Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is getting an autumnal makeover. As the weather cools, CMBG staff, local artists, businesses, students, organizations and individuals will grace our gardens with festive, kooky, spooky, and creatively handcrafted scarecrows, from traditional hay-filled farm stalwarts to Halloween tributes, magically repurposed and upcycled creatures to sewn-and-stuffed homages to characters from history, myth, film or literature.

Installed throughout our main campus from Oct. 1-31, this month-long exhibit will give our visitors a chance to cast a vote for their favorites. Have a creative streak? There’s still time to join Scarecrows at the Gardens — anyone can enter, and applications will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 13. Simply visit MaineGardens.org/Scarecrows and fill out the form to get started. The only limit is your imagination. Prizes include Gardens Aglow tickets and will be awarded to the “best of” and runners up, selected by our guests, in each category.

Of course, there’s more to the season than scarecrows! Once again, our horticulture team will be dotting the landscape with thousands of pounds of pumpkins, and while every season has its beauty, autumn’s fall foliage, bright blue skies and crisp, dry air lends itself to an inspired Gardens visit. Fall at the Gardens means a stunning arrangement of yellow, orange, burgundy, scarlet and brown highlighted by the fun of an unexpected scattering of scarecrows or an arrangement of rare and unusual gourds in all colors and textures.

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 50 states and 65 foreign countries.