Gardens and Grounds
Visit our beautiful perennial and herb gardens.
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Gardens at Merryspring
Unlike other nature preserves, Merryspring features several beautiful gardens for you to enjoy! Merryspring hosts the gorgeous Maine Daylily Society planting, a large herb garden, perennial gardens and new native shrub border.
Merryspring Trails
The Vernal Pool
Fairy Village
Kitty Todd Arboretum
The Kitty Todd Arboretum was dedicated in 1981 with a planting of 35 native tree species in one of the most diverse habitats at Merryspring. Maps and more information is available here.
Reservations
Reservations are available for the whole property, Hexagon or conference room in the Ross Center. A wonderful location for your wedding, meeting, party or memorial service.
Weddings at Merryspring
Are you looking for a special location for your special day? With the beautiful gardens, the hexagon and Ross Center, Merryspring is the place!
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Visitors enjoy professionally designed beds and borders devoted to plants that thrive in Maine’s USDA Zone 4-5 climate. Theme gardens showcase heirloom as well as cutting-edge cultivars. It is quite pleasant to just sit on a shady bench and look at the gardens, but visitors are also welcome to collect seeds, ask for cuttings or purchase divisions, or even roll up their sleeves and help us with some dead-heading and weeding.
Many years ago a pollinator garden was installed including beebalm, culver’s root and other perennials to support the local bees and birds amidst some apple trees. Over time this area became more and more overgrown with goutweed as well as some invasives like bittersweet and Japanese barberry.
(Before photo here)
While this area was intended to stay a bit wild it eventually became overrun by unwanted plants and as we worked on removing invasives through the Merryspring grounds we finally decided to take some drastic action to help restore this area to its original intent. We excavated the soil in hopes we would remove the goutweed roots and anything else trying to crowd out the pollinator plants and brought in new soil.
We used a silage tarp to try to drown out any early seasons weeds and come late spring 2024 this area will be planted with annual pollinator flowers. For the year we will monitor and tend the area to see how many of the invasives do or do not return. If all goes well in spring 2025 the area will be planted with a native perennial pollinator garden.”
(Garden design drawing and plant list here)
Weddings at Merryspring
A garden setting, a living symbol of renewal, is a lovely way to reflect the joy and beauty of your special day. Merryspring’s stunning gardens offer an outdoor hexagon, perfect for small ceremonies, and event lawn encircled by flower beds filled with spectacular color June through September.
Nearby, a field provides convenient parking for guests. Adjacent to the gardens, a small conference room with a deck overlooking the gardens can accommodate up to 30 people.
If you have questions or more information, please contact the Merryspring office at info@merryspring.org or 207-236-2239.
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