Lee Sligh

Lee Schneller Sligh majored in Chinese language and literature, lived and traveled extensively in Asia, and worked as a Japanese technical translator for ten years before starting her garden design and build business in Midcoast Maine in 1995. Specializing in Japanese-inspired gardens gives her the perfect excuse to return to Japan frequently to study gardens, and she takes her whole gardening crew to Japan every two years, their most recent trip being in November 2018.

‘Creating Japanese-Inspired Gardens in Maine’ is a popular talk by Sligh, which she constantly updates with new material from gardens she has built and gardens she visits in Japan. Among the core principles of Japanese garden design is that the garden should not look exotic in its surroundings. Lee will explain that it’s best to utilize plants that look at home in New England, while making use of Japanese design concepts such as ‘Hide and Reveal’, ‘The Beauty of Empty Space’ and ‘Borrowed Views’. Sligh is the author of The Ever-Blooming Flower Garden: A Blueprint for Continuous Color. She will offer multiple tips and pointers in this informative and entertaining lecture at Rockland Public Library.