaustic paintings are durable and archival. They can be gently buffed with a clean, soft cloth to restore a glossy finish. However, the wax can be easily scratched so extra care is needed when buffing. Encaustic paintings should not be hung in direct sunlight or exposed to extreme temperatures (between 40F – 100F is best).
Donated by Artist Anne Stuer
Current Bid:$250
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #10 –‘Lady of the Lake’ Quilt
Valued at $200
Do you want an extra way to stay warm this winter? Adding this cozy quilt to your fireside chair should do the trick. The Lady of the Lake quilt pattern is a classic favorite made entirely of half-square triangles. The quilter, Sandra Hurd of Groton, MA, undertook the challenge of the vintage design and created this 70″x 70″ machine washable quilt. The quilt pattern is machine stitched using “Horizon” blue and white premium cotton fabrics and the batting is 80% cotton / 20% poly.
Donated by Ruth and Harold Kowal
Current Bid: $200
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #11 — One week stay at Snowbrook Village/ Sugarloaf
Valued at: $800
Minimum Bid: $400
Snowbrook Village is located at the base of Sugarloaf Ski and Golf Resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. Maine’s second highest peak, Sugarloaf in the summer offers opportunities for hiking, mountain biking on an extensive trail network, and golf at one of Maine’s top golf courses. The Snowbrook Condo Association has a private indoor swimming pool facility*, two tennis courts and a pond where owners and guests can try their hand at fly fishing. Snowbrook #2704 is a bottom floor end unit located on the pond, immediately adjacent to the tennis court and pool facility, and with direct access to Sugarloaf’s trail network. The unit has two bedrooms and two full bathrooms and is available for a week of your choosing any time from May through the first week of October. Enjoy summer fun or perhaps head up to enjoy the foliage next season.
*pool open subject to CDC guidelines
Donated by Leslie Guenther and David Stonebraker
Current Bid:$500
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #12 — Custom Made Peace Bell – Featuring original collage by artist Jo Northrop Thomas
Valued at $650
During a conversation with a first time garden visitor this summer, I was introduced to the idea of peace bells. A non-profit organization in the Florida Keys was very successful raising money selling these one of a kind works of art and they were very eager to share their process with me so that I could bring this item to our auction catalog for our McLaughlin community. Hung from a well set sheperd’s hook in the garden, from a porch or a nearby tree, this spectacular work of art is created on a retired scuba tank donated to us by Ian Barclay of Skin Diver’s Paradise in Lewiston, ME (thanks to member/volunteer and avid scuba divers Deb & Tom Wiles for the connection). With the skills and equipment needed, Russ Florenz (another garden member/volunteer) prepped the surface of the tank and passed it along to local artist Jo Northrop Thomas, who volunteered to create a piece of original artwork on the tank. The color palette and subject used to create this one of a kind peace bell is inspired by the trees and foliage found around the artist’s Norway Lake summer home. As a matter of fact, Jo even incorporated into her collage birch bark from a tree in her yard. Watch this video presented by the artist for a closer look at the bell.. Photos of Jo’s collages do not do them justice. The rich textures and depth of the collage on this peace bell is matched only by the sound of the bell itself. The sound of the bell is filled with the spirit of cooperation, creativity, and of course, peace. New garden friends, devoted members and volunteers, a generous businessman, and a local artist all came together to create a truly one of a kind offering.
Donated by Artist Jo Northrop Thomas
Ian Barclay of Skin Diver’s Paradise
Russ Florenz
Current Bid: $300
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #13 — 4 days / 3 nights at Saddleback’s South Branch Condominium
Valued at $750
Minimum Bid: $350
This second floor South Branch Condominium is located trail-side and is in easy walking distance to the Saddleback base lodge. There are miles of hiking and mountain biking trails right out the front door. The town of Rangeley, with restaurants and shopping, is just 5 miles away and the Rangeley region offers abundant golfing, boating, and fishing opportunities. This South Branch condo is a cozy, quiet and well-appointed unit with sweeping views of the mountains. The unit has two bedrooms and a full bath and sleeps 5 comfortably. It is available for 4 days / 3 nights of your choosing between April 29th and October 3rd. This is subject to availability but the sooner you can choose a time the more likely it will be open. Come enjoy all that Saddleback and Rangeley have to offer.
