Opening on May 1 for the 2024 season.
Join Curator of Living Collections, Andy Brand, for a bird walk in the Gardens during the height of the spring migration. Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the Gardens’ grounds looking for our feathered friends. Please bring binoculars. All levels of experience are welcome.
This year, our latest friends the Giant Trolls have hidden the seeds of our most important tree species deep in our woods. These sculptures can only be found by visiting all five trolls—or joining us on this tour. Join Sarah Callan as she takes you on a walk to the secret seed sculptures, exploring the native trees our trolls are protecting along the way. Come learn about the history of these trees and their importance to our native ecosystems. Steeper hiking trails will be taken during this tour.
The Guardians of the Seeds are here! Vanessa Nesvig, CMBG’s Interpretation & Exhibits Program Manager, will guide us through our latest installation by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, considered the world’s leading recycled-materials artist, famous for his troll sculptures. But don’t worry—none of these trolls are lurking under our bridges!
Our shoreline is an often overlooked but beautiful aspect of the Gardens. We’ll take a close look at the wild plants adapted to daily flooding by salt water along the tidal shores of the Back River. Melissa Cullina, Director of Botanical Research and Herbarium, will join us on this tour to give us an expert look at this habitat. Steeper hiking trails and uneven shorelines are a part of this tour.
Join Curator of Living Collections, Andy Brand, for a tour of the Gardens’ insect life. Our little friends are often overlooked, but their impact is often felt! Come find out which bugs are pests and which are our friends in this fascinating tour.
Our bees are always buzzing with activity, and this year is no exception. Join us this July for a tour of our new native bee exhibit. Sarah Callan, CMBG’s Interpretation & Exhibits Educator, will walk you through our apiary and native bee exhibit, exploring our local bee populations.
Have you ever seen some wild blueberries or blackberries and just had to grab a quick snack? Berries are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak when it comes to edibles to forage in our rich forests and fields. Come along with Curator of Living Collections, Andy Brand, on this tour as we explore lesser-known edibles that grow throughout our native habitat.
Join Horticulturlist Lesley Paxson on this tour of the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses. Enjoy a leisurely stroll through one of our most beloved gardens while learning about its unique design and planting themes.
Nothing says autumn like apples. Ron Ross, CMBG volunteer and apple expert, will explain how to cultivate new varieties of apples, going into some detail about breeding for desirable traits. The tour will end with a bit of apple pressing—can you guess how many apples it takes to make one gallon of cider?
Join Director of Horticulture, Andy Brand, and Youth Programs Educator, Bridget VerVaet, for a morning tour before the Gardens opens to the public. Explore our wonderful bird population at the height of the spring migration season. Bring a sharp eye, but binoculars are recommended. All skill levels welcome.
Spring is such a wonderful time to enjoy the Gardens! Come join Horticulturist Courtney Locke on a tour of our early spring blooms and bulbs in the crisp spring air. Courtney will share her extensive knowledge and help get your gardens looking great for next spring!
Bring the family and join us as we walk the trails of the Gardens in search of the unique and mysterious pink lady slipper. We’ll discuss the fascinating biology and ecology of this delicate flower and talk about why the Gardens is lucky to be one of its protected homes. Participants will view these flowers’ complicated pollination process and stop to identify other wildflowers along the way.
We have been so lucky to have such beautiful flower arrangements over the years here at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Largely behind these works of art? Diane Walden-Rapalyea—and she’s ready to take us through the gardens, gather flowers, and share her tips and tricks. A live arrangement demo follows.
Have you discovered the trolls' hidden treasure yet? This tour’s journey will take us through several different forest ecosystems, giving us the opportunity to get to know each one as we travel toward discovering just what the trolls have been protecting. Learn what keeps these ecosystems healthy and how you can help protect them so that everyone may enjoy the natural world for years to come! Expect a moderate hike along some of our trails and wear the appropriate footwear.
Come join Irene Barber, Adult Education Program Manager, as she puts together one of the wonderful vertical gardens on display in the Lerner Garden of Five Senses. Each garden is designed using locally sourced materials. After learning some of Irene’s favorite tricks, you’ll be ready to start your own vertical gardens by the end of the tour!
We have a special love of honeybees at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Sarah Callan, Interpretation & Exhibits Educator, and Emily Baisden, Entomologist Educator, will take us on a behind-the-scenes tour of our apiary to learn about the life of our bees and what it takes to care for them. After this look inside the hive, we'll take some time to enjoy the fruits--or honey--of their labor and sample some delicious honey both from our hives and around the world! Bring your sweet tooth and get ready to learn all about the types of honey and what factors influence color and flavor.
Art is essential in life! At the Gardens, we love to show off artists, both local and from afar. Join Vanessa Nesvig, Interpretation & Exhibits Program Manager, and Caroline Davis, Art & Exhibits Coordinator, to learn the stories behind the collections at the Gardens. We hear a troll or two might even be sighted!
