These are the Bar Harbor Garden Club’s ongoing projects, unless noted otherwise.
* Bar Harbor Dog Park, Bar Harbor — The Club partnered with The Friends of Bar Harbor Dog Park in 2023 to develop a recreational space where dogs socialize off leash in a safe and secure environment. The Club made a donation.
* Bar Harbor Historical Society, LaRochelle, Bar Harbor — Club members designed, planted and maintain the Butterfly and Bee Garden. The Club also makes a donation towards garden supplies. Learn about BAR HARBOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY at their website.
* Beatrix Farrand Society Garden at Garland Farm, Bar Harbor — The Club provides volunteers as needed, and made donations towards replacing the BFS house roof, and purchasing plant labels and heather plants. Learn about The Library at Garland Farm at their website.
* Blue Star Memorial Marker Ceremony and Wreath Laying, Bar Harbor —The Club holds Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies; and maintains the memorial marker and plantings. The Club provides BHGC Volunteers.
* Charlotte Rhodes Park Butterfly Garden, 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. The Club provides BHGC Volunteers.
* Composting Project, MDI — The Club is evaluating a composting initiative for MDI.
* Jesup Memorial Library, Bar Harbor — The Club makes a donation for garden supplies and maintains the library’s Pop-Up Garden.
* July Fourth Pie Sale, Bar Harbor — This fundraiser is a long-standing tradition held in conjunction with the annual Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club Seafood Festival located at the Athletic Field on Park Street.
* Kids Corner Garden, Bar Harbor — The Club made a donation for planters and flowers for this community based childcare center.
* Land and Garden Preserve, MDI —The Club makes donations to Asticou Azalea, Thuya and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller gardens; and Little Long Pond. Visit gardenpreserve.org to learn more.
* MDI Housing Authority, Southwest Harbor — The Club makes a donation for materials and provides volunteers to maintain this garden.
* Mount Desert Historical Heirloom Garden, Somesville — This garden was founded by the BHGC and MDI Historical Society. The Club supports the garden by making an annual donation.
Visit mdihistory.org to learn more.
* Open Table MDI, Bar Harbor — The Club partnered with Open Table MDI for the first time in the summer of 2022 to double the size of the non-profit’s organic garden in Tremont, named ‘Open Garden MDI’.
The garden produce is distributed by Open Table to improve food security on MDI. Club contributions included funding and volunteers.
Learn more about Open Garden MDI…
* Scholarships —Inge Weber Memorial Scholarship, Nell Goff Memorial Scholarship and Peter H. Dolliver Legacy Scholarship.
* Seven schools in MDIRSS —The Club makes a donation towards the schools’ Greenhouses (or raised garden beds). The Club also provides BHGC Volunteers.
* Sundial Lupine — The Sundial Lupine Project is an undertaking by the BHGC to re-establish the native sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) in Maine. Club contributions included funding for signage at various MDI locations and volunteers.
This project was awarded the 2020 Maine Arts Commission Bicentennial Grant.
* Ukranian Family — The Club made a donation to local non-profits to support a refugee family.
* Valentine Tray Favors — Floral themed Valentine tray favors are presented to Residents of Birch Bay Village.
* 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, and are now overseen by the Friends of Acadia National Park Service. The Club provided funding to print postcards for purchase by visitors; and to develop QR code plant descriptions for bog plants. The Club also provides BHGC Volunteers. Learn more…
* Woodlawn Museum, Ellsworth — The Club provides volunteers as needed to decorate for Christmas at the Woodlawn Museum. Learn about the Woodlawn Museum at their website.
* Youth Garden “Kids Can Grow” Program, Bernard — In partnership with the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Extension Service and various schools on MDI, the Club made a donation to maintain an organic garden for teaching purposes. Funds were for tools, supplies and curriculum.
In a large garden plot in the Maine Coast Heritage Trusts’ Kelley Farm Preserve in Bernard, the youngsters and BHGC mentors prepared soil, planted seeds, transplanted seedlings, composted, watered, and weeded, then harvested vegetables and flowers.
* “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. Learn more…
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Learn about the early history of the Wild Gardens of Acadia.