Boothbay Register’s The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: from dream to reality
March 6, 2007

PRINTED IN THE SEPTEMBER 7, 2006 BOOTHBAY REGISTER

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: from dream to reality
By LISA KRISTOFF
Staff Reporter

The seeds of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens were planted, quite unexpectedly, in 1991 during a conversation between Rollins Hale and Chip Griffin.

Hale owned The Clothes Rack clothing shop on Union Street next to his home, and had just finished a bit of gardening when Chip Griffin came round.

“Chip had stopped in the store for a visit,” recalled Hale. “I was talking about my garden and how often people would stop and ask about the flowers or compliment me on the garden. Offhandedly I said to Chip, ‘There has to be a way to make money gardening.’

Chip responded with, ‘Why don’t you start a botanical garden?’ And, I thought, why don’t I? As soon as he left, I called Bob Boyd (Boothbay Region Greenhouses), Alice West, Scott Adams and (the late) Jane Conley, and we met at Alice’s place on Southport Island.”

A seed had been planted. The group talked for hours about the possibility, feasibility and probability they would actually be able to accomplish such a creation.

Variety is the spice of life
Boyd had visited many a botanical garden and, based on those occasions, contributed standard flora and fauna botanical garden species for the group’s consideration. All agreed that it would contain indigenous plants and flowers, formal gardens, a natural garden, herb garden, Japanese garden and, on a smaller scale, a rose garden.

The first board of directors
The first slate of officers, 1992-1993 were President Ernest Egan, Vice President Greg Bond, Secretary Muriel Soule, and Treasurer Alice West with Directors Bob Boyd, Rollins Hale and Donna Phinney. The members of the first advisory group were Claire Hunt, Dorothy McKenna and Maggie Rogers.

This ambitious group formed the board and created their mission statement, became incorporated in 1992 and received 501c3 status. Attorney Lee Gray drew up the by-laws.

Carol Stratton provided invaluable information when it came to correct beginning non-profit procedures.

Said Bond, “Carol was quick to point out that people have different values. Different people have different skills and traits to bring to the table. Soon she had us creating various categories and placing people we could think of in the appropriate columns.”

“Although the original mission statement articulated the purpose of the gardens, much work needed to be done to flesh out goals, build an organizational structure to support it and to begin a concerted search for an appropriate site,” said Boyd.

The studies begin
Todd Richardson of Biddeford, ME was a design instructor at the Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA and arranged to have his Landscape Design Studio class take on the CMBG as a year-long project. The study revealed the optimum acreage, soil quality and location for the venture.

The Radcliffe College findings sited 100 acres as not only desirable, but also essential.

After Radcliffe College, the board contacted many recognized botanical garden experts and continued looking for savvy and highly qualified individuals to serve as advisors.

The progress made was steady and sure, despite the fact that the organization still did not have a paid staff and still had no money. But, what this group did have were volunteers. CMBG was rich in volunteers.

Research continued from the time of inception with board members contacting well over 100 botanical gardens and arboreta. Board members visited gardens in Pennsylvania, New York, New England states, and New Brunswick, Canada.

The location search & acquiring the land
For two years the fledgling group searched the mid coast for the best location. The mid coast offered a major population on the coastline, was accessible from both the interstate and Route 1, but was still a distance from southern Maine congestion.

An original location was a parcel of 40 acres along Route 27 in Boothbay. Once the findings and recommendations of the Radcliffe group had been presented, consideration of this site was discarded.

Other sites visited and considered included South Freeport, a parcel of land on Sherman Lake, on the Kennebec in Bath and Camden.

Coincidentally, while touring a parcel of land near the gardens’ current location, in September of 1995, Karen Perkins of Tindal and Callahan Real Estate mentioned a subdivision known as Overlook Development.

Says Boyd, “It was love at first sight! Everyone knew at once that this was the spot.” The 128-acre site had 3600 feet of saltwater frontage, was close to the open ocean, two low bridges that bracketed Back River, two spring fed fresh water ponds, a vernal pool and small wetland area with diverse botanical possibilities.

Mosses, ferns, lichens, aquatic plants, ledge outcroppings, ravines, natural cliffs, and aquatic plants combined made the Overlook the property not to overlook!

Practically speaking, the property had seasonal water and underground electric wiring.

And then reality set in. The property, owned by a group of Washington D.C. investors, carried a 1.8 million dollar price tag.
Not exactly music to the ears of the ambitious CMBG’ers with no money and no membership base.

But fate was on their side, fate and the fact that no lots had been sold due to the subdivision method being employed, and the group was given a price of $500,000!

At the time of the purchase agreement the property was “divided into 17 bacon strip type lots situated on 98 acres with an additional undeveloped 30 acres.”

The following 10 individuals were so committed to creating what is now the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, that they collectively contributed $40,000 and mortgaged their own homes to purchase the land on December 15, 1995: Robert Boyd, Ernest Egan, Rollins Hale, Claire Hunt, Donna Phinney, Marguerite Rafter, Mollie S. Reed, Maggie Rogers, Muriel Soule and Alice West.

