Cassie Banning, Director of Farm and Gardens, Land and Garden Preserve
Cassie Banning, Director of Farm and Gardens, Land and Garden Preserve
Photo courtesy of Cassie Banning
Our local residents and many visitors to coastal Maine are very familiar with the Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve whose mission is to conserve and share the beauty of 1,400 acres of beautiful, historic natural lands and gardens. The well-known gardens include the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden, Asticou Azalea Garden, and Thuya Garden. Another garden under the care of the Preserve is McAlpin Farm, the greenhouse facility, which oversees the essential plant production for the three above gardens. The Bar Harbor Garden Club welcomes Cassie Banning to its January 9th meeting to share “behind the garden scenes” information about the McAlpin Farm operation.
Ms. Banning is the Director of Farm & Gardens which entails overseeing and supporting four garden staff teams. She leads new landscape projects designed to preserve the gardens’ historic nature while ensuring the gardens will be enjoyed by future generations. Ms. Banning’s experience began as a child weeding in her family’s garden. Her formal training included attending the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture and earning a B.S. in Horticulture from Cornell University.
Ms. Banning’s presentation will begin at 1:00 P.M. at Birch Bay Retirement Village in Bar Harbor. All members and guests are asked to register for the free, public event since seating is limited. Please register by emailing Barbara Amstutz at [email protected] or calling 215-764-0468. The program will be followed by light refreshments and a business meeting. This presentation is one of the monthly programs offered to the public by the Bar Harbor Garden Club.