The design for the children's garden at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is ready and waiting for funds to start construction. Anticipation for this highly imaginative, multi-faceted attraction is intense. Now, thanks to a challenge grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, this major project at Maine's first and only botanical garden is a giant step closer to becoming a reality.

If donors contribute a total of $1.5 million, the Foundation will match all cash gifts, dollar for dollar, up to $1.5 million. Staff members and volunteers, including Robbie Roberts, president of the board of directors; past-president John Giles, who chairs the Capital Campaign Committee; and Ray Egan, chair of the Leadership Gifts Committee, are mustering all the non-profit organization's resources to succeed in raising these funds. With construction scheduled to begin this season and incentives built into the terms of the challenge, the sooner the funds are raised, the better.

"To receive this challenge from one of Maine's largest foundations is fabulous news, but we need to earn it," says Giles. "We're confident that the prospect of this exciting garden, and the idea of the enjoyment and educational opportunities children and their families will derive from it, will encourage people to contribute and help us meet the challenge.

"This is a major boost to the current Planting a Living Legacy campaign and will enable the timely completion of one of the finest children's gardens in the world. We cannot forget, however, that while meeting this challenge is critical for securing the grant and building the children's garden on schedule, we need additional campaign funds to complete this and other areas of the Gardens."

Of the amount raised through the Harold Alfond Foundation challenge grant, $500,000 will go into a dedicated endowment for programs and maintenance associated with the garden.

The design of The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden, as it will be officially named, is largely the work of renowned landscape architect Herb Schaal of EDAW in Fort Collins, Colorado. Schaal, a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects, has created numerous award-winning children's garden designs in his illustrious career, but the one at the Gardens in Boothbay is perhaps his most impressive and ambitious to date.

The garden is planned around the theme of children's literature, but with a Maine accent. Works by beloved authors with a connection to the state - E.B. White, Barbara Cooney, Robert McCloskey and many others - will be represented with features such as a giant spider's web ( Charlotte's Web ), a lupine meadow ( Miss Rumphius ), and blueberry islands ( Blueberries for Sal ). Each facet of the garden will present a way for children to learn while they play and interact with nature in a safe environment.

The Children's Garden also contains a special learning area that will offer children and others the chance to have fun while digging in the dirt and learning how to garden, from sowing seeds to harvesting plants. There will be plenty of hands-on learning opportunities specifically planned to appeal to children. The late Bibby Alfond was known for her love of gardens and gardening; and she and her husband, the late Harold Alfond, began a tradition of supporting youth programs that the Harold Alfond Foundation continues today.

Executive Director Maureen Heffernan, who worked with Schaal to create the Hershey Children's Garden while she was at the Cleveland Botanical Garden, recognizes the importance of meeting the Alfond challenge. "This grant is an economic catalyst for the region and the state," she explains. "The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden will attract tens of thousands of visitors to the Gardens yearly. We're extremely grateful to the Alfond family, and we guarantee that we will build a children's garden that will make them, as well as our members and visitors, proud and will be beloved by all ages."

The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden and the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, the exceptional sensory garden under construction and opening in 2009, are the major components of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens' Phase II construction. Other aspects of this phase are the expansion of the Shoreland Garden of Native Plants, the lengthening of the trail that follows much of the Gardens' mile-long waterfront, a waterfall in the Giles Rhododendron & Perennial Garden, extensive perennial beds in the Cleaver Event Lawn & Garden, and additional plantings in the Central Gardens.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens celebrated its grand opening season in 2007. More than 40,000 visitors explored the ornamental gardens and waterfront and woodland trails on the 248-acre property. They discovered the fine art exhibits, as well as the top-quality Kitchen Garden Café and Gift Shop in the Visitor Center. They reveled in special events, from the annual Hidden Treasures House & Garden Tour to the Maine Fairy House Festival that drew 1,000 visitors during each of its three days. They enjoyed the Kitchen Garden Series of dinners and demonstrations and participated in record numbers in educational programs for all ages. Even more events and programs are on the schedule for 2008.

Already popular with the younger set are the Gardens' many intriguing and entertaining classes, the shorefront Fairy House Village where children can construct homes for the wee folk, and weekly Storytime in the Forest sessions. With a helping hand from highly skilled planners and educators, The Bibby and Harold Alfond Children's Garden will enable the gardeners of the future to experience the best of Nature through exploration, learning - and fun.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, open 9-5 daily year-round, is on Barters Island Road, just 10 miles from Route One and a mile from the Boothbay common. The entire region is rich in scenic beauty and history and has a broad array of restaurants and lodgings. Boothbay Harbor, known for its numerous attractions, including boat trips, is a couple of miles from the Gardens.

To learn more about the new Children's Garden, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in general, and the schedule of events and programs, call 207-633-4333, or visit www.mainegardens.org.

Gifts of all sizes towards the Harold Alfond Foundation Challenge Grant will be gratefully accepted. Any donors who would like to learn about naming opportunities may call Executive Director Maureen Heffernan at (207) 633-4333. Donations can be made on the Gardens' web site, mainegardens.com ; in person at the Visitor Center; by sending a check to the Gardens, payable to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Challenge Grant, at P.O. Box 234, Boothbay, Maine 04537; or by calling the Gardens with a credit card number at (207) 633-4333.