A collaboration with Lincoln Academy’s Eagle Term, a two-week program exposing students to a wide range of learning experiences outside traditional curricula, will see horticulturist and professional landscape designer Irene Brady Barber of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens leading a course introducing students to the principles of landscape design. In this hands-on, experiential class, students will explore the world of horticulture, landscape design and garden implementation, spending the first two weeks of the term learning practical skills in soil preparation, plant selection, planting and tending techniques as well as how to work with stone, wood, water and landscaping equipment. In the final week, students will design and implement a new garden space for the Newcastle town office. 

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will serve as an outdoor classroom where the group will gain hands-on experience in multiple horticultural techniques. Students will also take behind-the-scenes field trips to a local nursery and masonry to learn the nuts and bolts of running these businesses. 

The collaboration arose from the Gardens’ desire to stimulate positive community activity and encourage intergenerational connections and education. A former resident of Newcastle and alumna of Lincoln Academy, Barber describes the collaboration as “an opportunity to connect students to their community and utilize landscape design principles in creating public green spaces.”

Barber and the education team at the Gardens are enthusiastic about the project. “It’s my desire to encourage the students to have as much choice in the design theme as possible,” she continued.

Sarah Wills-Viega, director of Counseling and Studies at Lincoln Academy, said the class “is a wonderful opportunity for our students. It exposes them to the world of horticulture, which is something we are not able to cover in an extensive way during the traditional school year. This class has also provided Lincoln Academy with an opportunity to collaborate with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and to take advantage of a tremendous resource in our backyard. We hope that this is just the beginning of our partnership with CMBG.”

While they’re waiting to hear how much green space they’ll have the opportunity to work with, they do have town permission to design a corner plot in front of the Newcastle town office, soon to house a new city sign. “The opportunity to beautify this corner and to contribute to the design is exciting for students,” Barber remarked, “and the public is more than welcome to come participate.” Planting will take place June 6-7, noon-2:30 p.m., with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the 8th at 10:30.

That this garden will be visible for seasons to come both to passersby and to those who have business with the town helps instill a real-world gravity into the project that will no doubt inspire students with its potential, long-ranging impact. 

Barber designed the course to attract students interested in horticulture and landscape design as well as artists looking to expand their creative design capabilities. A landscape designer must, after all, have a comfortable working relationship with both the elements of art and the more linear principles of design. 

A project like this one makes learning powerful, combining hands-on tasks, observation and collaboration. Students will leave the term empowered and, as Barber hopes, “connected to community.”  
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is a nationally recognized public garden located in Boothbay, Maine. The mission of the Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections among people, plants and nature through horticulture, education and research. Its annual visitation includes guests from all fifty states and 65 foreign countries. For more information, call 207-633-8000, or visit www.MaineGardens.org.