PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I recently toured Provence for 9 days, 5 by bike. With our “tour” on my mind, I found myself comparing the breathtaking gardens and countryside to our majestic Maine coast. Very different, yes, but in terms of unique beauty, we rival the most beautiful places on earth.  I was proud and excited to think, here I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world, heading home to one of the most beautiful places in the world - where I will soon be touring private gardens with friends and visitors alike. What a privilege we are about to have! 

Club members have much to look forward to coming up  in the month of July.

Not only our Garden Tour  premier event July 16  but many other member activities including a field trip to Schleppinghurst on July 31 and  another  fun and  informative Trowel and Growl July 10. If you want to get your hands dirty and help keep Camden beautiful, Public Spaces has a workday scheduled July 9.

Special thanks to the Garden Tour committee, sponsors  and member volunteers stepping up to help one of our biggest events of the year. The success of the Garden Tour depends on member support and continues to thrive solely because of our collective participation. Make sure you have signed up. 

This month's newsletter is filled with our community involvement in keeping Camden beautiful, supporting our budding gardeners at Tanglewood, and the new member online signup page on our website which is exciting news moving the club forward so all members are informed of opportunities to get involved and have some fun.

Read all about it.  

We hope you find fun and fellowship this month!

Amy

Calendar of Events

Monday, July 6 9:00 AM
Village Green & Gardens Cleanup

We will gather at the Village Green at 9 am on Monday, July 6 for routine summer maintenance there, as well as the Postage Stamp Native Garden and Mural Garden. Join your fellow club members as we weed, trim, rake and perform other tasks. We usually complete the work within one hour. We can accommodate all special requests for adaptive gardening.

Please note, Camden paid parking is now in effect.

Reach out to Laura Anthony with any questions lmtanthony505@gmail.com.

Kindly see the article on Member electronic sign ups for future volunteer dates.
We look forward to seeing you then!
Signup Now!

Laura Anthony and Donna Barbieri
Village Green & Gardens Co-chairs

 
Public Spaces
Thursday, July 9th
8:30 AM at the Public Landing

Will be having a workday on Thursday July 9th at
8:30 at the Public Landing.
We will simply be weeding some of the beds and spreading mulch to make everything look lovely.
  Please bring your gardening gloves and a favorite hand tool
with your name on it.

Signup here

   Thank you for helping Camden look beautiful!

Questions? Reach out to
Barbara Ohland at barbohland@gmail.com

 Twenty members of the Camden Garden Club gathered on June 10th to dig, pull, replace, trowel, fertilize, and mulch the Camden traffic islands. Bedecked in bright yellow traffic jackets and protected by the Club's favorite local policeman, this flock of serious gardeners took on the task of replacing the now iconic tulip bed with summer florals. 

The Traffic Island endeavor takes thoughtful planning. Co-chairs Barb Ohland and Pete Rich not only plan the layout but also purchase of plants and all support materials, they are the first to arrive on garden day and the last to leave. 

The planting team is greeted by many citizens of the Mid-Coast, who drive by with a "Thank you" or "Nice job." It is a day of camaraderie and goodwill. 

Check out our Gallery to see the pictures of our members in action!

A Tour of Shleppinghurst Garden
Lincolnville, ME
Friday, July 31
9:15 AM Tour

 With owner Ken Cleaves

For 37 years, Ken Cleaves has been clearing, moving rocks, and making paths in the woods of his Lincolnville 60 acre quarry property which he purchased for $16,000 in 1982. During those years he has transformed the land based on Japanese design, landscaping, and gardening principles.  He calls his tranquil, rambling landscape “Shleppinghurst.” 

Shleppinghurst Garden features wandering paths, ledges, stone walls, a spring fed pond edged with Japanese-style stonework, and an amphitheater-shaped quarry. Mr. Cleaves uses mostly native shrubs and trees to quietly enhance the natural landscape with tranquil beauty and symmetry

“It started out as a flower garden,” Cleaves relates. That flower garden has morphed into a well-tended Japanese garden that includes hundreds, if not thousands, of trees, shrubs and perennials - many native - molded into a calm and serene Japanese-style garden tucked into a bit of rural Maine. And he has done it all “by hand,” with a come-along or levers and a wheel barrow.

Google Schleppinghurst Lincolnville ME for photos and an article written in Maine Boats and Harbors.

Cost: $15 a person

Parking is limited so we need to
carpool please
More details to come as we get closer
to the visit

Karen’s preferred method to signup is an email
Karen Cease kbcease@aol.com 

You can also signup on line at
Sign Up Here

Fernwood Shade Nursery will be rescheduled soon!

Many young people find a connection to nature through summer camps in Maine but this experience is out of reach for many.  Thankfully, the Camden Garden Club has a longstanding tradition of providing full scholarships to Tanglewood 4H camp in Linconville to numerous locals and this year we gave more than ever before. Thanks to all of the hard earned fundraising campaigns. The education committee would like to thank all of the members who participate in the Tour, Expo, and other revenue generating events that make this gift possible. Your support provides access to learning that includes: an on site garden, arts, sports and recreation and perhaps most importantly a close encounter with the natural world.
Well done!

