Selecting Native Woody Plants

Learn about native woody plants that contribute so much to our landscapes and local biodiversity in this two-day hybrid class. Andy Brand, Director of Horticulture at the Gardens, will discuss identification, habitat, and the role woody plants play in plant reproduction and management as hosts for insects, birds, and other wildlife. You'll leave with recommendations for native species and cultivars and guidance for cultivation, landscape uses, and soil and light considerations. Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced

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Location: Online / at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Andy Brand
Price: $140 / $175
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14th Annual Ina & Lewis Heafitz Endowed Lecture Series presents From Chaos to Contentment: The Making of a Garden (Sold Out)

This class is sold out, but please click "Learn More" to join our waitlist. | Internationally recognized horticulturist Dr. Allan Armitage presents on his journey of creating a new personal garden. From years of working in horticulture and visiting hundreds of gardens globally, Dr. A, as many call him, was inspired to downsize his garden. With wisdom and empathy, Dr. Armitage will explain his difficult process of choosing the plants and combinations that meant the most to him and his family, with the ultimate goal of reducing chaos and increasing a sense of contentment. Special Presentation: All Levels

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Allan Armitage

Forest Therapy Walk and Tea: Late Summer (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, a 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 Levels: All Levels. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Susan Bickford
Price: $15 / $36

Lunch & Tour with Dr. Allan Armitage: Legends & Lore of Plants

In this intimate, informative, and entertaining garden tour, "Dr. A" will highlight Western legends in horticulture, plant nicknames, and extraordinary stories behind plant discovery, cultivation, and uses. Whether you're a new or seasoned gardener, Dr. A's stories will enlighten and clarify your curiosities about plant origins, classification, and naming. After the tour, we'll dine together in the newly renovated Cafe at the Gardens. Lunch is included in the price of the event. Class Level: All Levels

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Allan Armitage
Price: $58 / $70
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Garden Tour with Dr. Armitage: Stories of Trials & Triumphs

Join award-winning horticulturist and author Dr. Allan Armitage for an insider's perspective of breeding, cultivating, and trialing plants that millions of gardeners enjoy today. Dr. A's vibrant storytelling style and abundant knowledge of plants make any plant lover truly hear and hold onto every word. Stroll along with a fascinating, horticulturally encyclopedic narrator, and you'll learn about the trials, challenges, and successes discussed and inspired by the plants encountered, along the garden tour. Class Level: All Levels

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Allan Armitage
Price: $32 / $42
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Mosaic Botanicals and Beach Finds

Make your own small sparkling mosaic wall piece (or two) in this two-day workshop. You will be provided with a variety of pre-cut shapes. Experiment with various types of glass, ceramic tile, beads, and shells. Add dyes and glitter to your grout for added sparkly, colorful texture. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Timber Frame
Instructor: Caroline Davis
Price: $145 / $215
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Turning Garden Plants Into Houseplants

Improved air quality, aromatherapy, aesthetic interest, and emotional and edible nourishment are a few of the benefits of having houseplants. Join Brent McHale to learn about the garden plants that do best indoors, what kind of indoor conditions and considerations to be aware of, and the numerous ways to display the plants that you love outdoors, now indoors. Each student will pot and take home a young new houseplant. Class Level: All Levels. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Brent McHale
Price: $25 / $52
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Invasive Plants: Identification, Issues and Ecology (Sold Out)

This class is sold out, but please click "Learn More" to join our waitlist. | Invasive species are considered highly undesirable by botany, ecology, horticulture, and conservation professionals—and for good reason. In this three-part course, Amanda Devine, Regional Land Steward for Maine Coast Heritage Land Trust, will identify the basic ecological problems surrounding these aggressive, tenacious plants. We'll discuss the complicated, and sometimes political issues, and how a plant becomes labeled "invasive." Class Level: Intermediate-Advanced

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Location: Online / at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 132 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Amanda Devine
Price: $140 / $175

The Maine Forage: Five Days of Maine Forage Drawing with Mindy Lighthipe

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is filled with natural treasures waiting to be drawn and painted! Join Mindy Lighthipe for this fun five-day workshop as we focus on capturing wild Maine. From the beach to the woodlands, learn to draw forms and figures like shells, seaweed, woodland creatures, mushrooms and more in graphite, and then transpose into full-color illustration. On the last day, we will take all our sketches and drawings and create a coastal Maine original composition. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+. Get the best value by signing up for all five classes. For those who can't attend all five, you may sign up for individual days.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $450 / $615
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The Maine Forage: All Things Beachy in Graphite, Day 1

Bring your beach-combed treasures or borrow from our collection as we investigate shells, seaweed, crab claws, horseshoe crabs, and more through form and shading. On day one, we will draw with graphite. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $100 / $145
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The Maine Forage: All Things Beachy in Color, Day 2

Bring your beach-combed treasures or borrow from our collection as we investigate shells, seaweed, crab claws, horseshoe crabs, and more! For day two, we will draw and paint in color using colored pencils, watercolor, and gauche! Students choose their medium. All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $100 / $145
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The Maine Forage: Woodlands in Graphite, Day 3

From woodland creatures to forest floor treasures of Maine, students will study specimens and photographs and render them in graphite. We'll explore the fur textures of the red squirrel, mushrooms in leaf litter, twigs, acorns, and more! All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $100 / $145
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The Maine Forage: Woodlands in Color, Day 4

From woodland creatures to forest floor treasures of Maine, students will study specimens and photographs and render them in the color medium of their choice. Starting with graphite drawings and learning to transfer to full-color illustrations, we'll explore the fur textures of the red squirrel, mushrooms in leaf litter, twigs, acorns, and more! All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $100 / $145
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The Maine Forage: Grand Finale, Day 5

Day five is the culmination of five days of exploration through Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Combining shells, leaves, and forest friends, we'll create an original composition. Students can use the medium of their choice, either in graphite or color. All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Mindy Lighthipe
Price: $100 / $145
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Propagating Native Wetland Herbaceous Plants (Canceled)

Whether working adjacent to or amongst a wetland area, understanding specialized wetland species is vital to conservation and future growth. In this lecture and hands-on workshop, learn how to successfully propagate and grow wetland herbaceous plants, which will help sustain local provenance genetics by using locally sourced species beneficial to the environment. Students will learn how to propagate ferns, sedges, arrowheads, and more from experienced plant propagator Shawn Jalbert, owner of Native Haunts. Class Level: Advanced

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Shawn Jalbert
Price: $75 / $90

Trees of Maine: ID, Ecology and Management, Autumn

Immerse yourself in a fall woodland walk and field study celebrating our northeastern forests and learning more about their fragile ecosystems. Wabanahkik (Dawnland), the broader territory that includes the area now known as Maine, consists of a variety of climate conditions that host an assortment of deciduous and coniferous species valuable to thousands of living organisms. We will discuss individual tree species, their ecological roles, cultural values, and management practices that support the health of the living matrix.

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Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Multiple Instructors
Price: $28 / $36
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