WHY I LOVE ME, 30

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Photo: Deb

Let's see....today is the 25th of June. The last time the sun was out here was sometime around June 1oth. I think. It's a little hard to love ME right now, but I'm going to try to ignore the mold on the dog, the bath towels that never dry, the now black geraniums in the garden, and the drowned rat look my hair has taken on these past few weeks just to make you all happy. The things I do for you.

Sorry. We're all a little testy here in the Rain Every Day State these days. Time to suck it up and get on with this. This week's WILM is about a definite feel-good, bring a smile to your face and peace in your heart kind of place. Let me introduce you to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine.

Slated to become a residential subdivision, a 128 acre parcel of land with frontage on the Back River was purchased in 1995 by a group of individuals dedicated to creating a botanical garden, several of whom put their homes up as collateral to come up with the money. Imagine that. Private foundations, corporations and government grants along with the Pine Tree Conservation Society donating an additional 120 acres, have made the CMBG the largest botanical garden in New England. Cool, huh?

This is not your average botanical garden. The setting alone sets it apart from all others. It sits high above Back River with massive ledges, a centuries old stone wall, forests, tall pines and numerous winding paths descending to the river's edge. There are 11 different garden areas throughout the site. If walking the 128 acres is too much for you wusses, there are several golf cart shuttles that run along the main pathways, happy to stop and give you a lift.

The CMBG also has what's called Fairy House Village. Seems like there are a lot of fairy villages here in Maine. Ever been to the town of Ogunquit? That's an adventure. Elton John aside, the CMBG Fairy House Village is the George Michael training grounds for children where they can build fairy houses out of whatever material they can find in the area. Heavy sigh. Whatever happened to hop scotch and jump rope?

There is a meditation garden to bring out the zen in you, a hillside garden that's on...a hill, a kitchen garden filled with herbs, spices and veggies, a woodland garden with woods and many others that you can take your time strolling through. The CMBG visitor center is a beautiful building. There you will find the Kitchen Garden Cafe (hmm....I wonder where they get their produce from), a gift shop and a library.

Art at the Gardens is a program featuring the works of artists displayed throughout the gardens and in the Visitor Center. Mr. Man and I were fortunate enough to meet watercolorist/oils artist Eric Hopkins as he was hanging some of his paintings in the lobby. Hopkins, a native Maine-ah, also studied glass blowing with Dale Chihuly, whose style is reflected in this piece displayed in the Forest Pond:


The CMBG is a great place to spend a day. Check out their extensive website to see what's currently in bloom. There are no sculpted shrubs that look like elephants. There are no formal prissy plantings. All 128 acres, even those surrounding the Visitor Center, are naturalized. The endless paths are easy to get lost in, but so what? Downhill = river, uphill = main entrance.

If you find yourself with more time on your hands, nearby Boothbay Harbor has numerous shops, whale watch tours and more shot glasses and t-shirts than you could use in a lifetime. To see the more quiet side of Maine, grab a lunch to go, ditch the tourist crap and head to East Boothbay where there are ship builders, a coastline free of condos, condos, condos and waters dotted with little pine tree islands and sailboats for as far as you can see.

Now do you love ME?

Sources:
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
My head