The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine will again present Gardens Aglow Thursdays through Sundays, plus select dates, throughout their beautiful gardens, from 4 – 9 pm. Gardens Aglow is an outdoor, walking event. Weather conditions vary greatly along the Maine coast in the winter. Dress in layers and be aware of snowy and icy weather risks. Please note that parking is limited; consider carpooling with family and friends. Tickets are necessary at https://www.mainegardens.org/ Tickets must be purchased ahead of time online, and none will be sold on-site. Make sure you have them in hand (or available on your phone!) for your visit.
Adults: $23, Seniors (65+) and Veterans: $20, Children (3-17): $13, Child under 3: free. Member Adult: $18.50, Member Child: $10.50
The Arnold Arboretum is among five New England gardens hosting the 2024 annual conference of the American Public Gardens Association in Boston this summer. Public garden professionals from around the country and around the world will come together between June 24–27 to participate in the annual gathering, which is also hosted by Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Mount Auburn Cemetery, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, and The Trustees. Rooted in Resilience: A Sustainable Future for Gardens will be held at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, a block away from Boston’s famous Public Garden. Hundreds of public horticulture professionals are expected to attend for a week of professional development sessions, networking events, garden tours, and more. The 2024 Presenting Partner is the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
The 2024 Conference theme highlights Boston’s historic resilience and the city’s story of overcoming adversity and adapting to change. From playing a crucial role in the American Revolution to surviving disasters, Boston has always persevered and emerged stronger. Today, Boston demonstrates its adaptability through various sustainable initiatives, including ambitious urban forestry goals and a plan to become carbon-neutral by 2050. In Boston, resilience and social justice are intertwined, driving the city’s commitment to building a sustainable and equitable society.
The conference theme showcases the parallel between Boston’s remarkable resilience and the concept of sustainability within the realm of gardens. Public gardens play a vital role in promoting sustainable practices and empowering the next generation of environmental stewards. Through a range of green initiatives, including sustainable horticultural practices, educational programs, and community engagement, public gardens are building stronger communities, promoting access to green spaces, and connecting people with nature.
Participants will enjoy over 80 professional development sessions and workshops in five Specialty Tracks—Education and Science, Garden Management, Horticulture, Plant Collections and Conservation, and Public Engagement—in addition to tours of local public gardens, professional workshops, and special events at the host gardens.
Registration is now. Non-member registration is available for $100 more than the member rate. Two- and One-Day registration options are available.Visit the APGA website for more information.
The New England Botanical Club will hold its next meeting on Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Non-members may register for the meeting access link here. William Cullina will speak on Public Gardens in Today’s World.
William Cullina is the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. For eleven years prior, Bill was at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, as Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator and then as President and CEO. Cullina holds degrees in plant science and psychology; he has been working in public horticulture for 25 years. He has extensive experience in horticultural and forestry research and commercial nursery production, including, I’m sure you will remember, at The New England Wild Flower Society, now the Native Plants Trust.
A well-known author and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, andUnderstanding Perennials. Bill Cullina will discuss the increasingly critical role that public gardens play in American society. He will consider biophilia: the affinity of human beings for other life forms and what this means for public gardens. He will also reflect on ways that gardens provide accessibility, improve physical and mental health, engage in critical research, and provide space for quiet joy and transcendence.
Public gardens from different regions across the US share the perennials that make them stop and go “WOWSA!” Summer perennials will be shown in gorgeous combinations and unique landscapes while discussed by horticultural leaders from around the country. You just might be surprised what plants they are loving right now. Join us and prepare to be awestruck!
Presenters include:
Amanda Bennett, Atlanta Botanical Garden
Richie Steffen, Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden
Kelly Norris, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
Andy Brand, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Mary Tipping, The Scott Arboretum
This August 19 webinar is sponsored by the Perennial Plant Association , begins at 3 pm, and is $15 for PPA members, $45 for nonmembers. The event will be followed by a virtual happy hour from 5 – 5:45, $10 for PPA members, $20 for nonmembers. One must register for the webinar in order to register for the happy hour. Register at www.perennialplant.org.
This one day Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Saturday, March 17 from 10 – 4 will focus on Barry Van Dusen’s recent residency with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. For the past two years, Barry has been traveling around Massachusetts, creating paintings and drawings at Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. Barry will show a selection of the more 130 watercolors he has produced for the project and share his residency sketchbooks. You’ll learn about how the artist uses optics in the field, and how he organizes his art materials for efficient fieldwork. He’ll discuss the approaches he uses to create artwork on location and in his studio. Barry will lead students through basic drawing, tone and color exercises to help them get started with creating their own record of outdoor observations.
