Landscaping for Wildlife (Sold Out)

his class is sold out, but please click "Learn More" to join our waitlist. | Habitat loss is the primary cause of declining wildlife populations, and learning how vital native plants are to wildlife and how much our landscape choices matter is one of the most critical steps we can take to divert such loss. We'll begin with a short online lecture followed by an interactive workshop and field study at the Gardens. Students will learn how and what to manage in the landscape and how to incorporate certain native plants to create welcoming habitats that attract wildlife, conserve natural resources, and encourage biodiversity. Class Level: Intermediate to Advanced.

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Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Deb Perkins
Price: $62 / $75

Beginning iPhone Photography

Hone your digital photography skills and learn to take beautiful photos of flowers, plants, and landscapes using your iPhone. In this engaging workshop, we'll explore the Gardens before opening hours and learn ways to avoid blurry images, tips for composing, how best to use your iPhone's features, and much more. Back in the classroom, we'll explore editing options to make your photos stand out and shine. Class level: beginner. Also appropriate for teens.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Melissa Keyser
Price: $85 / $115

Botanical Monoprints (Canceled)

This two-day workshop will focus on creating monoprints on various papers. Unlike most printmaking techniques, which allow for multiple originals, monoprinting creates a single, unique image at a time. The beauty of this technique lies in its spontaneity and its allowance for combinations of printmaking, painting, and various mark-making methods that can be printed multiple times in various ways. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Suzanne Stokes
Price: $285 / $335

Plant ID & Ecology: Conifers

What’s an evergreen, yet not always an evergreen? In this field-study class, Jeff O’Donal, nurseryman and conifer grower, will explore the extensive world of conifers, including native and non-native species, specimen plants, and those great for naturalizing into our native landscapes. We'll explore the diverse shapes and sizes, variations of gold and blue, soft or coarse textures, varieties of needle lengths, deciduous or evergreen, fragrant or neutral—there’s something for every style and landscape. Class level: Beginner-Intermediate.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Jeff O’Donal
Price: $32 / $40

Is It A Weed? (Canceled)

Weeds, by casual definition, are undesired plants found in a specific location. Delaney Pitman, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Horticulturist, leads a combination of field study and lecture discussing the perception of weeds, identification, cultural management, and ecology. You'll leave with a broader understanding of what and why plants are commonly known as "weeds" and whether they might be embraced or removed from a garden or landscape. Class level: all.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Delaney Pitman
Price: $32 / $40

Landscaping for Wildlife

Habitat loss is the primary cause of declining wildlife populations, and learning how vital native plants are to wildlife and how much our landscape choices matter is one of the most critical steps we can take to divert such loss. We'll begin with a short online lecture followed by an interactive workshop and field study at the Gardens. Students will learn how and what to manage in the landscape and how to incorporate certain native plants to create welcoming habitats that attract wildlife, conserve natural resources, and encourage biodiversity. Class Level: Intermediate to Advanced.

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Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Deb Perkins
Price: $62 / $75

Botanical Block Printing

Using the Gardens as inspiration, explore traditional block printing methods with a modern touch. These blocks can be used anywhere, as a printing press is not required. Participants will leave the two-day workshop understanding basic printing techniques and multiple prints of their designs. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Jordan Parks
Price: $235 / $325

Papermaking Workshop with Botanicals

Let’s learn and make together! Explore the world of paper-making with artist Ashley Page in this hands-on workshop. Participants will learn how to make paper at home or in a studio, leaving with their own paper creations. No previous papermaking experience is required. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Timber Frame
Instructor: Ashley Page
Price: $95 / $160

Medicinal Plants: Herbal Salve Making (Sold Out)

This class is sold out, but please click "Learn More" to join our waitlist. | From harvesting to bottling, learn the steps to make a herbal salve! Salves are topical ointments created from plants used to heal a specific condition such as dry skin, burns, scars, splinters, or sore muscles. The class will begin indoors with a live demonstration followed by a walk through the gardens to identify plants that can be used to make a salve. Each participant will take home a tin of herbal salve.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Cristina Pellegrini
Price: $64 / $80

Introduction to Native Flora of Maine

The first step to gardening with Maine’s native plants is meeting them in their wild habitats. Over this three-day in-person class, students will learn how to recognize frequent coastal species. This class will cover plant identification skills, terminology, and botanical etymology. Through guided walks, both at the Gardens and on the Boothbay peninsula, students will practice skills and collect samples for identification and botanizing native species. Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Chris Schorn
Price: $175 / $205

Paper Cutting: Birds and Blossoms

Learn the techniques and history of papercutting with examples of traditional and contemporary styles. Students will leave this two day workshop with several pieces of their own artwork, exploring different methods or approaches. The class theme will be birds and blossoms.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Dylan Metrano
Price: $175 / $295

Plant ID & Ecology: Grassland Plants

Whether called fields, meadows, or pastures, these landforms all feature a dominant grass population in a wide-open, full-sun terrain mixed with wildflower and smaller woody species. Partnering with the Boothbay Region Land Trust, this class will guide students on two walks at local land trust properties. Led by Ted Elliman, co-author of "Grasses, Sedges and Rushes: An Identification Guide," participants will learn how to identify and better understand meadow culture. This is the perfect class for those interested in starting or sustaining an open grassland. Class Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Ted Elliman
Price: $46 / $58

15th Annual Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture Series presents: Adventures in Ecological Horticulture

