During the long Memorial Day weekend, May 25 through 27, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens will be a hive of activity. Maine Days continue all three days, guests can enjoy a student art show reception on Saturday, and it’s time for the annual plant sale, plus a raffle drawing, all amidst simply gorgeous gardens.

“Branching Out,” the exhibit of artwork related to the Gardens’ Trees, Timbers and Traditions theme for 2013, will celebrate the talent and creativity of students in all five of the Boothbay peninsula’s schools. A 10 a.m. to noon reception on Saturday, May 25, will open this summer-long show in the Story Barn of the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden.

Throughout the May 25-27 weekend, all Maine residents will be admitted at no charge (with ID). This new benefit, made possible by the Acorn Foundation, is a wonderful way for people to see the vibrant colors of many thousands of spring-flowering bulbs, along with blooming shrubs and the numerous other delights of the garden.

A stop for lunch or a snack in the Kitchen Garden Café and a visit to the Gardens Gift Shop will add to guests’ enjoyment of these special days.

Anyone who gardens will want to allow additional time to browse and buy at the plant sale that’s become a valued annual tradition at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

The event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, although Saturday morning is for Gardens members only. Admission to the sale is free for everyone, and the location, in and around a tent adjacent to the Bosarge Family Education Center, is convenient for parking and loading up plants.

Among the extensive variety of robust specimens will be a good number of native plants, as well as plants propagated by the Gardens’ horticulture staff. Beautifully planted containers will also be available.

On Monday, May 27, at 3 p.m., a lucky raffle ticket holder will win “Tulipa,” an original dry-brush watercolor painting by renowned botanical illustrator Linda Heppes Funk.

Proceeds of the raffle benefit the Gardens’ Experts-In-Residence Program, in which Funk participated last year. The exquisite framed rendering of a yellow-tinged pink tulip in spring, valued at $5,800, would be a stunning addition to any art collection, and to anyhome. Raffle tickets are for sale in the Visitor Center for $10 each or 10 for $90.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is located off Barters Island Road in Boothbay. To learn more, call 207-633-4333, ext. 101, or visit www.mainegardens.org/.