August is prime time in the Maine gardens that meet the sea. For those with a small or larger boat, including sea kayaks, you are welcome to arrive at The Landing, a dock that is new to CMBG this summer. Full boating details are available on our website where you will also find a comprehensive calendar of current and upcoming exhibits, classes and events: www.mainegardens.org.

 Local flowers, fruits and foods

If you appreciate the "slow food" movement and benefits of gardening, shopping and eating local as part of a healthier lifestyle and diet, then you may enjoy learning about "slow flowers." On Sept. 4, Diane Walden, CMBG horticulturist and floral and landscape designer, will describe how the slow flower movement is changing the way we select and use cut flowers. Learn to design and grow your own nectar niches and flower pockets; birds and bees will thank you. Reservations required.

Join Melissa Cullina, director of education and staff botanist, on Sept. 10 for a fun and easy hike in “Fruits and Flowers of the Fall” to study the beautiful September flowers at the Boothbay Region Land Trust's Zak Preserve. While examining and naming the fall blooms, Melissa will show how they are pollinated by animals, wind or water. There is no charge for this program. To register, call BRLT at 207-633-4818.

Fall gardening for adults

We have several interesting programs coming up this fall, including “Create an Elegant Terrarium” on Sept. 5, where participants will design and construct their own miniature, low-maintenance green oasis. One can be simple or complex and makes a lovely gift or to keep for yourself. Reservations required.

On Sept. 18, we will welcome lichenologist Dr. Stephen Selva to hear about “Distinctive Lichens of Coastal Maine.” Reservations required.

Mark your calendar for an informative visit from mycologist Greg Marley on Oct. 2 for “Common Mushrooms of Coastal Maine Botanical Garden.” Reservations required.

Art in the Gardens

Visit with botanical artists Trish Worthen and Sharon Jeffery on Sept. 6 in the Bosarge Family Education Center, as they demonstrate the exacting process of rendering plant forms, balancing both scientific and artistic considerations. This learning opportunity is made possible by the New England Society of Botanical Artists (NESBA) as part of their exhibit “From the Mountains to the Sea,” on display here now until Sept. 30.

Stop in the Resource Room of the Visitor Center for the 2014 CMBG Photo Club’s “Pollinators in the Gardens” exhibit and stroll through the gardens to be delighted by June LaCombe’s “Pollinators” outdoor sculpture exhibit and how it’s woven into the gardens. You’ll also discover the newest addition to our permanent collection, the “Codather,” a spectacular bronze sculpture generously given to the Gardens by Tish and Seabury Stoneburner. Look for it on the Shoreland Trail during your next visit. Please stop by the Story Barn in our Children’s Garden too and discover the artistic ways Boothbay peninsula school students interpreted pollinators.

Photography gurus in the Gardens

Hone your DSLR skills with Maine photography guru Rob Smith on Sept. 2, 8:30-9:30 a.m. or with CMBG executive director and guru Bill Cullina on Sept. 16, 7:30-8:30 a.m. Your own equipment and reservations are required.

Kitchen Garden Café

Please join us at 4 p.m. on Sept. 7 in the Kitchen Garden Café for our annual End of Season Tea, a delightful afternoon tea surrounded by the beauty of the gardens. You’ll be treated to freshly baked scones, Devonshire cream with jam, tea sandwiches, sweets, and individual pots of perfectly brewed tea. Reservations required.

Make your reservations now for a gourmet dinner with executive chef Richard Hanson of Cleonice Mediterranean Bistro in Ellsworth at our Kitchen Garden Café on Sept. 24. Hanson is known for presenting the cuisine of the Mediterranean prepared from the finest local ingredients. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. Reservations are required.

Fairy and fall festivities for children

Join the festivities on our final Fairy Friday on Aug. 29, including Fairy Stories, Fairy Puppet Theater, Fairy Yoga, Sugar Plum Fairy Dancing, Great Bubble Machine, Chicken Feeding and a Flower Fairy Walk. The Gardens Gift Shop has a fully stocked fairy shop with wings, jewelry, books and kits and fairy dust.

Beginning Sept. 6 we will offer Children’s Garden Weekend Activities on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 26 with all the favorite activities, including Storytime, Garden Puppet Theater, Chicken Feeding and Nature Investigations.

Pizza and cider Sundays

What better place for a pizza party than a pizza garden? Join us in the Seagull Pavilion on September 20 as we partake in the bounty of the season here and harvest the toppings we need to make a spectacular homemade pizza. We'll learn about the pollinators who helped make our pizza possible and even plant a pizza herb container garden to take home.

Another delicious activity in September will be apple cider pressing on one of our Cider Sundays in the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden: Sept. 21 and 28, and Oct. 5 and 12. Cider pressing is included in the regular Gardens admission on Cider Sundays, and no reservations are needed.

For more, visit www.mainegardens.org.