Map of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, 2023The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, May 2015
The gardens have been named one of Maine's top attractions.[3][4][5][6][7] Its gardens and landscape include nearly a mile of tidewater shoreline.
After 16 years of planning, planting, and building, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens opened on June 13, 2007. This project began in 1991 when a group of Maine residents founded the grassroots organization. In 1996, after a thorough search for an appropriate site, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens purchased 128 acres (52ha) of land with 3,600 feet (1,100m) of tidal shore frontage in Boothbay.
Today, as the largest botanical garden in New England, the gardens comprise 295 acres (119ha), 17 of which are gardens featuring native plants of Maine and other plants suited to northern coastal conditions. Yearly, the gardens see on average 200,000 guests from throughout the United States and (in 2018) 63 foreign countries.[2]
Gardens and grounds
The Giles Rhododendron Garden is located a third of a mile from the central gardens and features more than a thousand rhododendrons and related shrubs as well as a spring bulb display. Garden designed by landscape architect Bruce John Riddell.[8]
The Haney Hillside Garden opened in 2006, but the Patriot's Day Storm of 2007 brought down dozens of mature evergreens. The garden was completely renovated in 2010–11. Six thousand native plants were installed in the upper areas while the lower areas near the shoreline rely primarily on editing of the natural vegetation.[9] Haney Hillside Garden was designed by landscape architect Bruce John Riddell[8] and features three terraces linking 1,000 feet of switchback paths. A water terrace is followed by a moss terrace, and a final terrace featuring a glass orb by New York sculptor Henry Richardson.
The Lerner Garden of the Five Senses opened in 2009.[10] Designed by landscape architect Herb Schaal, it's less than an acre in size with winding paths and changing elevation. The paths circle around and through five distinct regions designed to emphasize each of the senses. The garden also features several designs to facilitate its use by physically challenged guests, including brick paving with continuous striker stone bordering the path to help the visually impaired navigate the garden, while providing a smooth, hard surface and gentle slope for wheeled mobility aids.[11]
In July 2010, the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden opened.[12] It encompasses two acres of woods, ponds, and theme gardens inspired by well-known children's books by Maine authors, including Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee (Chris Van Dusen), Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man and Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey), Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White), and The Stone Wall Dragon (Rochelle Draper), among others.[12] Designed by landscape architect Herb Schall, the garden is divided into a series of separate spaces, each with its own identity and focus. Attractions include a learning garden, chicken coop, old-fashioned hand pump for water, a terrace planted with a rainbow of flowers, story barn, play cottage, small pond, treehouse, and maze lawn inspired by an English design.[12] The area down the Back Woods, below the treehouse, where children will find a Bear Cave, an art table, a mud kitchen, and musical instruments inspires nature play.
July, 2011, the Bosarge Family Education Center opened – a LEED Platinum structure and the greenest public building in Maine, planned to achieve net-zero-energy status. This building was awarded the 2013 Zero Net Energy Building Award by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA). Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering firm, served as the project's green building consultant.[13] Designed by Maclay Architects of Waitsfield, Vermont, and Scott Simons Architects of Portland, Maine.
The Great Lawn was inspired by the nineteenth-century landscape parks. One of its most distinctive features is Whale Rock, a massive formation of Bucksport schist that rises out of the grass at the southern edge of the lawn. This area also features Founders Grove, a planting of seven narrow pin oaks, blueberries, and grasses commissioned to honor the founders of the Gardens.[8] The Lawn, organically maintained, is for visitors to walk, play, and picnic on.
The Arbor Garden is an informal twist on formal rose gardens of European botanical gardens. The focal point of the garden is a large post-and-beam arbor made from Douglas fir. Climbing roses, native wisteria, clematis, ornamental grapes, and honeysuckle drape the structure in foliage and flowers. Vigorous, disease-resistant shrub roses suited to the cool, coastal climate surround the arbor.
The Vayo Meditation Garden is a meditative garden. A large basin carved by Plymouth, Maine, sculptor David Holmes from a soapstone-like rock called Ellsworth schist, is the focal point of the garden.
Cleaver Event Lawn & Garden was designed to help build a research collection of certain plants, including kousa dogwood (Benthamidia japonica) and dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Ogon’). Adjacent is a smaller oval of turf featuring a fieldstone terrace bordering moss-covered outcrops. The woodland area to its north showcases a dozen species of native mosses and companion plants.