In November of 2000, they were released from the personal guarantees once the loan was paid below a $250,000 threshold as previously agreed upon.

The foundation period
The board agreed that the primary functions of the CMBG would be education, research and stewardship.

Further, five separate areas of use were determined. There would be a campus area for an education/reception center where the formal gardens and those requiring the highest maintenance would be located; an area of broad trails bordered by informal gardens with seating that complemented the landscape; next there would be trails of typical Maine woods and shoreline; an area of unaltered landscape that could include a walkway over wetland and/or shore flora; and an infrastructure to also support parking areas, a maintenance building and roads.

“This first era could be defined as the foundation period,” said Boyd. “Board members pitched in to do any and all tasks to get the job done. Rollins Hale was a particular driving force during the very early part of the 1990s and Alice West was its financial heart. Without either of these two individuals, the CMBG would not have achieved its objectives.”

In addition to the core group, additional advisors that helped establish the botanical gardens in the early years were Doug and Diane Harley, Sally Southmayd, Carol Stratton and Stan Chenoweth.

The site secured, publicity flourished and a major direct mail campaign ensued. Recipients were from the shared mailing lists of the garden clubs, yacht clubs, Conley’s Garden Center and other associations.

Other fundraising techniques employed included instituting a membership drive, the brochures for which were distributed throughout tourist bureaus in the state. Claire Hunt became the lead spokesperson for CMBG and spent four years visiting churches, grange halls, garden clubs, coastal clubs, master gardeners, Elks halls, Moose halls, VFW halls, Rotary breakfasts and realtor and chamber of commerce meetings statewide.

Early site planning ventures
The site was the scene for many flora and fauna specialists including Joanne Sharpe, PhD and wetland specialist Lauren Stockwell who conducted plant surveys. Mycologists helped identify 50 different mushroom species, and geological surveys were conducted by land and air.

The Initial Master Plan
The 1996 three-day charette, an intense design exercise, resulted in the CMBG’s (first) master plan. The three landscape architects involved in the planning process were Don Leighton, Todd Richardson and George Workman who led three teams of landscape designers, botanists, nurserymen, an ornamental plant specialist, hydrologist and board members.

Hewlett-Packard personnel attended and brought the latest technology to record findings, print 30” color drawings and Power Point to create the final visual: a master schematic design.

“When it came time for the three groups’ presentations, it was interesting to see that all three placed the formal gardens in the same location. All three also chose to discontinue the original subdivision road for the development of a new road system,” recalled Boyd.

In fact, many segments of the information learned at the charette are still being used today.

“Plant life has been added, but a lot of the early plans have come to be,” said Boyd.

Now that the word was out about the botanical garden and an initial plan had been formed, it was time to design a logo.

Shared Claire Hunt, “We had talked about it. The Lady fern logo came about after the charette. Landscape architect Todd Richardson’s group findings were held in a folder with a fern on the cover. With so many ferns on the land, it just seemed a natural choice –and we all really liked the idea. We adapted a design by Corinne McIntyre of (Ocean Point Studio/Visions of Maine) of a Lady fern logo.”

Making clear the paths
Now that the plan was clearly in the minds of the board, the ground committee formed and the blazing began. The trails eventually took shape thanks to numerous volunteers – particularly Foster Stroup, Merlin Smith, Wells Moore and Dan Haney. These hardy ground committee members always brought their own tools and equipment they transported in personal vehicles. Teams signed on for a specific day or days, in some cases.

“Paths were present already, so, it wasn’t too bad when we were clearing,” said Hale.

The first three trails “cleared,” were the Shoreline, Fern and Heath over the better part of two seasons.

Since those early years the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has flourished. As of 2005 it became one of the largest botanical gardens in the United States when the Radcliff Family Trust donated 120 undeveloped acres to the gardens. This land donation extends the shoreline to 4500 feet.

If you ask any of the founding members what it feels like to see their dream heading toward full bloom, they will no doubt shake their heads and say, unbelievable!

Said Hunt, “We intended to make a little jewel right from the start, but not one of us had the vision of what our designers have done. It is better than we could have imagined. It is fantastic!”

And as a nod to the seven original benefactors, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens now contain a little something that was not part of the initial design plan. In August of this year a Founders Grove was established. To date, there are six Red Oaks planted with a seventh expected.

Said current executive director Maureen Heffernan, “The red oak was chosen to symbolize the founders of the gardens for several reasons. One, it is an ornamental species, two, it stands strong and upright, and finally, because this mighty tree sprouts from a tiny acorn.”

Claire Hunt, who visits the gardens often, put it simply: “Sometimes you just have to believe in something and go with it.”

That’s an adage that winds through every trail and the impetus of every newly conceived garden to the delight of every man, woman and child that visits the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Stroll through – it’s right in your own back yard.