Take a tour of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and discover a meeting ground of natural beauty, expert design, and horticultural excellence. Nestled in the picturesque landscape of coastal Maine, this garden offers a symphony of colors, fragrances, and serene vistas that will surely captivate any nature enthusiast. In this video, director of horticulture (and frequent Fine Gardening contributing writer) Andy Brand takes us on a journey through three of his favorite gardens and gives insights as to what makes them unique. This tour barely scratches the surface of what CMBG has to offer, however, with its more than 300 acres and 16 unique gardens connected by well-maintained paths and trails. You can spend days at the garden and still find something new.
A Jungle Garden in Portland
04.10.2023 - 08:01 / finegardening.com / GPOD Contributor
Today we’re in Portland, Oregon, visiting with Zeah.
I’ve loved interesting plants since I was small, growing plants in my mother’s garden and killing orchids from the yearly orchid show. I’ve worked in the horticulture industry several times, and I’ve grown plants on my own whenever I had the resources. Last year I was given the opportunity to take over one of the coolest gardens in the Pacific Northwest, the home of Lance Wright, formerly a Portland Parks Bureau horticulturist for three decades. Now I have a home where the jungle extends from my bedroom to the street, with more diversity than some botanical gardens.
Bomarea is a South American vine related to Alstromeria. This hybrid form dies back to the ground every winter.
A bog planter with mostly carnivorous plants
The most iconic of the carnivorous plants is Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula ‘DCXL’, Zones 7–10). This selection has unusually large and beautifully patterned traps.
This is a collection of lithops (aka living rocks), tiny succulent plants with leaves that store water and mimic the look of stones to avoid being eaten. To avoid forgetting the names of the varieties, Zeah made a diagram of what is planted where, using the crack at the bottom of the pot as a reference point. That’s a great way to keep track of what plant is what without having to add little labels everywhere.
An enormous stand of Musa sikkamensis (Zones 7–10, maybe colder with protection). Adding a thick layer of leaves or other protection in the winter helps plants like these overwinter in cold zones.
A big planter full of vegetables provides food and screening, turning this front porch into a private garden nook.
A very HOT pepper harvest: yellow and peach Bhut Jolokia and some
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Rachel’s Illinois Garden
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Readers Tips: Repurposed Tools in the Garden Used to Great Effect
Several times a year a visitor to our garden is shocked to find a rogue steak knife pierced downward in one of the beds, as if it were an escapee from our kitchen knife block. I’m always quick to tell them that it’s indeed where I meant to place it, and that I haven’t found any tool as great as a serrated knife when it comes to removing grass or root systems. It’s perfect for edging small areas or pulling up entire sheets of grass; all I have to do is start on one side and pull up as I carefully saw back and forth. It can be a cheap purchase from a thrift store—or in my case, the way I finally convinced my husband that we needed a new set of kitchen knives.