What We Do

We’re all about public gardens, happy bees, satisfied birds, healthy lands, and garden literacy.

You can see that energy and breadth in the many things we do:

Public Gardens: We maintain 13 spots around town, from Crabapple Allee to the newly certified pollinator garden at Wales Park.

Public Talks: Throughout the off-season, when gardens go dormant and people everywhere hunger for new knowledge about all things gardening, the BGC sponsors talks about current issues of interest in the natural world. Whether you’re interested in re-wilding your backyard, want to grow dye plants or blueberries, or just want to know how to choose the right native plants for a border, chances are we’ll address the topic in one of our noontime or evening talks with an expert.

Open Garden Days: Join us for the most spectacular gardens in the region every Saturday in summer. Wander shaded paths, delight in legacy plantings, learn from newly developed designs. You can even buy a discounted season ticket.

Tree Working Group (TWiG): In response to concerns about the health and maintenance of the city’s tree canopy, Belfast Garden Club volunteers partnered with local citizens in 2023 to form the Tree Working Group (TWiG) to assess how to better preserve this important natural resource. About a dozen volunteers initiated a tree mapping project that they completed in 2024. This digital resource provides an accurate, detailed assessment of the city-owned tree inventory within the Belfast city limits.

Education: The Education Committee is responsible for providing financial aid and physical support to the schools of RSU 71 in Waldo County. This includes monetary support to school gardens at the elementary and middle school, three full scholarships to Tanglewood 4-H camp for students entering 6th grade, assistance with maintenance during the summer and teaching support during gardening classes.

Books: If you’re not gardening at this moment, you should be reading about gardening at this moment. Luckily, BGC has been steadily donating garden, horticulture, and conservation books to the Belfast Free Library and area schools for more than two decades. That’s why Belfast can boast the best local collection of horticultural books for children and adults in the state of Maine.

The Plant Sale: We think it’s the best in the area. It’s definitely one of the most popular, and it helps us fund our many civic projects.  Memorial Day weekend at Steamboat Landing. Be there.

Community Gardening: The club helped establish the community gardens at Wales park, where residents can grow their own vegetables and flowers and see a certified pollinator garden in action. Interested? Contact us.

Community Support: Each year the club donates funds to the Troy Howard Middle School Garden Project. In addition, the club makes donations to one or more other local non-profit organizations. This year’s recipients are Aging Well in Waldo County, Habitat for Humanity (Belfast), and Tools for Schools. Your donations help us continue this kind of support. 

New & Special Projects: We’re always on the lookout for more to do with and for our community. Among other projects: we’ve worked on Belfast’s spring clean-up team, participated in the cardboard boat race, and contributed skills and support to the lovely Giving Tree, which graces the library during the holidays. Got an idea? Contact us.

Scholarships:

School Garden Scholarships
The Belfast Garden Club funds scholarships for students participating in local school-based summer garden projects. By participating in the projects and working with experienced gardeners, students actively learn all aspects of gardening, including how to market and sell their produce.

Ann Mullen Memorial Scholarships
In honor of Ann Mullen, a beloved past member, BGC makes an annual campership donation to Tanglewood 4-H Camp in Lincolnville, Maine, to support youth in need. The Camp offers overnight camp, day camp, hunter safety camp (in conjunction with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife), wilderness discovery trips, and a multi-week leadership camp for teens.