PARIS — McLaughlin Garden, a peaceful haven in the busy hub of downtown, is beckoning flower lovers this weekend with its three-day Wildflower Celebration.
Continuing Sunday, the garden is offering self-guided tours, scavenger hunts and a chance to see its blankets of wildflowers.
Early flowers are just coming up, said Kristin Perry, director of horticulture, “a little slow, because it’s been so dry.”
The 2½-acre garden holds about 125 lilac varieties and hundreds of other plant species. Perry said most of the flowers are native to Maine, and many are self-seeding plants.
“The seed isn’t wind-dispersed,” she said Saturday. “It’s dispersed by insects.” Bees and ants are important to the way the garden works and the crew works hard to preserve them, she said. “I also have a beehive out back.”
As far as the lilacs go, Perry thinks they’re mostly on schedule to bloom for Memorial Day weekend. “But right now is a great time because everything is just starting to come alive,” she said.
According to the official garden guide, “from May to October, the garden blossoms in waves of wildflowers, lilacs, hostas, day lilies, iris, phlox, sedum, and many other floral surprises.”
Andrea Burns, a volunteer at the garden, said, “There’s a different feeling here than a big botanical garden. It’s more of a personal experience. It’s inspirational here.”
As far as where their passion for gardening and flowers stems from, Perry cites her education. “My background is in botany. I had my interest in the science side of it, and I love being outside. And the variations in plants, it’s amazing.”
Burns said that for her, from the “layperson’s perspective, it’s the beauty and wonder of it. The plants come up looking so healthy and happy. It’s a wonder.”
Perry said a visitor Friday said she has 300 different kinds of hostas at her home. “People like that come every year,” Perry said.
Burns called it a passion. Perry said it’s more of an obsession.
Lee Dassler, another volunteer at the garden, loves being there and taking in the serenity. “The garden, it’s its own sacred space. You get in a very quiet place … It reminds you to look at what’s around us.”
The garden was first curated by Bernard McLaughlin, after he married Rena Tribou in 1936. It started with trees, then a small garden, and eventually grew to almost 3 acres. The land is now run by the nonprofit McLaughlin Foundation, “formed to preserve the garden, house, and barn,” according to the McLaughlin Garden Guide.
The town of Paris and local gardeners saved the land from being sold for commercial use. “We started from square one,” Perry said. “It’s been a grassroots kind of effort.”
What: Wildflower Celebration
When: Sunday, 10-4
Where: McLaughlin Garden, South Paris
Gardening tips from Kristin Perry, McLaughlin Garden director of horticulture:
* Shop at a reputable nursery. They’ll have more information and help than a big-box store.
* Connect with an organization.
* For seedlings, spring and fall are the best times to plant.
* For containerized plants, any time of year is all right as long as they get watered.
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