Photo by William Cullina

Have you ever tasted or seen a chocolate stripes tomato, a purple carrot or a red noodle bean?  Can you smell the difference between cinnamon, lemon, lime and licorice basil?  Can you guess where the wooly bear gourd or pumpkin pepper got its name?  Did you know that the pumpkin pepper is not even a pepper, but an eggplant?! 

These are just a few of the fun vegetables and herbs we will discover in this three-session class.  If you have a child who loves to garden or is interested in learning more about gardening, Green Thumbs is the class for them!  Participants will learn how to care for a garden by helping to plant, harvest and water our Learning Garden throughout the summer.  They’ll also learn what it takes to have a happy, healthy garden that’s home to a diversity of critters, both above and below ground. 

This class will meet three times during the summer. Each session will be based on the growing season and what’s available at that time in the Learning Garden. 

New information and new taste tests will be presented each time.  Attend one session, or, to experience the magic of a garden throughout the summer, join us for all three.

Where:  Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden
Price:     $10 members, $12 nonmembers (preregister, please, or use your Gardens Activity Passport for a 10% discount, with no need to preregister)*

*This is one of our Gardens Activity Passport programs for kids. While you can pay for and register for classes separately, with the passport, you’ll receive discounts and other benefits, and passport holders need not preregister. Learn more and sign up for a passport now.

Photo by William Cullina

Daisies, cosmos, zinnias, dahlias, oh my!  Children will immerse their senses in the wonderful world of flowers here at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and get the inside scoop on these colorful beauties through discovery-oriented activities.  We’ll take a walk through the Gardens to learn about some of the awesome adaptions of flowers, dissect a few to see how they work, and make a beautiful work of art using flowers as our medium.

Where:  Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden
Price:     $10 members, $12 nonmembers (Preregister, please, or use your Gardens Activity Passport for a 10% discount and no preregistration)*

*This is one of our Gardens Activity Passport programs for kids. While you do not need the passport to attend, if you use your passport, you’ll receive discounts and other benefits. Learn more and sign up now.

Variable spotted ladybug (photo by William Cullina)

Monarch caterpillar (photo by William Cullina)

Venture with us into Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for an eye-opening view into the incredible world of insects. Children will become “bugologists” for the day as we scour the vegetable patch, turn over rocks and logs in the woods, and dip nets into the pond to discover what insects might be living there.  Through games and observations, they’ll experience first-hand some of the unique adaptations of insects and will make a special bug collector to study their subjects up close.  

Where:  Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden
Price:     $10 members, $12 nonmembers (preregister, please, or use your Gardens Activity Passport for a 10% discount and no preregistration)*

*This is one of our Gardens Activity Passport programs for kids. While you can sign up and pay for individual programs, with the passport, you’ll receive discounts and other benefits, and passport holders need not preregister. Learn more and sign up now.

Photo by Amity Beane

In celebration of this year’s “Trees, Timbers and Traditions” theme at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we’ll hit the trails and explore our forests in this two-part series.  Children should wear proper footwear for an easy hike in the woods and be prepared to get a little dirty during this fun-filled, exploration-based series. Sessions for both age groups will meet on both dates at the times shown below. Children may participate on one or both dates.

TREEmendous Trees I (July 22) – Meet a tree and learn what keeps these green giants going.  Children will learn how to easily identify trees through shapes, textures and patterns; learn about tree parts and their functions as they build their own tree; and even get a glimpse inside a tree to discover that you cannot always judge a tree by its cover.  During this session, participants will create a field guide to help them remember the trees they learn about.

TREEmendous Trees II (August 10) – Who lives here? What creatures depend on the forest for their survival? What does a forest look like over time?  Investigate a tree’s “neighborhood” and discover who might be living among its branches and leaf litter.  Age-appropriate stories, puppet shows and hands-on activities in the woods will demonstrate the intricate web of life that exists in this magical, ever-changing environment. 

Join us this fall for more TREEmendous Trees classes.

Times:   Ages 4-6 – 10:00-11:30 a.m.; ages 7 & up – 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Where:  Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden
Price:     $10 members, $12 nonmembers (Preregister, please, or use your Gardens Activity Passport for a 10% discount and no preregistration)*

*This is one of our Gardens Activity Passport programs for kids. While you do not need the passport to attend, if you use your passport, you’ll receive discounts and other benefits. Learn more and sign up now.

Painting en plein air at the Slater Forest Pond

All artists are invited to bring their easels to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and paint outdoors with free admissions  during Plein Air Painting Days at the Gardens. 

Plein Air Days are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 30 and 31 and June 1, from 9-5 each day. No sign-up is necessary; artists should simply check in at the admissions desk in the Visitor Center.

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

We encourage Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens members to reserve now for fascinating – and free – tours presented just for you. The sessions last from 1 to 1½ hours, rain or shine, and each is limited to 20 participants. All require some walking, so please wear appropriate clothing and sensible shoes or boots. If you require mobility assistance, call Jen McKane at 207-633-4333, ext. 109.

