Coastal Maine Botanical..The Childrens Garden
Those who know me well are aware that I am somewhat child-phobic. My own offspring are now grown up-humans, and thrusting myself into situations where I am likely to encounter large herds of small fry is something I avoid. I make exceptions for Disneyland, because well, I love Disneyland. As a Disneyland aficionado I have a strong appreciation for well done 'pretend' environments.Last weekend after my visit to Deannes , I turned the rental car northward and headed for Boothbay Maine for a return visit to Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. My first visit was in July of 2009 , with my Idyll friends on the occasion of our annual summer get-together. At that point the garden had only been open 2 years, but had been in development since 1996. I was ready to return about ten minutes after we drove away in 2009. Since our visit there have been expansions and improvements to the gardens , among them was the Bibby and Harold Alfond Childrens Garden which opened in summer of 2010.
Though I am not an expert on children in general, I have visited many public gardens that include an area for children.. not a bad idea really, since most little kids are probably not to keen on looking at plants for 4 or 5 hours straight. This was without question the most well done children's garden I have seen anywhere , any time.Small scale buildings, play areas, colorful plants and child friendly docents.
The entry to the garden--the concrete balls on the stone pillars echo the drifts of 'Annabelle' Hydrangeas.
Semperviviums at the base of the spheres.
This is the border around the exterior boundry of the childrens garden. It was dynamite !
Inside the garden the plantings were dense and gaudy..
How about that roof?
Doesn't everyone need a kitty picket fence ?
A little kid-sized greenhouse with a few Peter Rabbit accessories.
A lake !
A sandpit !
A Big Leaf Garden
Actual little kids at the water pump
A crooked house and a barn full of toys and books...
Though I am not an expert on children in general, I have visited many public gardens that include an area for children.. not a bad idea really, since most little kids are probably not to keen on looking at plants for 4 or 5 hours straight. This was without question the most well done children's garden I have seen anywhere , any time.Small scale buildings, play areas, colorful plants and child friendly docents.
The entry to the garden--the concrete balls on the stone pillars echo the drifts of 'Annabelle' Hydrangeas.
Semperviviums at the base of the spheres.
This is the border around the exterior boundry of the childrens garden. It was dynamite !
Inside the garden the plantings were dense and gaudy..
How about that roof?
Doesn't everyone need a kitty picket fence ?
A little kid-sized greenhouse with a few Peter Rabbit accessories.
A lake !
A sandpit !
Of course there were chickens.
And a veggie garden
A Big Leaf Garden
Actual little kids at the water pump
Cool off on a patio that has squirting rocks..
Follow the maze after lunch under the pergola..another great roof
A crooked house and a barn full of toys and books...
OH my Kathy! how wonderful. I really need to get back up there. Great photos of a beautiful and creative garden.
ReplyDeleteYou do indeed Deanne..Bet it's great in fall too..
DeleteWow! I love the planted cottage roof, the kitty picket fence, the garden tool arbor and, well, everything. If that's the children's garden, I'm curious to see what the rest of the botanic garden looks like.
ReplyDeleteNo fear Kris, took enough photos here for multiple blogposts! Definitely a top tier botanic garden.
DeleteQuite a cute garden, and the kitty fence made me smile :)
ReplyDeleteA kitty fence looked right at home in that garden !
DeleteWell OK...if you say so...the next time I visit I'll take my chances and venture into the children's garden :). Maybe I'll luck out and there won't be any kids there. What a garden! Now that Labor Day is alomost over, this is probably a great time to visit.
ReplyDeleteCMBG actually opens at 9am --I got there right around that time and there were very few people around til after 10 or so. The first hour would be a perfect time to head straight for the childrens garden--familys with kids likely won't start showing up til later in the morning. One must strategize !
DeleteWhat a fun garden. Lots of creative ideas. The kitty fence is so cute. The grass roof is also pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know me, I love kids and enjoy seeing gardens created to encourage their creativity. This one looks like it is really well done. Thanks for the ideas.
ReplyDelete