Gardens
College of the Atlantic
A campus in full bloom—from community vegetables to formal garden rooms
About the Gardens
At College of the Atlantic, gardens are not ornamental afterthoughts—they are an integral part of the campus landscape and educational experience. From historic formal beds to a working community vegetable garden, these spaces offer room to reflect, grow food and flowers, study ecosystems, and honor the college’s long-standing connection to land and sustainability.
You can walk nearly the entire length of campus through cultivated gardens—each with its own story, style, and connection to students past and present.
Community Garden
Located at the north end of campus, the Community Garden has existed since COA’s very first summer session. Originally a kitchen garden, it was quickly opened to the wider Mount Desert Island community.
Today, garden plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis each spring and offer a space for collaboration between students, staff, and local residents.
Interested in a plot? Contact Suzanne Morse for more information.
Newlin Gardens
Nestled just uphill from the Community Garden, the Newlin Gardens were established in 1992 by Elizabeth Battles Newlin to honor her husband. After Elizabeth’s passing, her children extended her legacy by creating COA’s first endowed chair in botany.
These gardens honor Elizabeth Newlin’s deep love of landscape and learning. They are a peaceful place to observe native plants and the intersection of environmentalism, education, and memory.
Beatrix Farrand Garden
Designed in 1928 by the renowned landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, this garden sits just behind Kaelber Hall and features a sequence of intimate outdoor “rooms” defined by stone walls, stairs, and hedges.
The original design included formal rose beds and classic plantings typical of Farrand’s work. Several of the historic roses still bloom today, alongside carefully curated perennials that reflect her signature aesthetic.
Turrets Seaside Garden
A sunken, formal garden tucked behind The Turrets, this space offers sweeping views across Frenchman Bay to Schoodic Peninsula. Originally built in the early 20th century, the garden was restored as a senior project by Eamonn Hutton ’05, who redesigned the plantings with deer resistance and low maintenance in mind.
Today’s garden features soft tones of lavender, astilbe, fairy roses, nepeta, and Siberian iris—echoing the blue-grey palettes favored by garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. In 2009, a new granite fountain by Dan Farrenkopf ’05 was installed where a historic fountain once stood.
Sunken Garden
Built by the original owners of The Turrets, the Sunken Garden sits atop the footprint of a long-gone neighboring home. With brick paths, stone benches, and balustrades, it evokes the charm of an Italian garden.
Claire Verdier ’80 restored the neglected garden in 1980 as her senior project, planting most of the flowering shrubs still present today. In 2009, additional students reinforced the garden’s foundation and replanted the beds.
From 2015–2017, the COA Gardening Club reimagined the space as a low-maintenance, edible garden supporting both people and wildlife. Under the guidance of Yaniv Korman ’18 the garden was redesigned for ecological education, beauty, and food production.
Note: Visitors are welcome to harvest respectfully while sharing the space with others and local wildlife.
Stories from the Field
Endowment and innovation keep Bar Harbor college viable, new interim leader says
Lynn Boulger, who will serve as the College of the Atlantic’s interim president, comments to Bangor Daily News about how COA’s healthy endowment and innovative programs insulate the school from a wave of closures of small liberal arts colleges. Read More
From rare visitors to regular sightings, the bears in Acadia National Park
College of the Atlantic students and faculty will collaborate with the National Park Service and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries on a multi-year study of the bear population in Acadia National Park, The Bangor Daily News reports via Bar Harbor Story. Read More
COA students spin and knit for cancer support in global wool challenge
The College of the Atlantic Spinsters make history as the first collegiate team to compete in the international Back to Back Wool Challenge. Read More
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