Co-sponsored by Boothbay Region Land Trust and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Celebrate spring with botanist Melissa Cullina on this fun, flowery, ferny, fragrant – and free – foray to the Oven’s Mouth Preserve. During a slow-paced morning hike, Melissa will show you the most important features to consider when learning to recognize different kinds of wild plants.  She’ll point out the various early blooms, along with a sprinkling of folklore about their names and historical uses. Families welcome, no experience needed.  For more information, or to register, please call the Boothbay Region Land Trust at 207-633-4818.

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

Where:   Oven’s Mouth Preserve West
Price:      Free for all (preregistration requested at 207-633-4818)

In collaboration with the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library’s  “Books to Screen” program for children, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will present the 1993 film “The Secret Garden” starring Kate Maberly and the inimitable Maggie Smith. Based on the beloved classic book of the same title by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the story is a celebration of the magical and healing qualities of gardens. See this wonderful family movie on the big screen in our Education Center. Rated G.

Where: Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:    Free – but please let us know you’ll be attending.

We invite you to stop by the Children’s Garden Story Barn on Saturday, May 25, between 10 a.m. and noon to help us showcase artwork by talented and creative local students.  In the “Branching Out” exhibit that will continue from May 25 through mid-October, young artists from all five schools on the Boothbay peninsula are helping us celebrate our 2013 theme, Trees, Timbers and Traditions.    

Admission to the exhibit and reception is free with Gardens admission. Please note that May 25-27 are Maine Days at the Gardens, when there is no  Gardens admission charge for Maine Residents. We’re also presenting a plant sale on the 25th and 26th, with a members-only sale on the morning of the 25th.

“Branching Out” includes artwork from students in the Boothbay Region Elementary School (5th graders), the Center for Teaching and Learning (3rd & 4th graders), Southport School (all grades), Boothbay Region High School (11th and 12th grade intermediate/ advanced art classes), and Edgecomb Eddy School (all grades, K-6). 

Look for discounts of 40 percent and more on a wide variety of Gardens Gift Shop merchandise. The sale begins on Thursday, May 23, and continues throughout the Memorial Day weekend.  Hours are 9-5 each day.

Please note, too, that Saturday through Monday, May 25, 26, and 27, are Maine Days, when all state residents (with ID) are admitted free to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

In addition, May 25 and 26 are the days of our plant sale, with a members-only sale on Saturday morning.

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.

The annual plant sale has become a great tradition at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. The sale offers a variety of hard-to-find and unique perennials; native plants; boutique annuals perfect for container plantings; pre-planted containers; and a limited number of plants propagated by our very own horticultural staff available for sale. 

For the best selection of everything, become a member and shop during the members-only hours on Saturday morning, 9:00-noon; memberships will be available at the sale that day.

In addition, May 25 through 27, Memorial Day Weekend, are Maine Days at the Gardens, when all Maine residents receive free admission.

Where:      Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price:         Free admission, with no regular Gardens admission required to enter the sale

We invite young visitors to enjoy Storytime with our very own Miss Rumphius, volunteer Pat Jeremiah. Pat selects and reads wonderful, nature-related books. There are simple activities and lively conversation, too. It’s a fun-filled, magical time for everyone.

Storytime is from 10-11 a.m. on Mondays through June 10 and then daily from June 17-August 25. We’ll add many more daily activities in June, and look for Fairy Fridays in July and August.                   

No sign-up is necessary for Storytime, and there is no additional fee. If you have any questions, call 207-633-4333, ext. 101. 

Where:       Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price:          Members free; nonmembers free with paid Gardens admission

"Tulipa" by Linda Heppes Funk

Stop by the Visitor Center now to purchase your raffle tickets for Linda Heppes Funk’s glorious watercolor “Tulipa,” valued at $5,800.  Tickets are $10 each or $90 for 10. Then, join us in the Visitor Center on Monday, May 27, for the drawing. You may be the lucky winner!

The raffle proceeds benefit the Expert-in-Residence program at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Learn more about this exciting raffle and “Tulipa.”

We hope you won’t miss this chance to take home an exceptional, framed original botanical painting by a highly regarded artist with 38 years’ experience in design and illustration. In her Maine studio, working only with live plant specimens, she specializes in pencil, drybrush watercolour, gouache, and metalpointe drawing. She also tutors private students there. For many years she has taught at various venues, including The New York Botanical Garden; College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine; The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine; and in Massachusetts, at the Creative Arts Center, Chatham; South Shore Art Center, Cohasset; and Wellesley College, Wellesley.  Her work is exhibited widely and appears in many publications.  In addition to work as a fine artist and decorative painter, Linda designs furnishings, fabrics, and ceramic dinnerware.  She was the recipient of the coveted Award for Excellence in Botanical Art, presented in October, 2001, by the American Society of Botanical Artists.  She served as a Director of the ASBA for six years, and in 2006 served as a juror for the Scholastic National Awards.

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.

Trillium grandiflorum (William Cullina photo)

Trillium erectum (William Cullina photo)

It is difficult to explain the allure of trilliums, but they are one of our most beloved and cherished groups of wildflowers. Trilliums are an ancient tribe, tracing their linage back to the great temperate forests that stretched around the globe 60 million years ago, and they possess a certain grace and refinement coupled with a patient, unhurried way of life that comes only with age. There are 48 species in the world, and of these a full 75% occur only in the forests of eastern North America and especially in the southeastern US.  

During this fascinating program on Thursday evening, May 30, Bill will take you on a tour of the genus Trillium, focusing first on the evolution, distribution, and ecology of the plants and then delving into the eastern species with all their individual wants and eccentricities. He’ll illustrate his presentation with beautiful images of these highly photogenic woodlanders.

Bill Cullina is Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Previously Director of Horticulture for the Gardens, Cullina also worked for many years as the Nursery Director for the New England Wild Flower Society.   Bill is a well-known author and recognized authority on North American native plants. He 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. 

Where:   Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:      $10 members, $12 nonmembers (preregistration requested)