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One of the World's Most Innovative Sensory Gardens Opens at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine

BOOTHBAY, Maine , June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Every garden is a sensory garden, but on June 19 Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay opened a remarkable garden planned and planted specifically to appeal to each of our senses. The Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, which occupies nearly an acre, is likely to be among the very finest sensory gardens in the world. Here, all visitors -- including those with disabilities -- can get in touch with their senses in innovative, appealing ways.

The idea is that once visitors fine tune their perception in this garden, they'll more fully appreciate the remainder of the 250-acre, waterfront Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens property. Maine's first and only botanical garden is located off Barters Island Road, just 10 miles from coastal Route 1.

"Sculpture for the Senses," six works that interpret the senses in different materials, will be on view through August 31. The show's curator, June LaCombe, sited these pieces created by noted New England artists.

The Sensory Garden Decoded

What's the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses all about? As visitors enter each successive area of this highly interactive sensory garden, they find features devoted to each sense in turn. The areas blend into one another, as sensory experiences tend to do in life. Let's take a virtual tour through the garden -- and the senses.

Entry to the sensory garden is through an archway covered in weeping larches and colorful, fragrant vines. Illustrated plaques welcome us and introduce us to the garden and its lay-out. Inviting plantings, cobblestone pathways, and finely crafted stone walls stretch before us. We notice a continuous "striker stone" that borders the path and help those with visual disabilities navigate.

    --  Smell - Within just a few feet of the entrance, we arrive at one of
        several free-form "nooks" beside the path. The
        "cracked-ice" paving in these areas helps differentiate them
        from the walkway. Here, plantings focus our attention on our sense of
        smell through flowers and herbs with delightful and intriguing aromas.
        Benches -- the first of many -- and boulders provide a place to sit a
        spell and enjoy the fragrances.

    --  Taste - Waist-high garden beds delineate the area devoted to taste.
        Herbs, fruits, vegetables, and edible flowers grow in profusion in the
        beds and in 144 green-wire cages that fill what look like fine-furniture
        bookcases, but that the Gardens staff members call flower towers.
        Whether sweet or savory, minty or bitter, plants are there for the
        tasting. Stone sinks with pump-like faucets invite us to "cleanse
        our palate" before we touch or taste other plants.

In this corner of the sensory garden, an imposing pavilion and massive, fan-shaped pergola create an indoor-outdoor classroom. They provide shade and a spot to enjoy a little relaxation, gardening activities, or a workshop. A display of ergonomically designed gardening tools adds further interest.

    --  Sight - A multitude of colorful plants in a vast array of colors,
        shapes, and sizes offer eye appeal. A recirculating brook leads to a
        pond with a tall fountain at its center. The water tumbles from a stream
        into an upper pond, cascades over a wide lip of stone at the pond's
        edge, and falls into channels that run beneath our feet to a lower pond.
        The moving, sparkling water, impressive stonework, and the garden itself
        -- as well as the Central Gardens beyond -- are all visual treats.
    --  Touch - The centerpiece of this section is a classic labyrinth whose
        pattern is made of smooth stones in graduated sizes. If we take off our
        shoes, walking the labyrinth serves as a reflexology exercise.  In the
        middle of the design is a boulder topped with moss. A large, flat-topped
        stone in this area is etched with a mini-labyrinth we can trace with a
        finger.  We're invited to touch textured plants and the water that
        surrounds us at several levels.

    --  Sound - Our sense of hearing is heightened as water from the fountain,
        waterfall, and stream trickles and splashes. Plants rustle and rattle in
        the slightest breeze, and the towering granite "Sound Stone"
        reverberates with every whisper or hum.

To exit the sensory garden, we cross a bridge with sides made of tree trunks and large, interwoven branches stripped of their bark. It leads to a dozen other ornamental gardens and paths along nearly a mile of waterfront and through forests filled with majestic ledge, wildflowers, and ferns. As we continue to explore the Gardens, we realize that our visit to the sensory garden made us more aware and increased our enjoyment, even as it heightened our senses.

How Did the Sensory Garden Come to Be?

The long-awaited grand opening for the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses is the culmination of much energy, many talents, and great generosity. Its creation was funded in large part by Dan and Lynn Lerner, who in 2007 presented a major gift to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to build the sensory garden.

"We are thrilled to see this magnificent garden completed," said Dan Lerner. "The professional landscaping and design have made this a wonderful attribute for everyone who visits Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens."

Gardens past board member Mollie Moore and her husband, Wells, coordinated initial efforts to create a sensory garden that is thoroughly accessible and can be enjoyed and maintained by people with disabilities, including the visually impaired. Gardens executive director Heffernan added, "This type of garden treasure would not have been a reality without the generous support of the Lerners and the inspiration from our board member, Mollie Moore, who went blind suddenly in 2000."

The Gardens has created the Mollie and Wells Moore Horticultural Therapy Internship in honor of the Moores' long-standing commitment and contribution to the sensory garden.

In 2004, renowned landscape architect Herb Schaal created the master plan from which the garden was built. In designing the sensory garden, Schaal, an award-winning Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects and a principal in EDAW, Inc. inColorado, drew on his extensive experience designing accessible and therapeutic gardens. He is exceptionally pleased with and proud of the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses.

The skilled artisans of Jorgensen Landscaping inBath, Maine, built the walkways, labyrinth, stonework, and water features throughout the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, and Boothbay Home Builders constructed the pavilion and adjacent pergola. Many sub-contractors were also involved in the project.

Project Manager Nick Caristo of the Gardens staff pulled together the many elements into a unified whole that will delight and educate visitors for generations to come.

About the Gardens

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is on Barters Island Road inBoothbay. The Gardens are open from 9-5 daily, year-round, with events and programs for all ages in all seasons. Since its grand opening in 2007, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens has had more than 100,000 visitors, and membership has reached 3,500. There's plenty of parking, and shuttles and tours are available. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (65+), $5 for children 5-17, and free for children under 5. Group rates are available. For more information, visit MaineGardens.org or call (207) 633-4333.

AboutBoothbay

The Boothbay Harbor region is the soul of the Maine coast. Explore quiet coves, rocky shores, meandering country roads and beautiful lighthouses. http://www.boothbayharbor.com/

SOURCE Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens