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
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
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.
1:15-1:45 pm Gardening for Amphibians with Marisa Monroe
Marisa is an NGBH apprentice and PhD student studying wildlife ecology at the University of Maine. She has a background in biological field research with the National Park Service, for which she worked in the backcountry of various parks around the West.
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!
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.
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Refreshments
My Little Dumpling pop-up will be on site, and The Blue Chill popsicles will be for sale.
Or bring your own lunch or snacks!
Benches and grassy spots will be available for picnicking near the featured presentation area.
NGBH will provide botanical tea samples using native plants.
