Newburgh gardener has uncommon crops > Imaginative efforts prove magnolias grow even in Maine

I suppose any garden ever planted has been a reflection of the person planting it.

Some gardeners produce a neat and tidy garden so they can appreciate the beauty of each individual plant. These gardens allow plants to reach their full potential, free from competition of other plants. Other gardeners are only happy with gardens that take on a more free form — gardens where plants sort of determine their own destiny and shape.

Perhaps some of the most pleasing gardens are those which produce a calming effect and make each of us want to spend long, slow hours soaking in the beauty. Some of the most calming gardens are cool and soothing in their color, line and balance. Others that produce a calming feeling do so with a mysterious element — as the French say, a certain “je ne sais quoi” (“I don’t know what”).

Mysteriously satisfying gardens usually have distinct walls and ceilings created by plant materials. These gardens can make you feel as though you are walking through a group of outdoor rooms, where around each corner or through each doorway, you just know there will be another surprise. Roger Luce at Butternut Hill Gardens in Newburgh has created one such garden. It has taken him more than 30 years to develop it.

Luce’s garden is full of old New England favorites — lots of lilacs, crab apples, peonies and tulips. Thousands of primroses line most of his beds. But what makes his garden unusual is that he has many varieties of plants not common to many parts of Maine. In addition, his garden is packed with — and this will come as a surprise to many Mainers — magnolias.

For years, Luce has been growing, cross-pollinating and propagating new magnolias in his garden. He now has more than 50 species and named varieties which he tests for winter hardiness.

I visited Butternut Hill Gardens just after the magnolias had reached their flowering peak, and still I must have said “Wow!” a thousand times. Though past their best display, each magnolia was impressive — some with white blooms, others with deep pink-red blooms and, most beautiful perhaps, “Elizabeth,” with soft, yellow, fragrant blooms. Some of Luce’s varieties have small blossoms with pointed petals, while others produce flowers larger than an open hand. “Wada’s Picture,” a variety of saucer magnolia, produces petals 4 inches long and 1 to 2 inches wide. Although I didn’t get to see the plant in full flower, I did get to see the soft pink and white blanket of petals it left behind on the garden floor.

Magnolias aren’t easy to come by in Maine, though local nurseries are starting to stock some of these hidden treasures. Luce buys most of his stock from Gossler and Greer Nurseries in Oregon. Others he orders by mail from Wayside Gardens in South Carolina and Klehms Nursery in Ohio. Luce buys new magnolias to add to his gene pool — he’s an avid plant breeder, cross-pollinating different varieties of magnolias to see what he comes up with. His years of work have produced many a beautiful plant, but as you talk with Luce, you’ll realize that his special talent and passion for plants are a rare find. He has cultivated some plants of marginal hardiness for years and years, to be rewarded with only one flower in some instances.

Just before I left the gardens, we walked through the glass greenhouse Luce built with a friend years ago. He pointed out hundreds of magnolia seedlings he has propagated over the past few years.

“You see how many I have?” he said. “I’ve got to stop! I’ve just got to stop!”

Wonderful as the magnolias are, I don’t think he will.

Visitors are welcome at Butternut Hill Gardens. Luce asks that people call ahead and arrange a time to view the gardens.

Diana George Chapin is the Bangor Daily News garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, 1243 State St., #2, Veazie 04401. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include your name, address and telephone number.