Choosing native plants for your landscape should be fun and creative, not daunting or complicated! When you consider plants in simple groupings, or guilds, it becomes a lot easier to design a landscape with appealing texture, color, and wildlife value throughout the seasons. Native plant guilds draw on inspiration from natural plant communities in habitats like coastal plains, forests, wetlands, or mountain tops.

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.

Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.

Whether you’re an experienced fern gardener or you’re interested in getting better acquainted, join horticulturist and Fernwood Nursery owner, Rick Sawyer, out in the Gardens to learn more about these staple Maine beauties. Ferns are truly an essential plant in any New England garden, so if you don’t already have a minimum of five different ferns, then it’s time to join us and decide what new acquisitions to make.

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!

Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.

This one-day class will cover extensive ground on the insects, diseases, and deficiencies found on plants in the landscape. Applying principles of integrated pest management (IPM), the course will help students identify, monitor, and prevent poor plant health and, when necessary, deal with treatments. State Horticulturalist Gary Fish will emphasize preventative measures and help students determine the methods to mitigate further plant-pest problems.

When selecting landscape plants, flowers tend to get most of our attention. But when flowers start to fade, what’s better than being able to shift our attention to a fabulous foliage display? There are so many options, from a variety of colors and textures to leaf shape and qualities—tiny succulent-like leaves to enormous papery-thin specimens. In this field-study class, Director of Horticulture, Andy Brand, takes students around the Gardens to see and learn all about the features of foliage and their ecological adaptations. Come ready to take pictures because we’re certain you’re about to make your next horticultural discovery, perfect for the garden or woodland.

Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.

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.

Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.

In this field-study class, Jeff O'Donal, nurseryman and conifer grower, will explore the extensive world of conifers, including native and non-native species, specimen plants and those great for naturalizing into our native landscapes. Diverse, conifers grow in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and the needle species offer so many options: variations of gold and blue, soft or coarse textures, varieties of needle lengths, deciduous or evergreen, fragrant or neutral—there’s something for every style and landscape, from gardens to containers.