Join us for the Premiere!

Spring has finally sprung and we are just one week away from the launch of the Maine Flower Show. March 27th, at 6:30 pm, we will kick off the festivities with a very special preview of the display gardens, providing an exclusive first look at the talented participants whose attention-grabbing displays are high points of the show. The awards ceremony features more than a dozen cash awards in many categories including native plants, annuals, and hardscape. Prizes are sponsored by members of the industry to honor the best of the best in display gardens, design sustainability, horticulture ideas, and growing techniques. Join us for this one-of-a-kind event! RSVP to the event on Facebook to get updates and pre-purchase your tickets here: Eventbrite Ticketing.

Sneak Peak

Here’s a sneak peak of the some of the plants, shrubs, and trees that will be on display at the show. Jeff O’Donal lead us on a tour of the greenhouse where master gardeners are forcing budding plants to pop just in time for a springtime extravaganza of color and aroma:

Are you starting to get excited about the show?! We are!

New this Year: The Children’s Garden

Maine Agriculture in the Classroom, Maine School Garden Network & ReTreeUS work diligently to incorporate gardening and orcharding into schools across the entire state all year long. Together these organizations have created a space for kids of all ages to have a hands-on gardening experience and an opportunity to learn about plants, and the food, fruit, and flowers they produce. Touching the soil, planting, watering and learning about pollination, which are all key parts of growing, will be modeled in the children’s garden.

The garden will include raised beds with vegetables and container gardens which demonstrate school garden practices. Signs about pollination and the benefits of orchards will be on display. Visitors can fill out a leaf for an interactive “gratitude tree” which will be in the booth next door. People can share what they like about gardens and gardening, which also helps all three organizations build their networks.

At the Show

When families first enter the show, the children will be offered a scavenger hunt with two different levels of difficulty to choose from. There is a list of clues to match to the garden displays at the show. Once they complete the scavenger hunt, they can bring it to the Children’s Garden and receive a “planting” bag with a pot, soil, and seeds to take home with them and grow their own plants at home.

While in the Children’s Garden area, the kids will have an opportunity to transplant a pansy, basil or strawberry plant. Items for the garden and the pots, soil, and plants have all been kindly donated by the sponsors listed below. We are excited to promote the “hands in the dirt” experience encouraging families to start a garden at home, no matter the size.

Check out all the details here: Children’s Garden and our Sponsors.