See below for the descriptions of the members-only “insider tours.” Due to limited availability and because we’d like as many members as possible to experience these special tours, we ask that each member sign up for only one tour per year. To register, call us at 207-633-4333,  ext. 109 or 112, or reserve via the Purchase Tickets button below. Please check in at the Visitor Center upon arrival.

Wednesday, June 26
Garden Magic…Creating Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens from the Forest
Tour begins in the Visitor Center at 8 a.m.

Dick Zieg, one of the Gardens’ first employees and a horticulturalist with more than 40 years of experience, will talk about the transformation of the property in the last 20 years.  Did you know, for example, that Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was once slated to be a housing development? Do you know which stone walls are very old, and which ones are new? Dick will guide you through the land’s evolution into the garden you know and love today.

Friday, July 19
How Do We Make This Garden Grow?
Tour begins in the Visitor Center at 8 a.m.

This is a rare opportunity to see our greenhouse, which is not open to the general public.  Horticulturalists Sharmon Provan and Will Bridges and Director of Horticulture Rodney Eason will demonstrate how they propagate plants and show you what they have in the greenhouse at the moment.  They’ll also take you on a garden tour to explain the various cultural practices we use to keep our gardens lush and beautiful. 

Saturday, August 10
What’s New?
Tour begins at the Rose Arbor at 3 p.m.

Big garden improvements in 2013 include a redesign of the Rose & Perennial Garden, Great Lawn renovation, and fantastical stone construction at the shoreland Fairy House Village. We’re also busy at work on numerous smaller horticultural additions and subtractions throughout the gardens, some subtle, some bold.  Join horticulturalist Justin Nchols for his behind-the-scenes tour of what’s new in 2013, and a sneak peak at what we have up our sleeve for 2014.

AMONG THE TOURS TO BE OFFERED IN 2014:

Water Features at the Gardens

From complex irrigation to magnificent waterfalls and tranquil ponds, the Gardens’ water features create picture-perfect ambience and beauty.  A member of the horticulture staff will present a true insider’s view of how water works at the Gardens. This tour will be fascinating for anyone interested in the nitty-gritty of Gardens operations.
 

We often forget that the vibrant plants we enjoy outdoors in the growing season can be transferred indoors, too!  Combat the short, gray, cold days of winter by creating a nurturing “greenscape” inside your home or workspace.  In this class on Friday, October 11, Irene Brady Barber will show you how! A diverse selection of plants provides a cleansing, aromatic and enriching environment indoors, which is particularly important to us in our cold, color-deprived season.  Each participant will pot and take home a beautiful plant from the Gardens. Bring in your own favorite 6-8-inch pot, or buy one from our selection in class.

Irene Brady Barber is therapeutic horticulture coordinator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With an academic and professional background in communications, human behavior, and horticulture, she 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.  She plans,tends and teaches in the accessible edible gardens in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.

This class, appropriate for all adults, is part of the new “Gardening Later in Life” series developed by Irene. Each class focuses on practical, realistic options you can implement in your own garden space, whether small or expansive, so you can continue to garden long into the future. 

Where:       Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:          $35 members, $42 nonmembers – Use “Purchase Tickets” button below

Planting the right plants in the right place will minimize maintenance, maximizing the opportunity to enjoy the plants with little physical input. Some plants need greater attention if not planted in the right place, which might include space, soil, and moisture conditions. This workshop on Friday, September 13, will identify proper plant selection according to placement based on habits, care requirements, fragrances, textures, and color within an ornamental perennial garden.

Irene Brady Barber is therapeutic horticulture coordinator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With an academic and professional background in communications, human behavior, and horticulture, she 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.  She plans,tends and teaches in the accessible edible gardens in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.

This class, appropriate for all adults, is part of the new “Gardening Later in Life” series developed by Irene. Each class focuses on practical, realistic options you can implement in your own garden space, whether small or expansive, so you can continue to garden long into the future. 

Where:       Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:          $30 members, $37 nonmembers – Use “Purchase Tickets” button below

Gardening can be enjoyable and provide healthy exercise for all ages! Did you know there are garden tricks and ergonomic tools that can minimize strenuous activity and fatigue?   In this workshop on Friday, July 12, Irene Brady Barber will share tips and equipment to help gardeners maximize enjoyment, extend their mobility and support their general well-being. She will help you consider your abilities and limitations and how you can take them into account to modify your gardening technique to create a positive gardening experience for you and/or a loved one.

Irene Brady Barber is therapeutic horticulture coordinator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With an academic and professional background in communications, human behavior, and horticulture, she 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.  She plans,tends and teaches in the accessible edible gardens in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.

This class, appropriate for all adults, is part of the new “Gardening Later in Life” series developed by Irene. Each class focuses on practical, realistic options you can implement in your own garden space, whether small or expansive, so you can continue to garden long into the future. 

Where:       Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:          $30 members, $37 nonmembers – Use “Purchase Tickets” button below