Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens..so many flowers!

Shannon and I went to the Botanical Gardens today. It was rather drizzly and downright rainy at times, but that didn't diminish our spirits or our sense of wonder and fun.  

As we walked toward the Visitor Center, we came upon waves of Bee balm which is one of my favorite flowers, and I've never seen so many different colors of it!

We saw a new garden construction and were wondering what it will look like in August/September when we visit again! This one is just beyond the butterfly house. 

There was an intriguing willow tunnel near the butterfly house. Unfortunately, I couldn't bend down and walk under it with my bum knee.

If you saw my post about the trolls, the first troll we visited was Roskva. To get there, we walked across a bridge over a pretty pond. Here you see the pond and a gorgeous cement sculpture of a Great Blue Heron.

From there, we walked under an arch to enter into the Learner Garden of the Five Senses.

This is such a wondrous place. To our right was a little pond which flows over a wall and into a lower connecting pond. The landscaping around it is fabulous!

To our left was where we filled the rest of our senses! We love the vertical gardens and Shannon is bound and determined to create one of her own some summer.

This one caught my eye with the patterns of plants, colors, and textures. It is so lovely.

As we walked to our next destination, we saw mounds of pink calla lilies in so many gardens. They prefer a much warmer climate to grow all year and have to be lifted in autumn.

I have a love affair with lilies, and this color and size were so spectacular!

Throughout the gardens, we also so oodles of chipmunks and little red squirrels scurrying this way and that. This little chipster had absolutely no fear of us and was busy munching on a seed outside of his burrow.

We headed down the Haney Hillside which connected with the Shoreland Trail. We passed a lovely little creek which gurgled over some artfully placed rocks. Water flow is so calming.

We took this trail over to the Landing Trail, then to the North Trail which brought us to the Giles Rhododendron Garden! Whoo...long hike! The rhododendrons were no longer blooming, but it was so peaceful there. We waited out a rainstorm while standing under an accommodating pine tree.

Who doesn't love a waterfall? This is one of my favorite spots in the Botanical Gardens. With it being so chilly and rainy, we decided to skip dangling our toes in the pool above and headed toward Birch Allée where we picked up a ride toward the Children's Garden.

We were dropped off near the back side of the Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden. As we walked, I had to pay tribute to Mother Earth. I love this statue...

Talk about filling your senses...the Children's Garden is amazing. There were instruments to play, lobster traps to haul, books to read, fairies to visit, chickens to feed, and vegetables to grow! 

Is this dill? Wow, what a stunning flower head!

There is a shed for kids to explore which is surrounded by flowers and an innovative fence.

The fence, whose posts are topped with cats, has lovely flowers lining its entire distance.

As we walked further down the cat fence, a gorgeous Monarch butterfly decided to sup on a black-eyed Susan. In past years there were so many more butterflies than we see nowadays. Sad...

There were some intriguing prickly flowers as well. The leaves and stems made you think twice about touching the flowers.

Check out the texture of this lacy flowerhead. It looks like an intricately crocheted doily!

And, the daylilies were at their height of bloom. This one was so lovely with all the raindrops on it.

After leaving the Children's Garden, the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds and we headed for the Great Lawn. Here, Shannon could relax in one of her favorite chairs.

At the edge of the Great Lawn, there were coneflowers galore!

Oh my... the colors on this one took my breath away! I could go on and on about the flowers. But, you'll have to go there yourself to experience the total joy that the Botanical Gardens can bring to you as the seasons progress.