Gone are the days when a garden could be ornamental alone. We now understand the impact our land care practices have on the ecosystems around us and recognize the importance of encouraging biodiversity. The good news? We don’t have to sacrifice beauty when we invite butterflies and songbirds into our gardens. Discover how ecological approaches to gardening can transform both spaces and communities with Rebecca McMackin in this year's Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture Series.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Rebecca McMackin
Price: Free

Ecological Arboriculture

So many of us love our trees, yet they’re still too often seen and cared for as ornaments in our gardens or isolated organisms, rather than as dynamic parts of a living landscape. In reality, trees can serve as the heart of thriving ecosystems that support the birds and wildlife we love. This workshop introduces the principles of ecological arboriculture—a holistic approach to caring for trees, woody plants, and landscapes that recognizes trees as habitat, food sources, and essential ecosystem engineers.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Christopher Roddick
Price: $64 / $80

Selecting Native Woody Plants

In this two-day hybrid class, learn about native woody plants that contribute so much to our landscapes and local biodiversity. Andy Brand, Director of Horticulture at the Gardens, will discuss identification, habitat, and woody plants' role in plant reproduction and management as hosts for insects, birds, and other wildlife. You'll leave with recommendations for native species and cultivars and guidance for cultivation, landscape uses, and soil and light considerations. Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced.

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Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Andy Brand
Price: $140 / $175

Mosses and Liverworts: Natural History & Identification

The cool, damp climate of Maine and northern New England is perfect for mosses and liverworts, plants known as bryophytes. Join Maine Master Naturalist Jeff Pengel to examine, identify, and learn the natural history of mosses and liverworts. Through presentation, photographs, specimen examination, and fieldwork, students will learn to discern the differences between common groups, know key identification techniques and vocabulary, and recognize more than a dozen common species in the field. Class level: Beginner-Intermediate.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Jeff Pengel
Price: $46 / $58

Capturing the Colors of the Season

Paint the changing landscape in watercolor during this three-day workshop. Crafted for artists looking to enhance their skills, you'll learn to blend warm, earthy tones for autumn and cool, muted hues for winter, capturing these seasons' unique light and atmosphere. We'll master techniques to paint various trees, colorful foliage, and intricate shadows, adding depth and dimension to your work. For intermediate watercolorists.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Erica Qualey
Price: $245 / $380

Forest Therapy Walk & Tea: Late Summer

Deepening your connection to nature through moving meditation offers enormous benefits for personal well-being. In this gentle and sensory-oriented class, students will experience the practice of walking mindfully through a forest to gain deep serenity and new awareness. Follow Susan Bickford, a certified guide in the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku also known as forest therapy/forest bathing, as she gives you the tools to begin your own meditation practice. The walk ends with a tea ceremony that honors the experience. Class Level: all.

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Location: Timber Frame
Instructor: Susan Bickford
Price: $28 / $36

Five Days Drawing and Painting the Autumn Harvest

The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, and pumpkins and gourds abound! Take advantage of nature’s bounty within Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' spectacular Dahlia and Iris garden. Spend one, two, three, four, or all five days surrounded by stunning dahlias in full bloom and learn how to draw and paint the fall harvest. All levels are welcome. Class appropriate to teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $465 / $655

Fall Foliage in Blazing Color

Immerse yourself in fall foliage. Using the spectacular leaves found on the grounds of the Gardens', create blazing seasonal watercolor, colored pencil and/or watercolor pencil drawings. All levels welcome! This class can be taken alone or as part of a five-day series. Class appropriate to teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $75 / $145

Pumpkins and Gourds in Graphite

Fall is an excellent time to learn how to create the lumpy bumpy textures found in the Cucurbitaceae family, known as gourds. Learn all about different gourds, their shapes, and growth cycles. This class can be taken alone or as part of a five-day series. It is recommended to take Pumpkins and Gourds in Color as a complement to this class, but it is not required. All levels are welcome. Class appropriate for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $75 / $145

Invasive Plants: Identification, Issues & Ecology

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

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Location: Online / at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Amanda Devine
Price: $140 / $175

Pumpkins and Gourds in Color

Fall is an excellent time to learn how to create the lumpy bumpy textures found in the Cucurbitaceae family, known as gourds. Learn all about different gourds, their shapes, and growth cycles. This class can be taken alone or as part of a five-day series. It is recommended to take Pumpkins and Gourds in Graphite as a complement to this class, but it is not required. All levels welcome. Class appropriate to teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $75 / $145

Dahlia Details in Graphite

One of the greatest joys of fall is the emergence of the stunning dahlia. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has a particularly beautiful collection with a variety of shapes and colors. This class can be taken alone or as part of a five-day series. It is recommended to take Dahlia Details in Color as a complement to this class, but it is not required. All levels welcome. Class appropriate for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $75 / $145

Dahlia Details in Color

One of the greatest joys of fall is the emergence of the stunning dahlia. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has a particularly beautiful collection with a variety of shapes and colors. This class can be taken alone or as part of a five-day series. It is recommended to take Dahlia Details in Graphite as a complement to this class, but it is not required. All levels welcome. Class appropriate for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $75 / $145

Ecological Landscape Design

If you want to design landscapes inspired by and inclusive of nature, studying design principles through the lens of natural systems is essential. In this three-day course led by landscape designer and horticulturist Irene Brady Barber, students will learn to identify and incorporate the components of ecological landscape design. Online and onsite, we will examine the systems influencing design decisions, practice environmental site analysis, and design conceptual plot plans for a selected site. Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced

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Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Irene Barber
Price: $160 / $190