Caltha palustris

From Monday through Wednesday, June 24-26, 9-2 each day, we’ll present the first class for beginning students in the Certificate in Native Plants & Ecological Horticulture. With instructor Lauren Stockwell, you’ll explore the biology of a flowering plant through its life, from seed germination and seedling establishment through fruiting and dispersal.  Along the way, we’ll review the parts of the plant and see how they work together to sustain it through processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and water and mineral uptake.

In the Gardens and in the classroom, Lauren will give you a whole new perspective on what goes on in the life of a plant! The required textbook will be Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon, available for purchase from the Gardens on the first day of class.

Certificate Program instructor Lauren Stockwell is a botanist and environmental consultant. Her business, Stockwell Environmental Consulting, Inc. provides comprehensive environmental services including natural resource identification, resource evaluation, and related permitting.  She has led many botanical field walks and has taught several prior classes at the Gardens. 

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

Dr. Lois Berg Stack and 'King Tut' cyperus

There are no spaces left in this program, but please check our calendar for many more interesting and valuable classes. Thank you for your interest.

In this new Certificate core course, Dr. Lois Berg Stack will explain the basic properties and functions of soils to the ecologically-minded grower. A fundamental understanding of soil is critical to selecting well-adapted native plants for different situations, or choosing soil amendments that will mimic the natural community conditions needed by suites of native plants.  Lois will explain soil texture, chemistry, water-holding capacity – and why they are important for plants.  Students will get their hands dirty with activities that demonstrate these soil concepts, so please dress casually and be prepared to head outside. 

Dr. Lois Berg Stack is the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Ornamental Horticulture Specialist. She conducts applied research and organizes workshops and conferences for nursery, greenhouse, garden center and landscape professionals in Maine and New England. Some of her current projects focus on plants that support native bees and honeybees, and production of chokeberry as a nutraceutical crop. She also works extensively with home gardeners on landscape topics such as management of invasive species and selection and management of Maine landscape plants.

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

2013 Heafitz Lecturer Sir Peter Crane

The 2013 Presentation in the Ina and Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture Series

Perhaps the world’s most distinctive tree, ginkgo has remained stubbornly unchanged for more than two hundred million years. A living link to the age of dinosaurs, it survived the great ice ages as a relic in China, but it earned its reprieve when people first found it useful about a thousand years ago. Today ginkgo is beloved for the elegance of its leaves, prized for its edible nuts, and revered for its longevity.

This lecture, the third in the series of Ina and Lewis Heafitz annual lectures at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, will tell the rich and engaging story of a tree that people saved from extinction – a story that offers hope for botanical biographies still being written. 

Ginkgo book cover

Inspired by the historic ginkgo that has thrived in London’s Kew Gardens since the 1760s, renowned botanist Peter Crane explores the history of the ginkgo from its mysterious origin through its proliferation, drastic decline, and ultimate resurgence. Crane also highlights the cultural and social significance of the ginkgo: its medicinal and nutritional uses, its power as a source of artistic and religious inspiration, and its importance as one of the world’s most popular street trees. Those attending this lecture on Thursday, August 8, at 2 p.m. will be drawn to the nearest ginkgo, where they can experience firsthand the timeless beauty of the oldest tree on Earth.

Peter’s presentation will be followed by a reception and the opportunity to purchase his book, Gingko: The Tree that Time Forgot, which he will be glad to sign for you.

Sir Peter Crane is Carl W. Knobloch, Jr., Dean and professor, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, and former director of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K. He divides his time between Oak Park, Ill., and New Haven, Conn.

Where:   Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:      Free for members, $20 nonmembers (preregistration requested)

Karen Bussolini

Sooner or later most gardeners fall in love with a blue poppy that would rather be in the Himalayas or a hybrid tea rose that looks great at the nursery but develops every disease in the book when planted. Choosing plants that “want” to grow where we plant them makes for more pleasure and less work. This class from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. is an exploration of the many adaptations plants have developed to survive various challenges, out-compete other plants, conserve moisture, and avoid being eaten.

We will investigate garden plants that are habitat generalists, as well as those that are adapted to specific, often difficult conditions. We’ll consider a diverse range of gardeners’ strategies for encouraging native and non-native plants to survive beautifully in their gardens. The class will include inspiring slides and plenty of time for discussion and questions, as well as observations outside in the gardens. 

Karen Bussolini is a garden photographer and writer with six books and many magazine articles to her credit. She’s a well-traveled speaker and teacher who focuses increasingly on our relationship to the environment, a NOFA-accredited Organic Land Care Professional, and an eco-friendly garden coach.

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

Viburnum lantanoides (William Cullina photo)

PLEASE NOTE: This class is full, but we hope you’ll check our schedule for other programs that may be of interest to you.

Interested in gardening with Maine’s native plants? First, come and meet them in their wild habitats!  During this intensive three-day course with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens’ staff botanist, Melissa Cullina, students will learn how to recognize 50 (or more!) frequent coastal Maine plant species.  Beginning with an introduction to basic plant identification skills, terminology, and botanical names, Melissa will then lead you through the Gardens grounds and on forays around the region.  Bring a bag lunch, water, and a hand lens if you have one; and be prepared to walk on trails.

The class, which meets in the Bosarge Family Education Center,  is on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, August 20-22, from 9-3 each day. While it is one of the core classes for the Certificate Program in Native Plants and Ecological Horticulture, it is open to everyone.

Melissa Cullina is Director of Education & Staff Botanist for Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Formerly Botanist with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Cullina specializes in aquatic and coastal botany, field identification, and rare species conservation.

Where:    Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:      $150 members, $180 nonmembers (pre-registration required)

Carved Green Man by Benjamin Thompson

Alewives by John Bowdren

“Not One, Not Two” by Herb Ferris

Please join us on Thursday evening, June 27, for a reception celebrating the opening of Living Wood, an exhibit that will be on view at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens through September 22. The show, curated by June LaCombe, features sculpture and benches created in wood by many of Maine’s finest artists and artisans.

Admission to the reception is free, and refreshments will be available. All sales of artwork benefit Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Cypripedium acaule by William Cullina

If you’re a Maine resident, stop by anytime during Memorial Day Weekend – Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, May 25-27 – to enjoy all that Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has to offer, and you can see and do it all with no admission fee. Just show a driver’s license or Maine state ID to receive your complimentary entry. No reservations are necessary.

Gardens hours are 9-5 every day. The Kitchen Garden Cafe and Gardens Gift Shop will be open, and our annual plant sale is on May 25 and 26. Late tulips will probably still be in bloom; hundreds of pink lady’s slippers will be starting their show; and the Giles Rhododendron Garden will be resplendent with colorful blossoms and greenery. 

We’re able to present this new opportunity, which we’re calling Maine Days, thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Acorn Foundation.  This program is one way Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is underlining its commitment to strong relationships within our local and state-wide community. Maine Days is the perfect spring antidote after a long winter.

For more information, call 207-633-4333, ext. 101.