Fun and learning for our littlest gardeners (Erika Huber photo)

Bring your little one to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens this summer for an introduction to the fun of planting and harvesting veggies right from the kids’ own garden patch in our Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden!  This hands-on program will teach children about seeds, flowers, vegetables and animals through stories, crafts, and planting activities.  We’ll even get a head start on the season by growing plants in our little greenhouse! 

Children will experience nature close up as we take time each session (weather permitting) to explore the garden habitat of the Children’s Garden, searching high and low for its springtime and summer residents.  Parents, please be prepared to join in the fun!   Dress for the weather and be ready to get a little dirty.

The sessions are from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on the following Thursdays: June 13, June 27, July 11, July 25, August 8, and August 22. You may sign up your children for the full series or for any of the six individual sessions. Each will include a different activity.

Prices for the six-session series are $70 for members, $100 for nonmembers (includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult). Prices for the individual sessions are $12 for members, $17 for non-members.

Reservations, please;  call 207-633-4333, ext. 101, or sign up online via the links below:

Sign up for the full Summer Series.

Sign up for individual sessions in the Summer Series.

See on overview of all our camps for various ages.

Image from "In the Blood"

Come to the Gardens for an unforgettable multi-media presentation on Maine’s legendary lumbermen and river drivers. Combining film, photography, oral histories, and a live musical soundtrack performed by Sumner McKane and Joshua Robbins, “In the Blood” creates a virtual journey into the 19th century Maine woods and brings the audience into a turn-of-the-century lumber camp, onto a river tangled with logs, and onto a haul road sitting behind a team of horses. By employing various mediums to deliver historical documentary materials, the story of some of Maine’s most notable historical characters is vividly brought to life.

Sumner McKane is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and filmmaker based in mid-coast Maine. He combines film, oral histories, and live music to create live “docu-exhibits.”  He also tours with the Don Campbell Band and teaches at the Midcoast Guitar School and the Buckdancers Choice Music School.  He is the husband of our own much-loved Membership & Database Services Manager, Jen McKane.

Where:        Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:           $12 members, $15 nonmembers (preregistration requested)

Join Tim Boland and Julie Jenney for an evening of tasting, learning, and talking about beer. They will cover the botanical components of beer – plants from the grass family such as wheat and barley – but also the fruits, spices, and, of course, hops! Unique characteristics of various beers will be covered as well as the best food pairings and glassware to use. Through stories, humor, and a contagious passion for beer, Tim and Julie will discuss the many fascinating facets of one of the world’s oldest prepared beverages – from the controversy over beer styles to the rise of craft beers and ancient brews. Several beers will be featured, including our local Boothbay Craft Brewery’s “633 American Pale Ale” and “Black Rocks Stout.”  Sandwiches and snacks will be available during the tasting.

Tim Boland is the Director of the Polly Hill Arboretum on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Prior to his move to the Vineyard, he was Curator of Horticulture at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois.  A plant scientist with wide-ranging interests, he is a nationally recognized plantsman, author, photographer and lecturer. Tim has been fascinated with the craft brew industry history and recent uprising. He is also a home brewer. While travelling the world on plant exploration forays, Tim has also been on a quest to sample beer styles from local brewers whenever possible.

Julie Jenney is the Educational Programs Coordinator for the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.  She enjoys combining her passion for horticulture and craft beer by sharing this class with fellow garden and beer enthusiasts. 

Where:        Kitchen Garden Café
Price:           $60 members, $72 nonmembers (preregistration required)

Jewett Gardens

Hamilton House

Co-Sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Join Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for a specially arranged insider tour of Historic New England’s Sarah Orne Jewett House and Hamilton House – and their beautiful period landscapes.

Guided by garden historians and landscape gardeners Nancy and Gary Wetzel, we will meet at the Sarah Orne Jewett House, the stately Georgian residence of the famous author. Jewett drew on the house for inspiration for her novel Deephaven. The gardens contain borders and pots of heirloom varieties, many of which were described by Jewett in her writings, and an herb garden featuring those cited in her masterpiece, The Country of the Pointed Firs. 

