Created in 1961 and maintained by dedicated volunteers, the Wild Gardens of Acadia offers park visitors an award-winning microcosm of Acadia’s uniquely varied plant communities in a serene brookside setting.
Supervisory Gardener Geneva Langley works to remove weeds in the Wild Gardens of Acadia. (Photo by Ashley L. Conti/Friends of Acadia)
The Wild Gardens includes over 400 plant species, all indigenous, in thirteen sections designed to represent natural plant communities found within Acadia National Park. Mountain, heath, seaside, coniferous forest, and nine other habitats are represented.
In 2010, Friends of Acadia began providing fundraising and administrative support to the Wild Gardens of Acadia volunteers. The Wild Gardens is still maintained primarily by volunteers, but Friends of Acadia hires a Supervisory Gardener and Intern each year.
The volunteers and staff maintain the Gardens, develop educational materials and displays, greet visitors, and share the wonder and beauty of Acadia’s native plant species. The Gardens not only enhances understanding of native plants and their habitats, but also fosters stewardship by encouraging others to volunteer or contribute to parks, gardens, and their own backyards.
Friends of Acadia’s support for the Wild Gardens of Acadia offers stability and assistance to the volunteers that will allow the Gardens to thrive into future generations.
A Long Winters Nap: Acadia’s ‘Living’ Field Guide’ Gets Ready
Keep your eyes peeled for these hard-working pollinators.
Learn MoreTaking place annually in June, the plant sale features annuals and perennials, vegetable seedlings, native plants, house plants, and ferns.
Learn MorePutting the gardens to bed for the winter
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