Garden Design: Drawing from the Landscape
Whether designing a secret garden or an extensive wildflower garden, it’s critical to run an assessment of the setting—built features, where water flows, and how much sun hits the area between growing months. We'll discuss what a site assessment and inventory looks like and how sketching this information gives designers a visual diagram, providing a clearer understanding of any variables to consider. The more informed you are as a designer, the better a designer you’ll be! Students will be responsible for their own design materials, supply list available upon registration.
Orchids are amazing plants—and an engrossing indoor hobby for us northern gardeners. In this fun and enlightening class, learn from CMBG horticulturist Courtney Locke how to successfully grow orchids year-round as houseplants. With so much advice out there, it’s inevitable that confusion would arise. Learn from a true orchid grower and enthusiast, and soon you’ll be on your way to nurturing these intoxicating plants in a variety of arranged containers.
From gardening to landscape projects, the right tool makes the process easier, less strenuous, and more efficient. A chef wouldn’t use a butter knife to slice a roast, and a carpenter wouldn’t secure an inch-thick board with a half-inch nail! In this behind-the-scenes look at the CMBG horticulture staff's favorite tools, you'll learn why certain tools are appropriate for certain jobs. We’ll also discuss the more effective and ergonomic options out there—it might be time to replace that splintering, 30-year-old spade you're still using!
In this active field-study class, students ages 14-adult will learn more about our resident and migrating birds. We'll discuss identification and the New England avian lifestyle, from habitat to birds’ roles in the balance of the ecosystem and how we can better support them in the changing climate. We suggest students bring a pair of binoculars.
Rock garden and alpine plants are wonderful additions to any garden, bursting with fine details particularly suited to up-close viewing. Join us for an introduction to the wide array of rock or alpine plants, their sizes, environmental adaptations, origins, and other horticultural details. Most importantly, students will be guided through the process of planting their own miniature rock or alpine garden using a specially selected garden container they can take home. All supplies provided.
Whether you live in an apartment building, on a suburban lot, or a rural property, this class will get everyone composting! Food waste makes up 1/3 of the trash produced in the average American home, and yet there's so much we can do to prevent this from happening. From indoor vermiculture to outdoor compost bins, you can collect and convert waste into plant-growth gold. Join Don Morrison, Master Gardener and compost aficionado, to learn about the different methods, containers, and materials needed to successfully compost food waste and garden debris. Believe us—there’s a method for every lifestyle!
Put on your Sunday best, folks, because these plants are dressed to impress! They might be hard to find, hard to grow, or hard to afford, but these? You’ve gotta have ’em—CHOICE perennials that will make you the envy of your local garden club! Come join horticulturist and plant breeder Dan Robarts and explore these maddeningly limited plants—the native, exotic, wild, or advanced hybrids that will dress your gardens to the nines! Sun, shade, wet, or dry, Dan will have his thinking cap (complete with feather) on, espousing the greatness of so many wonderful horticultural selections, you’ll beg him to put a sock in it. They may be elusive, but don’t get a bee in your bonnet. Dr. Robarts will score a true hat trick, with propagation, acquisition, and cultivation tips to make these plants a reality for your gardening endeavors.
Interested in learning about the benefits of incorporating native deciduous shrubs into your garden? Or maybe you already have shrubs in your landscape and want to expand your knowledge. Either way, join Emily Baisden, entomology and native shrub aficionado, to learn about the extensive selection of native deciduous shrubs available for your garden. We’ll cover the ecosystem services provided by native shrubs, from pollinator hosts to erosion control, as well as how to select the right species for your space, taking into consideration environmental characteristics and seasonal qualities.
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.
What exactly is a specimen tree? Good question! Specimen trees are trees that fulfill specific garden design goals, such as providing focal features, provoking emotional responses, or contributing to specific themes, just to name a few. The trees can be small, large, narrow, or broad, cascading or twisted in habit, or provide foliar accents in an otherwise monochromatic setting. In this class, landscape designer and horticulturist Irene Barber will take students on a landscape-design tour around the Gardens to learn about specimen trees to consider adding to a new or existing garden back home.
This class will focus on the identification of 20 - 25 of Maine’s asters. Not only looking alike, but blooming roughly at the same time (late-summer to October) can make them a challenge to identify. Via slideshow, take a close look at our herbarium specimens, and then through field investigations, we’ll look at the features that distinguish one aster from another, becoming familiar with their respective habitats. (This class also pairs well with 
This class will focus on the identification of 10 – 15 of Maine’s goldenrods. Not only looking alike, but blooming roughly at the same time (late-summer to October) can make them a challenge to identify. Via slideshow, take a close look at our herbarium specimens, and then through field investigations, we’ll look at the features that distinguish one goldenrod from another, becoming familiar with their respective habitats. Please come with a hand lens if you have one, otherwise we’ll provide them. (This class also pairs well with 
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.