PLEASE NOTE: A MATERIALS LIST WILL BE SENT UPON REGISTRATION. $95 for Tower Hill members, $110 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
Barry W. Van Dusen is an internationally recognized and award-winning wildlife artist living in central Massachusetts. Barry’s illustrations and paintings have appeared in many publications and books. In recent years Barry has been Artist-in-Residence at Fruitlands Museums, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and Mass Audubon. See more of the artist’s work at www.barryvandusen.com
DAY 1: Come and join Tower Hill Botanic Garden for our visit to the charming Maine Coast, August 1 – 3! Our first stop is a visit to the very beautiful Fuller Gardens an elegant 1938 formal estate designed by the Olmsted Brothers. This ‘Seaside Gem’ features hundreds of varieties of gorgeous roses, English perennial border, Japanese garden framing a pond and more. Now we continue along the coast with a lunch stop en route, to arrive at Boothbay Harbor to spend 2 nights at the Boothbay Harbor Inn located right on the Harbor, near the footbridge. Enjoy lovely rooms and fabulous views. Welcome Dinner in the Inn’s waterfront restaurant.
DAY 2: This morning we’ll have breakfast before visiting the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, a natural wonder on 250 acres of shorefront in mid-coast Maine. Join our garden docents for a Guided Walking Tour as we stroll through spectacular ornamental gardens, waterfront and woodland trails. Visitors are delighted by the beautiful plantings, impressive stonework, waterfalls, fountains, and scenic views. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the charming village of Boothbay with its wonderful shops, crafts and exciting harbor front. Farewell lobster dinner at McSeagull’s Restaurant.
DAY 3: We say goodbye to our friends in Boothbay Harbor and head to Portsmouth, NH. It’s time to explore four centuries of American History through the eyes of the people who lived in New Hampshire’s oldest waterfront neighborhood, Strawbery Banke. Here you can see 40 buildings – most on their original sites – spanning the late 1600s to the mid-1950s. From the spare storefronts of colonial merchants, the elegant Georgian-style mansion of Governor Goodwin, the humble dwellings of early Jewish immigrants, the penny candy counter of the WWII-era Abbott Store, Strawbery Banke tells the stories of a neighborhood over time. We head home with memories of our Maine Coast trip.
Member $599, Non-member $659 pp double / triple, $110 single supplement, $200 deposit
Includes: Deluxe Motor Coach, 2 nights hotel, 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners, sightseeing & admissions – final payment due 6/20/17. If a passenger cancels from deposit to June 20, 2017 fee of $100 pp; June 21 to July 17, 2017 fee of $350 pp; no refunds if cancelled on July 18, 2017 or later unless a substitute is provided. Trip Protection Coverage is strongly recommended. To register visit https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—coastal-maine-garden-trip
Designing and cultivating a garden creates opportunity for artistry, style, and creativity. On June 26 from 9:30 – 3:30, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens welcomes three innovative landscape designers and garden writers who embrace and emphasize art and creativity in design. Join us for an inspiring day that will help you learn to unleash your own artistry and style to create beautiful garden spaces. Lectures topics and speakers will be Express Yourself: Cultivating Garden Style with Rochelle Greayer; The Art of Growing Food: Elevating Ordinary to Extraordinary with Ellen Ogden; and Creating the Places of Beauty and Meaning with Julie Moir Messervy.
$85 for CMBG members, $100 for nonmembers, which includes continental breakfast, box lunch, and Gardens admission. Register online at https://reservations.mainegardens.org/Policies.aspx or call 207-633-4333.
This year’s American Horticultural Society trip to the picturesque eastern coast of Maine is an exclusive opportunity for members of the AHS President’s Council to enjoy four days and three nights at the scenic Spruce Point Inn Resort & Spa in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The resort, built in the late 1880’s, boasts 57 acres of woodland overlooking a stretch of Maine oceanfront. A highlight of the trip will be a visit to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for a private lunch and tour with Bill Cullina, executive director of the garden, as well as the with the gardens’ horticultural team. Opened in 2007, the garden is situated on 270 acres of tidal shoreline in Boothbay, a coastal town established in 1764. Visits to some of the area’s exemplary private gardens will make up a significant portion of the schedule as well. For information on how to become a member of the President’s Council, and to obtain a trip itinerary, send an email to development@ahs.org.
Experience a photo tour of this fabulous plant paradise in Boothbay, Maine, with garden designer and Wellesley College Botanic Garden Friends docent Maureen Bovet on Wednesday, April 16, at 1 pm. Maureen returns to this garden by the sea as often as possible. Opened in 2007 after 16 years of planning, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens offers visitors stunning beauty and intimate experiences as it enhances the botanical heritage and natural landscapes of its 250 acres in coastal Maine. CMGB Director Bill Cullina describes it best with the subtitle of his book about the garden: “A People’s Garden.” Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens – free; nonmembers $10. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu. Image below from the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s favorite photographer Rich Pomerantz.
The Annual Meeting of The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America will take place Wednesday, October 16 beginning with coffee and registration at 10:30 am, and the meeting at 11 am at The Country Club in Brookline. We are fortunate to have as our keynote speaker Bill Cullina, Bill is the Executive Director at one of North America’s newest and most exciting public gardens, The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. Bill’s topic is Sugar, Sex and Poison: Shocking Plant Secrets Caught on Camera: The world of pollen, poisons, pigments, pheromones, sugars and sex, and how they translate into sound into sound organic gardening practices.
A well known author and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and most recently, Understanding Perennials, published in 2009. Members of The Boston Committee clubs will receive invitations by email. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive car pool notices in the mail. If you are not a member but wish to attend, please email info@bostoncommittee.org.
