Calendar
At Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, you can enjoy a wide variety of very special events, art exhibits, and concerts – even travel opportunities. You can also learn about every aspect of nature, whether in all-day symposia or informal workshops, and find family-friendly programs – all in spectacular surroundings. Please take a look at our calendar, and add favorites to your calendar now!
Reservations (Sometimes), Please
Whenever possible, we offer our events at no cost and to as many people as would like to attend. However, sometimes we must require registration and pre-payment. We don’t want you to be disappointed, so if reservations are necessary, we suggest you sign up early.
If You Need to Cancel
We know that things come up and people sometimes need to cancel reservations. Because of the many types of events and programs we offer, cancellation policies vary. To learn more, view our cancellation policy.
May at a Glance
| May 12, 2012 |
| 9:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
Growing shiitake mushrooms on birch logs
This class is part of the season-spanning series “Growing Your Own Food: Beyond the Basics,” a follow-up to our extremely popular primer to “Growing Your Own Food” offered in 2011. The classes are designed to take your gardening endeavors to the next level, offering special topics such as elegant kitchen garden design, cultivating and preparing edible flowers, growing shiitake mushrooms, selecting heirloom varieties, and saving seeds. For an overview of the entire series, click here.
Class Description: Growing Shiitake Mushrooms at Home with David Dow
Growing shiitake mushrooms is a fun, healthy, and very tasty endeavor! Just ask David Dow, who’s been cultivating, cooking, and sharing shiitake mushrooms from his backyard farm in New Brunswick, Canada, for nearly ten years. Shiitake mushrooms, best known for their rich flavor and immunity-boosting properties, can be grown at home with a few soaked birch logs and some spores. David will present the basic techniques and supplies, provide practical advice for cultivation, and even share methods for preserving and cooking.
David Dow, EdD, of Red Roof Farm in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, is a long-time educator and a garden, mushroom and food preservation enthusiast. Former executive director of the Maine Lobster Institute, he is now the tribal planner for the Aroostook Band of MicMacs. His increasingly popular shiitake-growing workshops have been presented at the Falls Brook Centre for sustainable community demonstration and training and other venues in Canada.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center
Price: $30 members, $37 non-members (pre-registration required)
CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW TO REGISTER FOR THIS CLASS, “GROWING SHIITKE MUSHROOMS AT HOME WITH DAVID DOW:”
| May 12, 2012 |
| 4:00 pm | to | 5:30 pm |
Celebrate spring (and Mother’s Day) with a stroll through our amazing display of many thousands of tulips, following by a delightful afternoon tea in the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Visitor Center, amid beautiful surroundings. Enjoy scones with Devonshire cream, tea sandwiches, and sweets, along with unending individual pots of tea. A visit to the Gardens Gift Shop is just the thing to make your day complete.
Where: Kitchen Garden Cafe and Kerr Hall
Price: $20 members; $27 non-members
| May 18, 2012 |
| June 5, 2012 | to | June 7, 2012 |
| June 20, 2012 | to | June 21, 2012 |
| July 17, 2012 |
| July 27, 2012 | to | July 28, 2012 |
| August 14, 2012 | to | August 16, 2012 |
| September 21, 2012 | to | September 22, 2012 |
| September 27, 2012 | to | September 28, 2012 |
| October 12, 2012 | to | October 13, 2012 |
| October 18, 2012 | to | October 20, 2012 |
Below is a listing of classes in the 2012 Certificate Program in Native Plants and Ecological Horticulture. You do not have to be reigstered in the Certificate Program to take these classes; however, pre-registration is required. For an overview of the complete program, detailed descriptions of the individual classes, and intructor bios, click here. Click on the “Purchase Tickets” button below to sign up for any of these classes.
SUGGESTED FIRST-YEAR CLASSES
Tuesday-Thursday, June 5, 6, 7
The Life of a Plant: An Introduction to Botany with Lauren Stockwell
When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens P
rice: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
The following class is suggested for both Year-One and Year -Two students.
