Creating a Miniature Garden (Ages 8+)
This fun and family-friendly hands-on workshop will have you exploring your gardening creativity—in miniature! First, learn about and draw inspiration from several different types of miniature gardens including “fairy gardens” and Japanese gardens. Then, using wide shallow containers, small plants, fairy garden accessories, and other tiny elements, create a personalized miniature garden to take home. All materials are provided, and registration includes admission for a parent and child. Families are encouraged to work together, but if parents would like to make their own miniature garden, please register separately so that we can plan for supplies.
Want to enter the world of beetles, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, wasps, and flies? Ages 14-adult are invited to join us and learn about the insect wildlife to be found in backyards and gardens. Learn to identify the most common insects and the roles these important creatures play in their ecosystems. After an introductory slideshow, we'll explore the Gardens to observe and gain insight into insect behavior, identifying where insects prefer to live versus where they’re discouraged. We'll take a holistic approach to studying insects, recognizing that even the smallest patch of yard is inclusive of nature.
The famous and well-loved monarch is the inspiration for this program! Participants will learn all about this beautiful butterfly, from its anatomy to its life cycle, adaptations, migration, and the effects of climate change on these creatures. Participants will become community scientists as they help us tag monarchs at the Gardens for future monitoring on their autumnal journeys southward. Recently listed as an endangered species, monarchs need us to understand their importance now more than ever. Participants will leave with an appreciation for these creatures that they can share with others. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
In this active field study class, students will explore the Gardens’ many habitats, learning how to identify signs of animals in their natural environment. We’ll focus on what animals do to prepare for the upcoming winter, covering topics such as food sources and acquisition, den preparation, hibernation and migration. We hope to spot as many as our native animals as possible, ending the session exploring the life in our ponds. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
Does your child love nature and want to expand their identification skills? During this session, participants will expand their botany skills as they learn to identify fall wildflowers. Skills acquired during this session will help participants to identify plants on their own in the future. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
During this session, participants will learn handy tricks for remembering both the coniferous and deciduous trees of the Maine woods. Participants will also gain an understanding of the science behind fall foliage and collect a variety of fall leaves along their walk to create a colorful suncatcher that captures the essence of fall. Registration for this class includes Gardens admission for one child and one adult.
This family-friendly, hands-on workshop will have you exploring your gardening creativity in a whole new way! Bring a part of the garden inside this fall as we take cuttings from our succulent plants and arrange them together in a planter to grow at home. Participants will learn how to grow, propagate, and care for their succulent arrangement. All materials provided.
Ages 14-adult are invited to join us for an informative look into the mammals you may not always see, but who are almost certainly living in or around your backyard, relying on your landscape for survival. Explore CMBG’s most common inhabitants, their important habitats, dietary preferences, and learn a variety of management practice approaches. Offered at an active time of year as wildlife prepare for winter, the class will explore the Gardens, learn key points for identification, and look for presence indicators such as tracks, holes, browsing, and more.
This online lecture and slideshow presentation will introduce students to the fundamentals of pruning and discuss the what, when, and how. Dormancy is a critical time, and pruning trees and shrubs in this window will prevent damage and promote healthy plant growth for the following growing season. Join us to lose your fear of pruning and discover just how much fun and approachable it is with the appropriate tools. Following this class, students can register for "Pruning Workshop: Practices and Plants," happening at the Gardens in April. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Join us for this online panel presentation and learn about 20 favorite trees and shrubs native to the northeast from three of our staff horticulturists, Lon Ames, Kelsie Birney, and Alison Webb. Native trees and shrubs provide a variety of ecosystem services that are essential to preserving the environment, perfect for any garden or landscape setting. We'll talk about the plants' wildlife habitat, design applications, ornamental features, and end with questions and answers. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Join us for this online panel presentation where we'll feature 20 hardy and resilient perennials selected by staff horticulturists Jen Dunlap, Courtney Locke, and Delaney Pitman. This group of plants includes those that manage challenging conditions such as dry/wet, windy locations, compacted soils, and which also regenerate quickly after major weather events, on the rise due to climate change. Come learn about plants that will lead to sustaining, high-performing, and beautiful gardens. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Soils, mulches, and amendments are fundamental for growing plants successfully indoors and out, but it’s easy to be unsure, confused, and overwhelmed. In this webinar, we’ll review what’s what, addressing in-ground and above-ground applications pertinent to vegetable, woodland, or container gardens. We’ll also discuss the variety of manufactured soil and soilless blends, mulches, amendments like composts and mineral additives, the basics of the soil chemistry and biology, and making sustainable choices. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Join us for an online panel presentation featuring 20 plants that attract winged companions like the birds, native butterflies, moths, and flying insects that are essential to our ecosystems. Many of the plants we’ll discuss are found in forests, fields, and other natural ecosystems, wonderful species for gardens and rewilding. Staff horticulturists Lesley Paxson, Alicia Miller, and Brent McHale will share their favorites, perfect for your gardens or wild spaces. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Thursdays, April 13 & 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Thursdays, May 4, 11, 18, & 25, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
In this hands-on garden crafting class, students will learn everything there is to know about living willow structures: where they are used, how to make them, and the variety of willow species to use. Alicia Miller, CMBG Horticulturist and willow structure designer, will guide you through the process of planting a potted harlequin braided willow tree that you'll be able to take home and grow for many years. We ask that students bring their own clippers and garden gloves. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Monday, May 22, 10-11:30 a.m. & Monday, June 5, 2-3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 19 & Monday, May 22, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday-Thursday, May 30-June 1, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 9 & Monday, June 5, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, May 9 & Monday, June 5, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. & noon-1:30 p.m.
Monday, June 5, noon-1:30 p.m. & 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Garden tuteurs, garden obelisk, or trellis—no matter what term you're familiar with, this creative pyramidal structure supports edible or ornamental vines. These practical features add vertical interest and provide visible textural contrast, line, and structure to a garden. Join us just in time to support seasonal vines and make your own rustic wooden tuteur to add to your garden space. Instructor and CMBG Horticulturist, Kelsie Birney, will provide all needed supplies and lead students through the constructing process. Please bring your own gloves, clippers, and battery-operated or cord drill, if you have one handy. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Water-wise gardening is another way of referring to designing with water in mind, especially relevant to drought conditions. Water-wise container gardens lend themselves to an exotic and creative assortment of annuals or perennials like succulents, alpines, and plants with fuzzy leaves, leathery-glossy leaves, or those with varied color- and textural characteristics. Join Gardens Horticulturist Jen Dunlap for this creative workshop and make your own drought-tolerant container garden. Students are encouraged to bring their own clippers, apron, and garden gloves. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Water gardens are growing in popularity for a number of reasons: to attract wildlife like birds and butterflies, to add a melodic sound feature, to contribute light reflection, to offer a place for personal respite, and to cool down a garden space. Water gardens that incorporate unique and lush plants add bold shapes, forms, colors, defined lines, and textures to a garden space. In class, students will make and take home a small water garden container filled with personally selected plants supplied by the Gardens. We'll talk about the wide variety of plant options, materials, and different kinds of water garden designs. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Wednesday-Friday, August 16-18, 9:30-a.m.-3:30 p.m.