The tour will continue at the nearby Hamilton House, a striking riverside mansion built by shipping merchant Jonathan Hamilton in 1785.  The picturesque landscape includes an elaborate Colonial Revival perennial garden and charming garden cottage.  Please bring a bag lunch. 

Hours for this program are 10:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Directions to the Sarah Oren Jewett House may be found at http://www.historicnewengland.org/historic-properties/homes/sarah-orne-jewett-house/sarah-orne-jewett-house.

Where:   Sarah Orne Jewett House and Hamilton House, South Berwick
Price:      $65 members, $80 nonmembers (preregistration required)

Actea pachypoda berries

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS IS FULL. WE HOPE YOU’LL FIND MANY MORE PROGRAMS ON OUR CALENDAR THAT APPEAL TO YOUR INTERESTS.

When wild seeds are ripe and the time for sowing draws nigh, join Bill Cullina for an intensive workshop to learn to grow wildflowers.  This Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens class will begin with an overview of seed development, seed collection, cleaning and storage to encourage participants to begin collecting and processing their own seeds. A morning walk will reinforce the morning’s concepts. After a lunch break, the afternoon lecture focuses on seed dormancy and germination, especially the unique strategies and obstacles necessary to germinate difficulty genera such as trillium. The lecture is followed by a hands-on demonstration of seed cleaning and sowing techniques. Students will then practice these techniques themselves and go home with a collection of seeds. 

William Cullina is Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Previously Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator for the Gardens, Cullina has also worked for many years as the native plant Nursery Director for the New England Wild Flower Society.  He was recently awarded the Scott Medal for lifetime achievement in horticulture.  The 2010 winner of the American Horticultural Society’s Communication Award, he is also the winner of numerous American Horticultural Society Book Awards.  A well-known author, photographer, and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and most recently, Understanding Perennials, published in 2009. He is co-author of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: A People’s Garden.

Where:        Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:           $60 members, $80 nonmembers (preregistration required)

Our landscape practices affect the balance of our ecosystem above and below the soil surface and the quality of our waters.  In this three-day intensive course – from 9a.m.-noon on Thursday, September 26, and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28 -  you will learn how to apply ecologically safe gardening practices to existing landscapes and garden beds.  Topics covered will include different methods of composting and other eco-friendly soil amendment techniques, alternatives to pesticides and herbicides, responsible acquisition of native plant materials and other techniques that follow low-impact practices to our natural surroundings. 

Irene Brady Barber is currently both a Landscape Designer for Cosmic Stone & Garden Supply and a seasonal horticultural educator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  With a background in communications: human behavior and horticulture practices and design,  Irene is presently working to complete a professional certification in the field of horticultural therapy, which is the focus of much of her teaching at the Gardens.

Where:      Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price:         $120 members, $150 nonmembers (preregistration required)

PLEASE NOTE: This class – the second in a pair of sessions – is now full. We hope you’ll check the calendar on our homepage to see many additional programs on our schedule.

The use of native herbaceous plants in a horticultural setting will be the topic of this combination classroom and in-garden course for second-year certificate students.  On one day in the spring season and one day in summer, native plant expert Bill Cullina will introduce students to native plants species to use in different horticultural settings based on their habitat preferences in nature.  Native plant selections for different combinations of soil pH, sun and shade, and wet to dry substrate, will be considered.  Selecting plants for aesthetic factors such as color and texture, as well as broader ecosystem considerations, will be introduced.  Finally, Bill will explain the use of native plants in niche garden types, such as woodland or meadow gardens, and in ecological restoration.

William Cullina is Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Previously Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator for the Gardens, Cullina has also worked for many years as the native plant Nursery Director for the New England Wild Flower Society.  He was recently awarded the Scott Medal for lifetime achievement in horticulture.  The 2010 winner of the American Horticultural Society’s Communication Award, he is also the winner of numerous American Horticultural Society Book Awards.  A well-known author, photographer, and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and most recently, Understanding Perennials, published in 2009. He is co-author of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: A People’s Garden.

Where:      Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price:         $120 members, $150 nonmembers (preregistration required)

Program students learning about the Haney Hillside Garden (Amity Beane photo)

In this three-day course – Thursday through Saturday, April 4-6, 9:30-1:00 p.m. each day – you’ll learn ways to follow environmentally sound landscape design practices using native plant materials that are appropriate for Maine. You’ll learn how to plot and analyze a site, determine priorities the site needs for usage, and create and install an eco-friendly design featuring Maine natives.

