Bar Harbor Garden Club 2023 Garden Tour

Gardens By The Sea

Saturday, July 15 from 10 am to 4 pm, rain or shine

You’re invited to visit six inspirational gardens in Bar Harbor and enjoy stunning borders of colorful perennials and annuals stretching to the water’s edge. View gardens that take advantage of shade with ferns, mosses, and groundcover, and others that creatively use paths, walls, and containers to shape outdoor space.

Starting in June, $40 tickets will be for sale on our website. Tickets sold on the day of the tour will cost $45. Free parking and shuttle service. The tour headquarters will be located at La Rochelle, 127 West Street, home of the Bar Harbor Historical Society.

Proceeds support non-profits on Mount Desert Island that protect natural resources, address food insecurity, and foster a dedication to horticulture among youth.

May Program & Luncheon: Priorities and Programs for Conservation, Acadia National Park

A slideshow for this presentation is now available here online.

Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 11:30 AM

Stephanie Clement, Conservation Director, Friends of Acadia

Photograph courtesy of Stephanie Clement.

The Bar Harbor Garden Club is pleased to present “Priorities and Programs for Conservation, Acadia National Park” with Stephanie Clement, Conservation Director, Friends of Acadia, on May 11, 2023, at 11:30 AM at the Annual Meeting and Luncheon, Kebo Valley Golf Club, 136 Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor, ME.

The Annual Meeting is at 11:30 AM followed by the keynote speaker, Stephanie Clement, at noon for 1 hour including ample time for questions. Stephanie will speak about her work on the many conservation initiatives for Acadia National Park including Wild Acadia, Trails and Carriage Roads, Wild Gardens of Acadia, and the Cadillac Mountain Initiatives.

Garden Club Announces Youth Award Winners

Two students win First Place, state-level contest honors…

The Smokey Bear Poster Contest continues to be a favorite activity for Ms. Susan Raven’s third grade class at Pemetic Elementary School. Lanah Rose Baesmann’s (Grade 3) poster won First Place in our local BHGC contest. Her entry also won First Place in the state level contest (Garden Club Federation of Maine).

The Youth Poetry Contest theme was “Sing with the Songbirds-Exploring the Glory of Nature.” We recognize Ms. Kristen Braun, first grade teacher at Trenton Elementary, for her continued encouragement and participation in the poetry contest. Two young poets earned First Place honors and their recognition ceremonies were held in May 2022.

Congratulations to our three Scholarship Winners!!!

The St. Croix District has awarded the $1,000 Nell Goff Memorial Scholarship to Madison Jones of Lamoine. A graduate of Mount Desert Island High School, Jones is a junior at the University of Maine in Orono where she is majoring in Sustainable Agriculture. Read more….

MDI High School graduate Zoe Olson has been awarded the $1,000 Peter H. Dolliver Legacy Scholarship presented in partnership with the Bar Harbor Garden Club. Olson is a junior at the University of Maine in Orono where she is studying Earth and Climate Science with a minor in Horticulture. Read more…

Mount Desert Island resident and MDI High School graduate Callahan Bryer has been awarded the $1,000 Inge Weber Memorial Scholarship presented in partnership with the Bar Harbor Garden Club. The scholarship honors former garden club president and MDI native Inge Weber and aids college students pursuing horticulture-related studies. Read more….

Westside Summer Garden Club

Creating Future Gardeners on MDI

This summer the Bar Harbor Garden Club and the Bass Harbor Memorial Library launched the Westside Summer Garden Club, a first-time program designed to foster a life-long interest in gardening and horticulture among youth between ages 8 and 14. Click here to learn more.

Conservation and Education: Sundial Lupine Project

The Sundial Lupine Project is an undertaking by the BHGC to re-establish the native sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) in Maine. This native plant is no longer found wild in the state, although it has been re-introduced in a few small areas in southern Maine. Learn more…

Click on a photograph below to read about a Bar Harbor Garden Club project.

Bar Harbor Historical Society, LaRochelle, Bar Harbor — Club members designed, planted and maintain the Butterfly Garden. Learn about BAR HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY at their website.
Beatrix Farrand Garden at Garland Farm, Bar Harbor — The Club provides volunteers and supports projects. Learn about 'The Library at Garland Farm' at their website.
Blue Star Memorial Marker Ceremony and Tree Planting, Bar Harbor — The Club holds Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies; maintains the memorial marker; and has planted pagoda dogwood trees and daffodil bulbs. The Club provides BHGC Volunteers.
Butterfly Garden at Charlotte Rhodes Park, Southwest Harbor — The Club made a donation towards the construction of a garden barn, and gives donations towards the purchase of annuals and perennials for the garden.
Land and Garden Preserve — The Club makes donations to Asticou Azalea and Thuya Gardens which are both located in Northeast Harbor. Learn more at their website.
Mount Desert Historical Heirloom Garden, Somesville — The Club supports the garden with volunteers and donations. Learn more at their website.
Scholarships — Inge Weber Memorial Scholarship, Nell Goff Memorial Scholarship, Peter H. Dolliver Legacy Scholarship, and the Student Conservation Association.
Sundial Lupine — The Sundial Lupine Project is an undertaking by the BHGC to re-establish the native sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) in Maine.
Valentine Tray Favors — Floral themed Valentine tray favors are presented to residents of Birch Bay Village, Hulls Cove.
Wild Gardens of Acadia at Sieur de Monts Spring, Bar Harbor — These gardens were founded in 1961 by the Bar Harbor Garden Club and Acadia National Park. The Club makes a donation towards the garden support. The Club also provides BHGC Volunteers.
“Youth Activities” — The Bar Harbor Garden Club supports and sponsors a range of Youth Activities in the local community focusing on gardening, birding, creative arts, language arts, and environmental awareness.