Signs of spring continue to appear throughout the Gardens. The horticulture staff has spread the mulch, the gift shop staff has stocked the shelves, and the café staff has prepared delicious treats. And after our long, hard winter, the plants and flowers are beginning to emerge.

 Growing berries and fruits in small spaces

Growing fruits does not require an orchard or a vast field; anyone with a back yard can grow some kind of fruitful plant. Limited growing spaces can yield bountiful and easily-collected harvests. Learn to grow tree fruit and small fruit in Maine with success. Participants will learn how to select a proper site, prepare the site, select appropriate varieties for Maine conditions as well as how and when to plant and maintain the plants and harvest fruit.

This class will be held on May 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is part of the Gardening for Life series. You may attend one class or sign up for the full series. Register at www.mainegardens.org. Fees are $35/members, $42 nonmembers; series prices $160/members, $185 non-members.

Dick Brzozowzski will lead this class. He is the county agriculture educator in Cumberland County, Maine for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. His work includes a wide range of programming from consumer horticulture to sustainable agriculture.

What do bees want?

Learn to create a colorful “bee garden” that attracts and helps sustain these important pollinators. Participants will hear about new discoveries from the University of Maine’s trial gardens on the types of flowering plants most favored by our native bees.

This lecture will be held May 8 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and immediately followed by an opening reception for two educational art exhibits: “Pollination: Evolving Miracles” featuring the works of many Maine artists and “Flower Foraging: Native Bees in Maine Gardens” featuring the photography of Amy Campbell. Fees are $10/members; $12 nonmembers. There is no fee for the reception.

Conservation biologist and botanist Alison Dibble, PhD. will lead this class. She is assistant research professor at the University of Maine and runs a consulting firm, Stewards, that prepares conservation plans for agencies, farmers and land trusts. Her research interests include measures of forest biodiversity, bee pollinators, impacts of exotic plants and insects on native ecosystems, and mosses, liverworts, and lichens as indicators of forest continuity.

Mother’s Day

On Sunday, May 11, all mothers are invited to visit Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and their admission fee will be waived. More than 28,000 bulbs were planted last fall and they’re expected to peak in May. This should be quite a display! The Kitchen Garden Café is preparing a special menu and will be serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on that day.

Another way to honor Mom is to give her the gift of a Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens membership. Memberships come wrapped and ready to present. They may be ordered online at www.mainegardens.org or simply call 207-633-4333, ext. 109 (Jen), or ext. 112 (Betsy).