We’ve come a long way since Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was founded in 1991. In 1996 our seven founders and others committed to their vision selected and purchased our original 128-acre waterfront property, and in the process saved it from becoming a housing subdivision. Then, in 2005, we received the incredible gift of an adjacent 120 acres from the Pine Tree Conservation Society. Now, with nearly 250 acres, we’re the largest botanical garden in New England; and not only are we one of the only gardens in the nation on tidal waterfront; we have nearly a mile of it!

After years of planning and preparation, in the space of the past several years we’ve transformed what was solely a salt-water forest into a spectacular botanical garden. A great deal of the property remains in the type of pristine woodland that only Maine can produce. However, the acres that have been turned into the main campus with its Visitor Center and Central Gardens, which include the Sensory Garden and Children’s Garden, as well as the Rose & Perennial and Kitchen gardens and other plantings, are what visitors see first. They also discover the stunning Haney Hillside Garden, Vayo Meditation Garden, and Giles Rhododendron & Perennial Garden with its massive waterfall.  As they traverse the Entry Drive and meander along our waterfront and woodland trails, they realize the enormity of this property and the scope of the project.

Growing Gardens
In June of 2009, we opened the most complex garden to that point, the spectacular Lerner Garden of the Five Senses. Its many features that appeal to our senses in different ways make it perhaps the finest sensory garden in the world. That same year, we extended the Huckleberry Cove Trail, which follows our waterfront through a landscape that’s quintessentially Maine.

In 2010, we opened the two-acre Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden. Thanks to careful design and master plans by landscape architect Herb Schaal, FASLA, this garden is finestkind, as we say here in Maine, and is a favorite with visitors of all ages.

But what’s next? We’re creating a new Education Center. The net-zero-energy building will be Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified – as green as green can be. It will provide office space, as well as flexible areas for education programs and classes, exhibits, and other uses that help the Gardens fulfill its mission.  The Education Center will be attractive and, along with its plantings, will become a teaching tool in and of itself. 

Wild Plants of Maine, a far-reaching project that will feature native plants in a variety of surroundings, is also in our future.

Watch our progress as you visit the Gardens over the coming years. You’ll see plenty of changes. And the reason for every one of them will be to help make our visitors’ experiences more enjoyable and rewarding, educational and inspiring. As any great garden should, we’ll grow!