Becoming a member at the Gardens opens up an entire world of ways to enjoy the spaces and programming that you love. Join us for an insider’s look at the benefits of your membership, then tour the Gardens with one of our knowledgeable docents, taking in blooms and learning about our history and exciting future. Meet in the Membership Office, located in the Lerner Visitor Center through the double doors to the left of the admissions desks.
Explore the wide array of the season’s blooming dahlias! Join Courtney Locke on a tour of the Dahlia Garden. We’ll learn about the different groups and characteristics that make up this beautiful display. Courtney will also share some great tips and tricks for caring for your own dahlias at home.
Join Spencer O’Bryan, CMBG’s Science and Collections Information Coordinator, as he takes us through our Herbarium and plant collection to discover more about two aspects of the Gardens’ mission—education and research. Spencer will show us the ins and outs of plant pressing and give us a tour of the pressed plant collection. This department’s latest project has been to catalog all of our plants—come learn about the importance of this ongoing research.
Join us for a morning tour before the Gardens opens to the public. Explore our fascinating bird population at the the peak of the spring migration season. Binoculars are recommended; all skill levels welcome.
Early-spring blooms bring a burst of color and life to the landscape after a long, dormant winter, providing a beautiful (and much-needed!) reminder of renewal and growth. Expert horticulturist Courtney Locke will provide insightful and educational commentary about different species and their unique characteristics. Members will also have the chance to ask questions and engage in lively discussions about their favorite plants.
Join Horticulturist Alison Webb for a tour of our forests and learn the ecological and cultural significance of Maine's native trees, including their role in supporting wildlife, their use by Indigenous peoples, and their impact on the state's economy and tourism industry. The tour also sheds light on conservation efforts aimed at preserving the state's native tree populations. Expect some steep paths along the way, so be prepared with proper footwear!
This tour is perfect for those who want to experience the sweetness of nature. Join us and learn about native bees and their importance to our environment. After touring the Native Bee Exhibit, we’ll visit the Learning Apiary where you can observe our native bees' non-native cousins--honey bees--in action. Afterwards, we’ll taste a variety of honeys from around the world, from light to dark, sweet to savory.
The Highlights of the Hillside tour takes members on a journey through the recent redesign of this breathtaking natural space. Lon Ames, Haney Hillside Garden Horticulturist, will highlight the changes and share information about the process of redesigning a garden, including the considerations that go into selecting and arranging plants, creating appealing paths, and adding amenities for visitors.
Join Horticulturist & Lepidopteran Specialist, Alicia Miller, on a tour of the Native Butterfly House where you'll have the opportunity to observe the different stages of development of butterflies and moths and explore their habitats and host plants. This experience can offer valuable insights into the behavior and ecology of these captivating insects. So come and immerse yourself in the world of butterflies and moths, and discover the wonders of their existence.
Join Horticulturist Delaney Pitman on a members-only leisurely summer walk at the Gardens. Explore and admire the beauty of our summer annuals and learn a bit about the techniques used to maintain the health and vibrant colors of these plants. The tour offers a unique opportunity to see a variety of summer annuals up close and to ask questions or engage in discussion with our expert guide.
Join Andy Brand and Bridget VerVaet, our resident dragonfly experts, for an insider look at these fascinating insects. With Andy and Bridget's expertise, participants will learn a great deal about dragonfly behavior, habitat, and life cycle, not to mention the opportunity to observe dragonflies up close in their natural environment.
Join us for an in-depth look at the role of a curator at a botanical garden. Learn how the Gardens’ plant collections are managed and how they support our mission through educational programs, showcasing institutional heritage, facilitating research, and contributing to plant conservation efforts. Katherine Brewer, Curator of Living Collections, will discuss how two special collections, the Epimedium and Asclepias collections, are built and evaluated.
Discover the world of native edible plants on a guided tour led by Adult Education & Horticultural Therapy Program Manager, Irene Barber. Explore our beautiful gardens and learn about these edible natives, from traditional and contemporary uses to nutritional and medicinal properties. Sample some of these unique plants along the way, and engage your senses in this fun and interactive experience. We'll enjoy a tasting of refreshing, wild fruit-infused spritzers.
This members-only dahlia tour will explore both challenges and triumphs we've had over the years with these fabulous beauties. Despite facing some difficulties along the way, Horticulturist Courtney Locke persevered and was able to truly showcase the beauty of these flowers. Join Courtney and gain a deeper understanding of the process involved in growing and nurturing these magnificent blooms.
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at Gardens Aglow with designer, Brent McHale. Learn about the precise planning, process, and implementation of Aglow. We'll cover topics like creating a unique and eye-catching display and what it takes to put up and maintain the display through harsh weather.
The mission of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections among people, plants, and nature through horticulture, education, and research.
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