BOOTHBAY, Maine — Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is one of just 10 public gardens across the U.S. featured on the United States Postal Service's 'American Gardens' Forever stamps, which are now available for purchase.
The pane of 20 stamps features 10 different photographs taken between 1996 and 2014. The gardens include: Biltmore Estate Gardens (North Carolina); Brooklyn Botanic Garden (New York); Chicago Botanic Garden (Illinois); Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (Maine); Dumbarton Oaks Garden (District of Columbia); The Huntington Botanical Gardens (California); Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (Florida); Norfolk Botanical Garden (Virginia); Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (Ohio); and Winterthur Garden (Delaware).
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is particularly well-known throughout the state for its annual 'Gardens Aglow' show during the winter, which features more 600,000 lights and drew more than 200,000 visitors last winter.
Clearly, however, the gardens are recognized for their beauty during the warmer gardening months as well.
The USPS wrote the following about the significance of the Forever stamps' release:
The love of gardening stretches back to the earliest years of our country, inspiring George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other Founding Fathers to plant some of America’s most iconic colonial-era gardens. From the 19th century to today, landscape designers have continued that tradition. Conceived for many reasons—for food or pleasure, as places of education and scientific study, as an expression of the owners’ artistic sensibilities, as spaces for the public to commune with nature, or simply for the love of gardening—American gardens capture our imagination and satisfy a yearning for beauty and order.
Every year, millions of Americans visit gardens, public and private. Many public gardens are open year-round; in addition to the plants and trees on display, classes, exhibits, and other events encourage visitors to experiment and create their own gardens. During the spring and summer, planned tours and open garden days allow visitors to step into private enclaves and see how homeowners have enhanced and designed their spaces, be they large estates, small suburban yards, or rooftop aeries.
To purchase the USPS 'American Gardens' Forever stamps, click HERE.