77th Garden Tour Tickets are Selling Fast

The Camden Garden Club will hold its 77th Garden Tour on July 16, 2026 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., rain or shine. Tickets for this event are $40 each. They are available at camdengardenclub.org until 8 p.m. on July 15, or on the day of the Tour at American Legion Post 30, 91 Pearl Street, Camden, beginning at 9 a.m. On-line ticket purchasers will pick up their program and wristband at the American Legion as well.

The six privately owned gardens in Camden and Rockport represent a diverse offering of landscaping, hardscaping and cultivation in shade, sun, woods and ocean-front locations. Master Gardeners will be ready to answer questions in each garden, and some owners will be present to discuss their visions and work process. 

The day will also include two demonstrations at one location in Camden. At 11 a.m., Gabrielle Jansen of Firebird Farm will explain how to create three-dimensional art from dried flowers. At 1:30 p.m., Master Gardener Linda Redman will demonstrate how to create “twiggy things” including arbors, gates, and other items from branches and other material commonly found in many Maine back yards. 

Plein air artist Cassie Sano of Augusta, Maine will paint at one of the properties throughout the day, capturing the spirit of the garden and the sky. Her painting, as well as the material produced by Ms. Jansen and Ms. Redman, will be raffled off to tour participants. All raffle proceeds will benefit the Camden Garden Club’s Scholarship Fund.

This event is generously sponsored by the Camden Deli, the Villager Café, The Owl & Turtle Bookshop Café, and  Sea Bags Camden. 

Garden Tour Info

Demonstrations
Location available at Tour HQ check-in
Gabrielle Jansen at 11am to 12:30
Linda Redmond at 1:30pm to 3:00

Volunteers 
Tour assignments will be communicated after July 1st. 
If you have not been assigned a position by July 8th, please reach out to Lucy Ebbert lbebbert@gmail.com

Flower Donations 
    Please support the Tour by donating cut flowers. Multiple arrangements are planned for display at Headquarters and at featured garden locations.
All flowers are needed on July 15th and delivered to Jennifer Marks, 6 Norumbega Drive, Camden.
Reach out to Jennifer with questions jennifermrks@gmail.com

Garden Tour Reminders

• Ticket holders need to report to Tour Headquarters at 91 Pearl Street, Camden to check-in and receive a wristband and a Tour Guide/Map

•  The Headquarters will be open 9:00 am for checkin

•  Tickets can be purchased day of tour at Headquarters
  

•  The last entry to each garden is 3:30 pm 
  

•   Location for Demonstrations and Raffles will be available at check-In
  

• Raffle tickets are $10.00 cash only

FIRST OF THE SEASON
TROWEL & GROWL

So informative and so much fun!
Members gathered on Friday, June 5th at Leslie Yambor’s garden
to learn about eradicating the Gout Weed currently invading Leslie’s yard as well as inspiring ideas from three Master Gardeners on creating a beautiful landscape.
Thanks to all!

Trowel & Growls are casual, educational, social and fun – a great way for members to get to know each other in a small group environment.  They can be scheduled from April through October. It’s a perfect time to schedule your Trowel & Growl to help inspire ideas and projects for your garden!

Interested in scheduling? Have questions?
Karen prefers an email
kbcease@aol.com 

You can also
Sign Up Here to Schedule

Next Trowel & Growl
Friday, July 10
9:30 AM

Dianne Blahusch's
9 Evergreen Lane, Camden

Parking is limited at Dianne’s home
Car Pool: First Congressional Parking lot, 9:15 am

A note from Dianne describing her property:

“We have a one acre….. mostly anemic yard. Nothing seems to be growing. It is very shady – with a lot of pine. There are pockets of sun in different spots where we are trying to grow vegetables but that’s not working well. Could be the soil? My wife Lindsay has a large medicinal herb garden and it’s doing “ok”.

We see thriving, full beautiful plantings everywhere we go but we feel like we must be in another USDA hardiness zone! We also want to grow more native and other flowers in order to draw the butterflies, the birds and the insects, etc. We prefer a much more natural landscape.”

We are looking forward to July 10th and excited to get
some new ideas!

Karen’s preferred method to signup is an email
Karen Cease kbcease@aol.com 

You can also
Sign Up Online to Attend

2026 - 2027 Handbook Corrections

Karen Cease is incorrectly listed under Sustaining Members in the Handbook, she should be listed under Active Members. Her address and phone number are correct.

Village Green Work Days listed on last page are incorrect dates. Work days are always scheduled on the first Monday morning of the month, April through October weather permitting.

Susan Reider is in an advisory position for the 2026 Garden Tour and Lynne Meagher is Chair of the 2026 Garden Tour.

May 2027 Board meeting date is incorrect -- 5/18 is the correct date. Board meetings are always the 3rd Tuesday of the month

We apologize for the errors.

Members now have a place to sign up online for club activities including gardening around town, special events and field trips!

Go to
Member Signups

You can still reach out to the
Point of Contact person in an email to signup
Or to ask questions and get more details

If you have any comments or additional @Town activities or suggestions for the website please e-mail info@camdengardenclub.org 

Our mission is to develop and preserve our environment by beautifying the community, enhancing public spaces, offering educational programs, and practicing resource conservation.