Sowing and Growing Cut Flowers

Perhaps you love to cut and arrange flowers from your garden, but have you considered growing them from seed? In this class, you'll learn how to grow your favorites and new varieties from seed, including annuals, biennials, and perennials, from cut-flower grower and aficionado Courtney Locke. As the grower, you'll get to nurture and manage the quality of your plants and save money. Plants grown from seed acclimate to your garden better than those grown elsewhere. Class Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Location: Online
Instructor: Courtney Locke
Price: $15 / $36

Introduction to Kitchen Garden Design

In this two-part online class, we will introduce, review, and practice the art of kitchen garden design. Kitchen garden designer, grower, and author Ellen Ecker-Ogden will feature several designs and concepts to inspire you, then explain cultural considerations, artful elements, and plant selection.

Learn More
Location: Online
Instructor: Ellen Ecker Ogden
Price: $22 / $48

Sowing and Growing Vegetables and Herbs

Growing from seed is enormously rewarding, especially when you're growing for the best flavors and nutrition. This two-part online class will give you the knowledge and confidence to successfully grow an assortment of vegetables and herbs from seed, whether growing on a windowsill, under grow lights, in a hobby greenhouse, or directly in the garden soil. Class Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Learn More
Location: Online
Instructor: John Fromer
Price: $20 / $46

Forest Therapy Walk & Tea: Spring

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

DIY Garden Mobiles Family Program (Ages 8+)

Fun for the whole family with our mobile art class. Explore the natural world by creating a garden mobile from recycled and natural objects supplied by the Gardens. These eye-catching mobiles can add whimsy and natural music to any garden as they catch the wind. Students are welcome to bring their own found, repurposed, or natural objects like driftwood, to incorporate into their garden mobiles. Parents/Caregivers/Grandparents are encouraged to work with their child to craft a mobile together. Scholarships are available for families with a financial need. To request an application, please email Erika Huber at ehuber@mainegardens.org.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Caroline Davis
Price: $30 / $40

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

Wearable Art Using Fresh Flowers

Join floral design team, Mimi and Mum, for this fun two-day weekend workshop on wearable floral art. Learn how to make stunning wristlets, head wreaths, and body jewelry from fresh flowers and foliage. Students will utilize some preserved and dried florals to create an everlasting wearable lapel art or headpiece. All levels are welcome. Class appropriate to teens 14+.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Multiple Instructors
Price: $125 / $215

Painting the Garden with Collage (Ages 9-14)

In this lively workshop, we'll play with color and patterns to represent symbiosis in the natural world. Students will tell a visual story of the interrelationships between plants, animals and their environment through the layering of materials, both handmade and found, combined with paint and pastels. Students will learn how to create botanical prints, an accordion book, and will be encouraged to make daily observations of the Gardens in a sketchbook. Scholarships are available for families with financial need.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mary Beth Morrison
Price: $170 / $210

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+.

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

Family Medicinal Plant Walk (Ages 8+)

Ancient Egyptians used willow and myrtle to treat pain and fevers, and Mayans used the papaya tree for many herbal remedies. Plants have been used as medicine since our existence, and have inspired many modern-day medicines. In this session, participants will explore and sample plants in our gardens and surrounding woodlands that can be used for medical treatment for colds, upset stomachs, stress, anxiety, and so much more. The session will end by sampling a few herbal iced teas that participants can recreate at home or be inspired to create their own with their new knowledge. Scholarships are available for families with a financial need.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Cristina Pellegrini
Price: $10 / $15

Rhyme Crimes: Bugs, Poetry, and Nature Observations (Ages 9-14)

Join us for an immersive insect-themed poetry workshop for ages 9-14 with Wolastoqiyik writer and artist Mihku Paul. Students will get a unique look into the lives of insects and draw inspiration for poetry from a special visit to the Caterpillar Lab living exhibit. Through observations in the garden with our entomologist, participants will document the insects they encounter, collecting ideas and sketches that will become the basis for writing a poem or prose. Examples and templates will be provided to support the work. Participants will also be introduced to the Indigenous perspective on nature and learn some Passamaquoddy vocabulary as part of the instruction. Scholarships are available for families with a financial need.

Learn More
Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mihku Paul
Price: $36 / $45

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.

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