We’ll emphasize sustainable design considerations such as understanding and anticipating runoff in Maine’s frequently shallow-to-bedrock soils, minimizing erosion and siltation, and conserving and protecting the site’s natural features (such as existing trees) during construction. We’ll consider low-input designs, such as those incorporating drought-tolerant and nitrogen-fixing native plants.

Instruction will take place both in the classroom and out on the grounds using the ecological designs surrounding the Bosarge Family Education Center as a living example of low-impact landscape design using native plants.

Irene Brady Barber is currently both a landscape designer for Cosmic Stone & Garden Supply and a seasonal horticultural educator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  With an academic and professional background in both communications (human behavior) and horticulture studies, Irene is working to complete a professional certification in the field of horticultural therapy, which is the focus of much of her teaching at the Gardens. 

Lisa Cowan, PLA, principal of Studioverde, with offices in Cumberland, Maine, and Austin, Texas, is a nationally recognized landscape architect with expertise in ecology-based planning, landscape design and land management.  Lisa is an officer in the American Society of Landscape Architects Sustainable Design and Development Professional Practice Network and has been writing and lecturing on the design of beautiful, high-performance landscapes and the new Sustainable Sites Initiative rating system.   Lisa’s work includes the design of the landscape art feature at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor, Maine; a LEED Gold residential landscape in Falmouth, Maine; a scenic overlook in Trenton, Maine; and an extensive portfolio of ecological design and construction methodologies for wetland, riparian and upland restoration.

Where:      Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price:         $120 members, $150 nonmembers (preregistration required)

Cosponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society

A truly comprehensive understanding of native plant materials must necessarily include an understanding of how native plants behave in their natural habitats.  In a two-day introduction to the natural communities of Maine on Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day, ecologist Ted Elliman will introduce students to several of Maine’s characteristic assemblages of plants, their defining physical environments, and the natural processes that affect them.  In the classroom and in the field, students will learn the differences between community types such as salt marshes, red maple swamps, northern hardwood forests, bogs, and floodplain forests.  Ted will also cover some of the common plants that occur in each natural community type, and what plant adaptations are a key to competing successfully in the various communities. 

The primary reference for this course will be Natural Landscapes of Maine: a Guide to Natural Communities and Ecosystems by Susan Gawler and Andrew Cutko. Bring a lunch, sturdy shoes that can get wet, and your sense of adventure for this not-to-be missed learning experience.

Ecologist Ted Elliman is Vegetation Management Coordinator for the New England Wild Flower Society, where for the past six years he and his dedicated corps of volunteers have located, documented, and controlled invasive species in natural areas for land trusts, conservation organizations, and state agencies across the New England landscape.  In his present position he also conducts botanical inventories, rare plant and natural community documentation. Previously, Ted worked as a contract ecologist for the National Park Service and several other agencies doing rare plant and natural community surveys and invasive management projects on the Appalachian Trail (from Maine to Pennsylvania) and the Boston Harbor Islands.   He has been a natural history tour guide to western China for the last 16 years.

Where:      Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and local field destinations
Price:         $100 members, $120 nonmembers (preregistration required)

According to award-winning woody plant expert Michael Dirr, “The art and science of plant propagation should be part of every gardener’s lexicon”. During this morning workshop, Dr. Dirr will lead you through hands-on propagation activities including seed collection and preparation, softwood and hardwood cuttings, along with demonstrations of grafting, budding, layering, stooling, and tissue culture. Come and share the joy of reproducing plants for your garden and for sharing with friends.  Handouts will be provided.

Dr. Dirr is retired professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia and the author of twelve books, including Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs, the Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation, and the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, the most widely used teaching and reference text in the United States.   He has received the prestigious Scott Medal and numerous other horticultural awards.  He has introduced more than 100 plants into cultivation and received the Inventor of the Year Award from the University of Georgia.  Currently, he and two partners own a plant breeding business, Plant Introductions, Inc., where propagation is practiced on a daily basis.

Where:        Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:           $60 members, $80 nonmembers (pre-registration required)