The Maine School Garden Network (MSGN) announces that registration is open for their annual meeting held at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Friday, Nov. 6 from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Although this event is a no cost event, those interested in attending are asked to register by Oct. 31.

This year’s theme, “Where Beauty Meets Purpose: Cultivating Resilient Ornamental Gardens for
the Next Generation,” celebrates how every school garden (and each moment spent with students outdoors) contributes to a statewide effort to engage the next generation in learning about plants and gardening.

Annual Meeting Agenda:

● 2 p.m.: Guest Arrival, light snacks

● 2:30 p.m.: Tour of the new Ledge and Meadow Garden

● 3:45 p.m.: Little World and Big Lessons: Succulent Terrariums in the Classroom

● 5 p.m.: Potluck dinner and Educator Advisory Group (EAG) meet-up. Guests are invited to bring a dish

● 5:40 p.m.: Highlights from the Year: Annual Report

● 6:15 p.m.: Amazing door prizes and goodbyes

Workshop Descriptions

1. Garden Tour: New Ledge and Meadow Garden: We will discuss the organization's experience re-designing an aging garden and the successes and learning areas of working on such a large project with garden history, working with landscape architects, building meaningful collections, construction, and plant health. Presenter: Delaney Pitman. Pitman has her bachelor's degree in environmental biology and ecology from Western Colorado University where she discovered her passion for plants and the importance of conservation. She had done vegetation monitoring and invasive species research with the Bureau of Land Management, before focusing more on the horticultural side of plants by attending the New York Botanical Garden's School of Professional Horticulture. After two years at NYBG, she began working at CMBG as a horticulturist. She later took on the role of conservation specialist, working with the PSC Department to grow wild collected seeds for our living collections and for in-situ population augmentation.

2. Little World and Big Lessons: Succulent Terrariums in the Classroom. Discover how succulents can bring hands-on learning to life! In this interactive session, participants will learn about succulents and their unique growing needs, explore ways to integrate succulent cultivation and care into classroom lessons, and create their own mini succulent terrarium to take home. Come grow a little world while discovering the big learning opportunities plants can offer! Presenters: Beth Jarvis and Erika Huber. Huber is the youth education manager at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens where she has worked since 2012. She holds a B.S. in forestry from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master's in horticulture from Kansas State University. She started working in the field of environmental education over 20 years ago and has been fortunate to continue connecting children with nature since that time, through school, community and public garden programming. Jarvis has been educating children about the natural world for more than 20 years. Though a majority of that time was spent as a classroom teacher, she is now a uouth and family programs educator at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. There she utilizes her classroom experience to lead the summer camp programming and to facilitate and support natural history and gardening education at the local schools.

Following the workshops there is a potluck dinner, the Year in Review plus door prizes from some of our supporters such as Coast of Maine, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, the Outdoor Learning Store, Skillins Greenhouses, Longfellow Greenhouse, Wood Prairie Family Farm, Seed Money, Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, Wild Seed Project, MSGN and more!

Want to know more?

● View our 5-minute videi! YouTube Channel: Maine School Garden Network.
● Check out our website for events and resources at msgn.org
● Read timely announcements on our Facebook page
● Sign up for our monthly newsletter and read past newsletters.
● School gardens can join the Garden Directory and receive our Welcome Packet!