Wednesday & Thursday, June 20 & 21
Gardening for Wildlife: Ecosystem Gardening with Carole Sevilla Browne
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
Tuesday-Thursday, August 14, 15, 16
A Plant’s Family Tree: Relationships within the Plant Kingdom with Melissa Cullina
When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
Thursday & Friday, September 27 & 28
Horticultural Ecology: Biological Interactions of Gardens Plants and Environment with Bill Cullina
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
Friday & Saturday, October 12 & 13
“Invasive Plants: Issues, Identification, and Ecology” with Ted Elliman
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and local field destinations P
rice: $100 members, $120 non-members (pre-registration required)
Co-sponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society
SUGGESTED SECOND-YEAR CLASSES
Friday & Saturday, April 6 & 7
Shaping a Natural Site into a Landscaped Space with Irene Brady Barber
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
Friday, May 18 AND Tuesday, July 17
Selecting Native Plants for the Maine Garden: Herbaceous Plants with Bill Cullina
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
The following class is suggested for both Year-One and Year-Two students.
Wednesday & Thursday, June 20 & 21
Gardening for Wildlife: Ecosystem Gardening with Carole Sevilla Browne
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
SOLD OUT: Friday & Saturday, July 27 & 28
Natural Communities of Maine with Ted Elliman
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and local field destinations
Price: $100 members, $120 non-members (pre-registration required)
Co-sponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society
Friday & Saturday, September 21 & 22
Sustainable Horticultural Practices with Irene Brady Barber
When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (preregistration required)
Thursday-Saturday, October 18, 19, 20
Selecting Native Plants for the Maine Garden: Woody Plants with Justin Nichols
When: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and local field sites
Price: $120 members, $150 non-members (pre-registration required)
We’re pleased to announce that Maine Member Day will be back for a second year in 2012, and we’re proud to be among the Maine museums and cultural organizations offering a great benefit for members of all ages: On Saturday, May 19, your Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens membership will open the doors to a raft of museums, gardens, and historic homes. You’ll receive free admission by simply presenting your membership card.
Below is the list to date of participating organizations and museums for 2012. Between now and Maine Member Day, why not join or renew your Gardens membership?
2012 MAINE MEMBER DAY PARTICIPANTS
Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor
Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine, Portland
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay
Maine Discovery Museum, Bangor
Maine Historical Society, Portland
Maine Maritime Museum, Bath
Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Ogunquit
Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls Head
Portland Museum of Art, Portland
Victoria Mansion, Portland
| May 19, 2012 |
| 9:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
Irene's herbs
This class is one in the new five-part series “Cultivating and Using Herbs.” Throughout the season, from May 19-September 13, we’ll explore the many facets of the herb garden and its uses. You may take the classes individually or sign up for the series at a discounted price. For more detailed information about the series, click here.
Click on the lower button below to sign up for the class described here or the top button for all five classes at the discounted price of $150 for members/$190 for non-members. Pre-registration is required.
CLASS #1: CULTIVATING HERBS: SELECTING AND GROWING FOR MANY USES
In this hands-on workshop, experienced herb gardener Irene Brady Barber will introduce you to the many ways herbs can be used and instruct you in the modern-day basics of herb gardening – whether it be establishing a new garden, expanding and rejuvenating an existing one or growing in containers. From plant selection to tending techniques, Irene will make sure you have the best information for a thriving herb garden.
Irene Brady Barber is currently both a landscape designer for Cosmic Stone & Garden Supply and a seasonal horticultural educator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. With an academic and professional background in communications: human behavior and in horticulture studies, Irene 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. Each year she plans and tends many types of herbs in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center
Price: $30 members, $37 non-members (pre-registration required)
FOR THE SERIES, CLICK ON THE FIRST BUTTON, IMMEDIATELY BELOW:
CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW TO REGISTER FOR THIS CLASS, “CULTIVATING HERBS: SELECTING AND GROWING FOR MANY USES: WITH IRENE BRADY BARBER.”
| May 19, 2012 |
| 9:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
Learn about the techniques and philosophy we use to achieve success at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Staff horticulturist Justin Nichols will cover many of the components essential to a successful garden, such as approaches to soil preparation and amendment, plant selection, pruning basics, planting techniques, watering, fertilization, and the tools you need. He’ll also address the topics of dealing with pests and diseases, difficult garden sites, and managing weeds and invasive plants. Much of this class will be out of doors, so dress for the weather of the day and prepare to walk a bit.