The Native Butterfly and Moth House opened June 1, 2018. The 2,160 square-foot hoop house features a planting scheme dedicated to supporting the entire life cycle of moths and butterflies native to Maine and New England.
Birk, one of the five trolls found at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Slater Forest Pond was built in a naturally low-lying area well-suited to a small pond. The pond, excavated, lined, and replanted with native shrubs, trees, and pond plants in 2006,[8] is filled with frogs and aquatic insects.
Notable exhibits
In 2021, Guardians of the Seeds, by Thomas Dambo, Danish "recycle art activist", opened to the public.[14] It is the first Dambo exhibit to open in New England, and features five trolls with a theme of biodiversity and sustainability. Each troll has its own Danish name — Roskva, Birk, Gro, Lilja, Søren — and represents a different part of a tree. The tallest of the group is about 28 feet high.[14] These trolls continue the story from Thomas Dambo's trolls around the world, from China to Puerto Rico.
Expansion controversy
In February 2017, the Gardens were warned of violations found the previous month at the site during a $30-million expansion — plans for which were made public in April 2016.[1] In July 2017, the State of Maine issued a formal Notice of Violation of four federal environmental laws: the Natural Resources Protection Act, the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Law, the Protection and Improvement of Waters Act and the Site Location of Development Act.[15] On at least four occasions, a third-party inspector witnessed "instances of unclean water in protected wetlands and significant vernal pools", as well as "inadequate steps being taken to prevent erosion; and the unlicensed construction of a 'plunge pool' in a freshwater wetland area".[15]
By the end of June 2017, erosion-control measures were in place, and a restoration plan for a wetland area was in progress.[15]
The Department of Environmental Protection notice stated that sets of the contractor's construction plans for the project were never approved by the State. The constructor was Wright-Ryan Construction.[15]
The expansion included a new visitor center with gift shop along with formal gardens and trails. Parking was also expanded, with the loss of a large number of white pine trees.[15][16]
To make the expansion possible, large areas of wetlands (including 6.2 acres (2.5ha) of "critical terrestrial habitat of eight significant vernal pools") were permanently altered.[15] Executive Director William Cullina clarified that, in some cases, "permanently altered" meant "improved".[15]
The Boothbay Region Water District and a neighboring family filed separate appeals of the project. The former dropped its opposition after the Gardens revised its plans to move its septic system.[15]
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a 15-acre (6-hectare) botanical garden situated in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The gardens are located 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) south-west of Birmingham city centre at grid reference SP049854. Designed in 1829, the gardens are Grade II* listed in Historic Englands's Register of Parks and Gardens, and retain many original features and layout, which was designed by the landscape gardener and horticulturalist John Claudius Loudon. The site is notable for its range of glasshouses and gardens, which display a wide variety of plants and previously, birds. Birmingham Botanical Gardens is managed by Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society, a registered charity. The gardens are open daily to the public with paid admission.
Victoria Park is a 9-hectare (22-acre) urban park situated on the corner of Parramatta Road and City Road, Camperdown, in the City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park is located adjacent to The University of Sydney and the Broadway Shopping Centre.
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) are botanic gardens across two sites–Melbourne and Cranbourne.
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a 200-acre four season botanic garden located in Boylston, Massachusetts, approximately 10 miles (16 km) north of central Worcester in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Garden features 18 distinct garden spaces, preserved woodlands, and miles of walking trails. More than 200,000 thousand people visit New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill each year to explore gardens and conservatories that showcase diverse collections of native, ornamental, tropical, rare, and edible plants.
The Miami Beach Botanical Garden is a 2.6 acres (1.1 ha) urban green space in Miami Beach, Florida founded in 1962. It was transformed in 2011 with a $1.2 million landscape renovation designed by South Florida landscape architect Raymond Jungles. The new landscape showcases native Florida plants and trees including bromeliads, palms, cycad, orchids and many others. There is a Japanese garden, native garden and bioswale, and water gardens including ponds, fountains, and a wetland with mangrove and pond apple trees. The renovation also expanded the Great Lawn area for corporate and social events, established a plant nursery and event plaza, and enhanced the night-time lights, entrance gate, and pathways.
The Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney is a heritage-listed major 30-hectare (74-acre) botanical garden, event venue and public recreation area located at Farm Cove on the eastern fringe of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia.
The Adelaide Botanic Garden is a 51-hectare (130-acre) public garden at the north-east corner of the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Park Lands. It encompasses a fenced garden on North Terrace and behind it the Botanic Park. Work was begun on the site in 1855, with its official opening to the public on 4 October 1857.
The Oregon Garden is an 80-acre (32 ha) botanical garden and tourist attraction in Silverton, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, it is home to over 20 gardens including the Rose Garden, Children's Garden and Silverton Market Garden. It is open 365 days a year and hosts both public and private events. The land is also home to the Gordon House, Oregon's only Frank Lloyd Wright home, and The Oregon Garden Resort.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a 158-acre (64 ha) botanical garden, art museum, and outdoor sculpture park located in Grand Rapids Township, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1995, Meijer Gardens quickly established itself in the Midwest as a major cultural attraction jointly focused on horticulture and sculpture.
The Idaho Botanical Garden, located in the historic Old Penitentiary District of Boise, Idaho, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people, plants, and nature. The Garden serves as a gathering space in the Boise community and advocates environmental stewardship. Spanning 15 acres, the Idaho Botanical Garden is a premier collection of plants cultivated for the unique sagebrush steppe ecosystem of the Treasure Valley aimed at showcasing the region's biodiversity.
The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens includes botanical gardens, natural areas with trails, and several research-quality habitats and is part of the organization Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. It was established in 1907.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum is a teaching and research facility of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the site of historic research in ecological restoration. In addition to its 1,260 acres (5 km2) in Madison, Wisconsin, the Arboretum also manages 520 acres (210 ha) of remnant forests and prairies throughout Wisconsin. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021, in recognition for its role as a pioneer in the field of ecological restoration.
The University of Alberta Botanic Garden is Alberta's largest botanical garden. It was established in 1959 by the University of Alberta. It is approximately 3.1 km (1.9 mi) west of the city of Edmonton and 5.9 km (3.7 mi) north of the town of Devon, in Parkland County.
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a 66-acre (27 ha) botanical garden located at 8525 Garland Road in East Dallas, Texas, on the southeastern shore of White Rock Lake.
The Brookside Gardens are public gardens located within Wheaton Regional Park, at 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. The gardens are open daily without charge. However, certain annual events there are held that may charge a fee. The gardens hosts a "Garden of Lights" exhibit that features a light display during the holiday season.
The Arboretum at Penn State, which contains the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, is a new arboretum at Pennsylvania State University adjacent to its University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania. It is Penn State's second arboretum, joining the Arboretum at Penn State Behrend, which was created in 2003.
Simons Architects (SA) is a fifteen-person architecture, design, and planning firm located in Portland, Maine.
The Bosarge Family Education Center in Boothbay, Maine, United States is an 8,200-square-foot facility at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens built in 2011. It has attained LEED Platinum certification, the highest level that USGBC offers, and has become known as Maine's "greenest building." A 45 kW photovoltaic panel array provides 100% of the energy required to run the building. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) awarded it the 2013 Net Zero Energy Building Award. The building was designed by Scott Simons Architects of Portland, Maine and Mclay Architects of Waitsfield, Vermont.
Gleniffer Brae is a heritage-listed former residence and school and now conservatorium of music and function centre at Murphys Avenue, Keiraville, City of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Geoffrey D. Loveridge and built from 1937 to 1939 by L. Benbow in conjunction with W. W. Todd & Son (joinery), W. Wilson & Co. (bricks/tiles) and Hawkesbury Sandstone Co. (stone). It is also known as Glenifer Brae and Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. The property is owned by Wollongong City Council. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Herbert R. Schaal is an American landscape architect, educator, and firm leader notable for the broad range and diversity of his projects, including regional studies, national parks, corporate and university campuses, site planning, botanical gardens, downtowns, highways, cemeteries, and public and private gardens. Schaal is one of the first landscape architects to design children's gardens, beginning in the 1990s with Gateway Elementary, Gateway Middle, and Gateway Michael Elementary school grounds in St. Louis, Missouri, the Hershey Children's Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and Red Butte Garden and Arboretum.
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