Donated by Daphne and Adam White
Current Bid:$375
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #14 — McLaughlin Garden Native Wildflower Collection
Valued at $100
Create your own woodland garden with this collection of 8 unique native wildflowers from McLaughlin Garden!
1. Actaea pachypoda (Doll’s Eyes Baneberry) One look at this unique Maine native is all it takes to understand its common name. Actaea pachypoda blooms mid-season, but the spooky, doll-eye-like berries that appear later in the season are what make this plant stand out. Its foliage is serrated and has a refreshing green color that persists throughout spring and summer. Appreciates shade to part shade and moist, well-drained soils.
2. Actaea rubra (Red Baneberry) This Actaea is identical to its previously listed relative, the Doll’s Eyes Baneberry, in both growing habit and preferred conditions, save for its berries being a bright red color. Similarly to its relative, the berries are toxic and should not be consumed (unless you are a bird).
3. Arisaeama triphyllum (Jack-in-the-Pulpit) A legendary wildflower of the Northeast, Jack-in-the-Pulpit is immediately recognizable by its prehistoric-looking flower. Highly variable in appearance, Arisaema triphyllum’s late-spring bloom consists of a hooded spathe (which is generally striped with brown and green, the “pulpit”) surrounding a black or green spadix (the “jack”). Each flower sits in the center of two large, three-part leaves. Jack-in-the-Pulpit is an excellent addition to a part shade/part sun woodland garden with moist, well-drained soil.
4. Hepatica americana (Round-lobed Hepatica) Hepatica americana is a tiny, woodland wildflower that you might just miss… if not for its clusters of bold, violet purple flowers. One of the first plants to put out blooms in April, we look forward to spotting it every year here at McLaughlin Garden (because it means spring is almost here). Once the flowers have died back, glossy, three-lobed leaves emerge from the plant. Some of these leaves even have cool maroon-colored striations across them. Hepatica americana is a shade/part shade lover and like many of the species in this collection, appreciates moist, well-drained soils.
5. Asarum canadense (Canadian Ginger) If given time, wild ginger will spread out to create a dense mat of fuzzy, cordate (heart-shaped) leaves across a garden bed or forest floor. Its inconspicuous flower actually blooms underneath the foliage in an attempt to attract ants and crawling insects. Canadian Ginger is an excellent addition to a woodland garden or garden border bed.
6. Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple) Another strange plant found in the Northeast, Mayapple is identifiable by its two conspicuous, umbrella-like leaves. It has a single white-to-pink flower that hangs below the foliage. When pollinated, the flower becomes a large, fleshy fruit that the plant is named for. Mayapple spreads via rhizome, and can create a colony quite readily when established. This unique native appreciates part shade and moist soils.
7. Polygonatum biflorum var. commutatum (Giant Solomon’s Seal) Easily the tallest plant in this collection, this variety of Polygonatum biflorum can grow to almost 6ft. tall at maturity! A member of the Asparagaceae family, the massive stalks of this Solomon’s Seal have wing-like arrangements of leaves, with its white, bell-shaped flowers hanging below. It will spread outward slowly, creating an attractive circle of stems. Part shade/part sun and moist well-drained soils are what this plant wants.
8. Trillium grandiflorum (Great White trillium) A wildflower you are sure to be familiar with if you have visited McLaughlin Garden, Trillium grandiflorum is quite a rarity in both nature and in the horticultural trade. It is easily distinguished by its three, large white petals and its three deeply-veined leaves. Despite its rarity, Trillium grandiflorum is not difficult to grow. It will thrive in woodland conditions or a in moist, well-drained, and shaded garden bed.
Donated by The McLaughlin Garden & Homestead
Current Bid:$175
*MAKE A BID!*
Item #15 — Custom painting of your home and landscape by Maine artist Cassie Sano
Valued at $350
Minimum Bid: $200
Beautifully done. Hope your auction is a huge success.
Thank you, Celia. I’m so happy you enjoyed the catalog this season!
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