Justin Nichols has been professionally maintaining gardens for 20 years, the last four at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. He has a master’s degree in education and enjoys teaching horticultural topics to people of all ages.
Learn more about the full series.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center and Gardens grounds
Price: $35 members, $42 non-members (pre-registration requested)
| May 25, 2012 |
| 7:00 am | to | 9:00 am |
- Goldfinch by Paul Beane
Celebrate the welcome sounds of springtime birdsong in Maine with avid local birder and longtime Gardens member Nancy Bither. This informal foray through our grounds will give you a whole new perspective on the Gardens in spring! Nancy will point out the birds seen and heard along the way. Space is limited, so be sure to register early.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Price: Free (pre-registration required)
| May 26, 2012 |
| 2:00 pm | to | 4:00 pm |
Flock together for a fun-filled family art show opening for our fledgling artists from the Boothbay peninsula. This May 26-30 exhibit, “Birds and Blossoms: A Birds-Eye View of the Garden,” features student artworks with birds and plants as their theme. The reception, with refreshments and activities, will be a chance to see the students’ art and celebrate their creativity. Don’t miss the birdcall contest for 8-10 year olds at 3 p.m.!
Where: Visitor Center
Price: Free and open to the public
| May 26, 2012 |
| 9:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
| May 27, 2012 |
| 9:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
The annual Not-Your-Garden-Variety Plant Sale has become a 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; and this year, for the first time ever, we’ll have a limited number of plants propagated by our very own horticultural staff available for sale. We’ll also be selling $5 bags of our own “Magic Mulch” throughout the Plant Sale, while supplies last. 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.
When: Members only on Saturday 9 a.m.-noon; open to the public on Saturday noon-4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens – Blueberry Parking Lot, Barters Island Road, Boothbay
Price: Free admission, with no regular Gardens admission required to enter the sale
| May 27, 2012 |
| 4:00 pm | to | 6:00 pm |
- Iris by Linda Heppes Funk
Acclaimed botanical artist Linda Heppes Funk will be “In-Residence” at Coastsal Maine Botanical Gardens from May 27-June 2, 2012. Please visit the In-Residence Programs page for more information about her and others in this program. In addition to the program outlined here she will be demonstrating her techniques at the In-Residence office of the Bosarge Family Education Center on Monday, May 28, and Saturday, June 2. She will also teach an intensive multi-day workshop from Tuesday through Friday. Her exhibit will be on view from May 23 to June 7.
Botanical Illustration is a specialized world, a world of beauty, in which the nature of the subject matter is ever-changing, and always fascinating. In the United Stated there is a developing interest in the botanical art tradition and its contribution not only as a fine art form, but in its educational value, including its significance in raising ecological awareness. In this illustrated slide lecture, lauded botanical illustrator Linda Heppes Funk will present a program on the history of botanical illustration for The American Society of Botanical Artists, of which she is a founding member. Linda will discuss the tradition of western botanical art up to the present day with inspiring images, including some of her own making.
At the close of the lecture, one botanical illustration created and donated by Linda will be auctioned to benefit the In-Residence program at the Gardens. The lecture and auction will be immediately followed by a reception for her exhibit in the Bosarge Family Education Center gallery, lobby and In-Residence office.
All day in our gift shop, lacquered trays, placemats, and coasters featuring Linda’s botanical art will be specially featured.
Where: Bosarge Family Education Center
Price: $10 members, $12 non-members
