The first step to gardening with Maine’s native plants is meeting them in their wild habitats. Over this three-day in-person class, Melissa Cullina, the Gardens’ Director of Plant Science & Collections, will help students recognize around fifty frequent coastal species. As a staff botanist, Melissa will cover plant identification skills, terminology, and botanical etymology. Through guided walks, both at the Gardens and a Boothbay Region Land Trust property, students will practice skills and collect samples for identification and botanizing native species. Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Invasive species are considered highly undesirable by botany, ecology, horticulture, and conservation professionals—and for good reason. In this three-part course, Amanda Devine, Regional Land Steward for Maine Coast Heritage Land Trust, will identify the basic ecological problems surrounding these aggressive, tenacious plants. We'll discuss the complicated, and sometimes political issues, and how a plant becomes labeled "invasive." Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced