Design Destination: Snug Harbor Farm, Kennebunk, Maine

Really? Really. It was a Saturday night in mid-January when we decided to check the weather forecast for the following day. In the magazine world, printer deadlines mean stories need to be researched months before they appear in print. Which is why we were checking the forecast. And why we were skeptical about our decision to visit Snug Harbor Farm that Sunday.

Snow was predicted. Not a windswept, drifting snow that might have been excuse enough to reschedule, but just enough of a dusting to make us fear we wouldn’t be seeing the greenhouses and shop at Snug Harbor Farm (not to mention taking photos for this spring issue) in the best light.

We needn’t have worried. Even in the dead of winter, on a cold, gray day, the place is nothing short of magical. Rows of Lemon Cypress (or, in the true spirit of Snug Harbor, Cupressus macrocarpa) topiary were bright green. Fuchsia-colored blooms sprung out of hand-thrown terra-cotta pots designed especially for the farm. And all manner of succulents were hardy and handsome, creating a luxurious carpet of infinite green.

Inside the shop, a charming 1850s farmhouse, bright blue watering cans stood silhouetted against white enamel dishware. One-of-a-kind terrariums surrounded a porcelain sink. A wall of mirrors reflected the olio of carefully curated natural objects. Bursts of plants were everywhere. By the time we left, the sun shone as if it were a spring day.

87 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, Maine, (207) 967-2414, snugharborfarm.com. Open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

—Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz