DOWN EAST magazine • June 2024
When Robin Robinson, a retired nurse, and David Robinson, a retired landscaper, moved into her family’s 1846 Greek Revival on a quarter-acre lot, in 2015, they inherited an antique apple tree, a few lilacs, and a hemlock and pin oak planted by Robin’s grandmother. Now, Robin says, “We’ve maxed out every inch.” Each garden is oriented around a sculpture, seat, or both. “We have a penchant for collecting statuary, although we don’t take it very seriously,” David says. Beneath the old apple tree, a stone sphinx with the face of Madame de Pompadour (18th-century mistress to King Louis XV of France) reclines next to a wrought-iron bench and chair in a bed of purple heuchera, lily of the valley, and variegated hostas. The owners of this perennial-and-sculpture garden welcome visitors.