2026 OPEN GARDEN DAY
Saturday, July 25, 10 am-2 pm
NGBH Gardens at Bagaduce Music, 49 South St, Blue Hill
Questions about the event? Email info@ngbh.org or call 207-200-3080.
Mini-Workshops, Keynote Talk, Garden Tours,
Raffle, Refreshments & More!
Welcome & Keynote 12:15-1:00 pm
Welcome
from
NGBH Executive Director
Cathy Rees
Keynote Talk
"Everyone Has a Calling"
by Julie Beckford of Rebel Hill Farm
photograph by Nikolai Fox
Free Mini-Workshop Offerings
10:00-10:30 am Gardening for Birds with Leslie Clapp
Leslie Clapp has worked her Blue Hill garden for nearly 40 years. As president of Downeast Audubon, she has made the 10-acre property a haven for birds and insects. Each year more native plants are added to the meadows in hopes of attracting migrants and sustaining local populations. Learn what shrubs and perennials are especially good for nectar at blooming time and seeds later in the season.
10:45-11:15 am Cyanotype Printing with Katama Murray
Experiment with natural patterns and mindful making through this hands-on workshop focused on cyanotypes! Participants will explore the basics to capture shadows through cyanotype printing, utilizing seasonally foraged plants of the region as well as everyday objects to print with. Join us to experiment with this cameraless photographic printmaking process as a way to connect to the season and objects around us, helping to capture elements of time, place, history, and meaning through unique prints. All materials are provided.
Katama Murray is an artist, educator, naturalist, and small business owner from the Blue Hill peninsula residing in Deer Isle, Maine. Her mixed media work and company, Teach Peace Prints, are inspired by place-based making and our interconnectedness to the environment. Through hands-on techniques, Katama teaches regional workshops focused on versatile methods that encourage exploration and foster life-long learning. Katama also teaches at the Blue Hill Harbor School as their Visual Arts Educator. With a passion for multidisciplinary making, she enjoys inspiring others to become more connected to the earth through the power of art and community.
11:30 am - noon Insect Safari with Nathaniel Sharp
Join naturalist educator and insect enthusiast Nathaniel Sharp for a pollinator safari through the gardens to learn and wonder about the myriad pollinators and abundant insect life all around us. From identifying bumblebees and butterflies from afar through binoculars, to admiring the smallest of flies and sweat bees through a hand lens, we will use various techniques to watch, admire, and safely capture different garden insects for up-close study. We'll also dive into how these insects connect to the plants and wildlife around them through food webs, pollination, decomposition, and so much more!
Nathaniel lives on Deer Isle and is also a birding guide and naturalist educator, with a particular fondness for teaching at Hog Island Audubon Camp.
1:00-1:30 pm Gardening for Amphibians with Marisa Monroe
Hop into the world of an amphibian and explore what habitat features are needed to support our local frog, toad, salamander, and newt species. We will explore how microhabitat and landscape connectivity can support the different life phases of some of our 18 native species of amphibians.
Marisa Monroe is a NGBH Apprentice and graduate student in Ecology and Environmental Science at the University of Maine. Her current research focuses on amphibian road crossings in Acadia National Park.
1:30-2:00 pm Variable Movement for Gardeners: Staying Supple
with Dan Waterman
Dr. Dan Waterman of Variable Movement will present some of the best stretches and exercises to do to keep you in the garden longer with fewer aches and pains. Dr. Waterman specializes in movements to maximize flexibility and strength for functional athletes of any age. He practices out of Variable Movement in Blue Hill.
Garden Tours
Note: To accommodate the close group setting, no dogs are allowed on the tours.
Behind-the-scenes
guided tours of the gardens.
Bring your questions!
.jpg)
Botanical Iced Tea Tasting
Sample a variety of botanical teas made with native plants.
Community Herbalist Torsten Peterson will join us to share knowledge about the medicinal qualities of featured species.
.jpg)
Refreshments
Bring your own lunch or snacks!
The Blue Chill popsicles will be for sale.
Benches and grassy spots will be available for picnicking near the featured presentation area.
NGBH will provide botanical tea samples using native plants.
