New England’s largest botanical garden is reopening for the season on Thursday, boasting more programming and classes, renovations for a new plant habitat and the groundbreaking of a new horticulture center.
The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which opened in Boothbay in 2007, has drawn growing numbers of visitors to the midcoast — now more than 300,000 per year — with 300 acres of plants and grounds, as well as popular holiday light displays.
Earlier this year, the gardens announced that it will be constructing a new horticulture and plant science center. The project will include a 10,770-square-foot administrative and laboratory building, a head house, two greenhouses, a storage building, three hoop houses and several outdoor planting areas. The addition will also include a cryo-preservation seed bank.
The gardens will also offer educational classes and programs this season, including the third year of its partnership with Portland-based Indigo Arts Alliance. A June 26 symposium titled Deconstructing the Boundaries: Tending to Communities will offer a panel, workshops and the unveiling of two new art installations by Daniel Minter and Arisa White, according to a press release. The symposium will center around Black, Brown, and Indigenous relationships with the land.
Other programs will include beginner classes in succulent container gardening, advanced courses on native plants and pop-up events.
“At this time of uncertainty, we reaffirm our promise to provide a safe space for all.
Through programs like the library pass and Gardens for All, we hope to remove financial
barriers,” said the gardens’ president and CEO, Gretchen Ostherr. “We take pride in creating an
environment where every person feels a sense of belonging.”
The Gardens will be open from May 1 through Oct. 19, seven days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or in person.
Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.
