Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
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Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, with 248 waterfront acres in the mid-coast town of Boothbay, Maine, is Maine's first and New England's largest botanical garden. With the 2007 Grand Opening Season, spectacular ornamental gardens and the new Visitor Center opened officially to the public.
The Visitor Center houses the Kitchen Garden Cafe, Gift Shop, meeting and event space, and a fine horticulture library. Gardens include the Rose & Perennial and Kitchen gardens, Forest Pond, Rhododendron & Perennial Garden, Hillside Garden, Shoreland Garden and Meditation Garden. The Fairy Village allows children to use their imagination to build homes for the wee folk of the forest without disturbing the environment.
In addition to ornamental gardens, the forested property contains a young birch tree allee avenue and two miles (3 km) of walks, trails, and drives that provide access to the gardens and the natural areas.
The Gardens are open year round and are located on Barters Island Road in Boothbay, Maine, USA. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m - 6 p.m. on weekends. On Wednesdays in July and August, the hours are extended to 8 p.m. Members receive unlimited free admssion. For non-members, admission fees are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $5 for children 5-17 years of age, and free for children under 5. There is no admission charge from January through March.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens was founded in 1991 with the idea of creating a botanical garden in mid-coast Maine. The idea became reality in 1996 when the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens board members purchased 128 acres (51.8 ha) in Boothbay. With its diverse natural ecosystems, two-thirds of a mile (1 km) of tidal waterfront on the Back River, dramatic topography, and more than 300 native plant species including hundreds of pink lady slippers already on the site, this property seemed ideal.In 2005, the Pine Tree Conservation Society donated another 120 acres (0.5 km²) to the Gardens,adjacent to the original property. This extends the area to 248 acres (1.0 km²) and the waterfront to nearly a mile.
In the next several years, the Gardens will complete two remarkable projects in the main campus around the Visitor Center. The Garden of the Five Senses and the Children's Garden and Learning Garden will enhance what Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens already offers visitors.
