Drawing and Painting Spring Bulbs

Spring into a new artistic skill! What better way to learn to draw and paint than by observing the spring bulbs popping up in your garden? In this online class, you'll learn how to study and dissect flowers, practice drawing delicate petals, and capture the essence of their unique structures. Discover key identifying characteristics such as petal count, stamen arrangement, flower shape, and color mixing. Receive positive, helpful feedback on your work in a supportive live zoom environment, and immerse yourself in the beauty of spring flowers. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

Learn More
Location: Online
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $220 / $260
Sign Up

Fundamentals of Botany

A core understanding of plant biology will open up the world of plants for any gardener. Through discussion, lecture, and hands-on lab work, this hybrid class begins with basic plant anatomy, exploring how every aspect of the organism works together to sustain photosynthesis, respiration, and water and mineral uptake. Class Level: Intermediate.

Learn More
Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Bryan Peterson
Price: $140 / $175
Sign Up

Garden Design: Final Plan to Fruition

A comprehensive drawn plan enables designers to understand the scope and requirements of implementing a new garden. In this final session of the Garden Design: 8-Part Series, we focus on the final steps of the design process from paper to building and enjoyment. After a brief recap of the design process, we'll address how to merge layers of information that are essential to communicating the design. Through lecture and group collaboration, students will present their design projects and exchange constructive feedback. We'll explore sustainable means for making the design come to fruition, including developing a budget, material selection and procurement, identifying the manual and mechanical installation processes, and creating a garden management plan. Students should come with a design project they've been working on, no matter the stage. Class Level: Intermediate

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Multiple Instructors
Price: $60 / $75
Sign Up

Forest Therapy Walk & Tea: Spring (Sold Out)

This class is sold out, but please click "Learn More" to join our waitlist. | 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, certified guide in the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or 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.

Learn More
Location: Timber Frame
Instructor: Susan Bickford
Price: $15 / $36

Orientation Certificate in Botanical Arts

Join Arts and Exhibits Coordinator Caroline Clare Davis for this online Orientation for our Certificate in Botanical Arts program.
Learn about the requirements to achieve your goal of earning your Certificate and find out about the exciting new classes offered in 2025.

Location: Online
Instructor: Caroline Davis
Price: $25
Sign Up

Member Photography Club

Every other Thursday. Last day Oct 9

Join fellow members for two glorious hours of morning light before the gates open to the general public. Held every other Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., we meet in the Cafe and venture out to capture flora and fauna. Every year, we exhibit the fruits of the group's artistic labor with a display on campus. This opportunity is exclusively available to Coastal Maine Botanical members.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Caroline Davis
Price: $35
Sign Up

Signs of the Season Training

Co-hosted with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Maine Sea Grant will offer in-person volunteer training for the Signs of the Seasons citizen science program. Participants will learn about the goals of the program, learn how to make scientific observations of phenology (the study of cyclic and seasonal changes of plants and animals), practice making phenology observations on the grounds of the Gardens, and leave with the tools and knowledge needed to set up their own site to observe and record changes in phenology in their own yard or community. Questions about this opportunity may be directed to Beth Bisson at beth.bisson@maine.edu or Keri Kaczor at keri.kaczor@maine.edu. The training is free, but registration is required. Click here for the link to register.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay

Proper Planting: Plants & Practices

Strengthen your gardening skills with a focus on best planting practices in this in-person workshop and demonstration. We'll demonstrate how and when to sow seed, plant bare-root plants, and how to transplant both young potted seedlings and much larger, more mature specimens. You'll leave feeling informed about effective planting, including seasonal timing, rootbound plants, planting materials, and proper tools. Class level: all.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Catherine Kaczor
Price: $32 / $40
Sign Up

Creating a Traditional Botanical Dissection Plate

Combining botany, design, and illustration, students will have the opportunity to create an artful botanical dissection plate during this two-day workshop. Botanical dissection plates have been around since the invention of the microscope and are realistic educational illustrations of plant anatomy. Participants will learn valuable techniques used by science illustrators, such as field sketching, plant dissection, and drawing from magnified plant specimens. Students will also learn how to use color and design to create eye-catching compositions. The workshop will take place both in the gardens and the classroom, where students will learn how to translate their knowledge into creative and visually appealing illustrations. This workshop will take a loose and artful approach to this typically technical and time-consuming process. All levels are welcome. Class appropriate to teens 14+.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Joy Grannis
Price: $235 / $325
Sign Up

Trees of Maine: ID, Ecology & Management

Start summer early with this field-study class investigating our northeastern forests and learning more about their fragile ecosystems. Maine consists of a variety of climate conditions that host an assortment of deciduous and coniferous species valuable to thousands of living organisms. We'll discuss individual tree species, their ecological roles, and management practices that support the health of the living matrix. Class Level: all.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Jared Gregory
Price: $15 / $34
Sign Up

Selecting Native Herbaceous Plants

Native plant expert Dan Jaffe-Wilder will present a three-part series that introduces students to various native perennials for garden settings. The course will include two online presentations in May and August and an in-person fieldwork day in July. Through the series, we will discuss plant selection, considering location, application, cultivation variables, ecological role, aesthetics, propagation, and proper plant procurement. Class Level: Intermediate to Advanced.

Learn More
Location: Online & Bosarge Family Education Center
Instructor: Dan Jaffe-Wilder
Price: $155 / $190
Sign Up