“Your enjoyment of wildflowers and other plants should make an important contribution to your feeling at home on this planet. We are growing increasingly aware that our ability to function well as individuals, and as members of social groups, depends to a large extent on our sense of belonging. At a time when social changes are bewilderingly rapid and uncertain, familiarity with the natural environment – especially when enhanced by field work with plants – provides a valuable anchor in reality. In addition, of course, your field work can be a source of endless pleasure because it deals with the beauty of nature.”
– Roland C. Clement, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide
Contact/Services
Campo di Fiori is located in the small town of Bowdoinham, Maine, known for its unique and beautiful natural surroundings as well as an abundance of small organic farms and a diversity of artisans and craftsmen. Our nursery/farm is situated on and surrounded by 140 acres of conservation land, held by Maine Farmland Trust, providing a beautiful rural backdrop and natural inspiration.
Visit us at:
212 Fisher Rd, Bowdoinham, ME 04008
Email: andrewfiorigardener@gmail.com
Facilities and Assistance
The parking area is immediately to the right as one pulls into the drive. This area is relatively confined, accommodating only 4-5 cars, and with display gardens abutting, so please be careful and try to park as orderly as possible. We are a home-based business with no public infrastructure and do not have public restrooms. Sorry for the inconvenience. If nobody seems to be here to help you navigate the nursery please resoundingly ring the black bell on the nursery building and they will promptly appear.
Consultation
We offer on-site consultation services. Whether you are a new landowner or struggle to make sense of a difficult piece of property or a particular planting, we can help you interpret and understand the characteristics of your land and provide a plethora of unique ideas on how to manage it and enhance its usefulness and beauty. If the landowner chooses, a written consultation is available with a synopsis of the design/maintenance ideas and various plant species/varieties suggested or identified during the onsite consultation. Many people have found a short one-hour consultation enough to open their minds and to start engaging with their land in a nurturing and productive way. Any potential mistakes typically made by a beginning gardener/landowner are adverted resulting in is less time, resources, and money wasted. Please contact us for more information concerning fees.
Design and Construction
Design, whether in the gardens of our full-time clients, our display gardens, or new projects, never leaves our mind and we continue to develop and refine our pallet and technique every season. Good candidates for projects are those with recently disturbed ground to be revegetated, or lawn. Our goal is to leave already existing natural areas intact. Of course, the client would also have to be committed to the principles and pallet of naturalistic planting design. Though we use many native plants in our work and are deeply inspired by natural habitats, we do not practice ecological restoration in its purest sense, which here in Maine would most often entail the re-establishment of native forests. To provide ample time for the planning process it is essential the client contact us a season, or at least the winter prior. If large enough, new projects are priced wholesale.
Once a garden has been installed, an ongoing process is initiated, and we continue to work with the client through both information sharing and onsite help to provide them with the necessary support for their garden to become a success. Gardening is a collaboration with living things, a process of working with, as the garden is fine-tuned to the environmental constraints inherent to the space and the particular aesthetic tastes of the client. This involves a sensitive and intelligent reading of the garden environment to best determine its character and the plants most suitable ecologically and aesthetically, the first step in a life-long process of coming to understand the space and how best to work with it to enhance its beauty and productivity. Three years is the average period needed for a planting of herbaceous plants to actualize the fullness of the intended design. This time frame is also largely determined by the quality of care a planting receives.
Plant Replacement Policy
For retail sales, we do not replace any plants that have not survived on a customer’s property while under their care. For wholesale design projects, the client will need to understand the degree of risk involved in establishing a new planting, and that even with the designer’s best assessment of plant suitability, loss is always a possibility. This may be due to improper plant choice by the designer, improper management by the client, or a combination of both. In general, the more a client is part of the planting and management process, the more they are held responsible for the conditions of their garden. If all of one variety of plant has died and no other plants of other varieties have, this is a good indication the plant was not right for the location and thus the designer will replace it with another variety of plant for half the cost. If several plants of several varieties planted and managed by the client do not overwinter, this will be considered improper management by the client (or a very difficult winter) and all replacements will be paid for by them. Variations in these situations may arise and will have to be assessed individually based on these basic guidelines. We try to remain as flexible as possible.
Hours
May – July, Friday – Sunday, 9-5 Opening day varies year to year. Visit nursery news for the latest updates.
Aug. – mid-September (2nd weekend), Saturday & Sunday, 10-4.
Mid-September – Oct. 15 – email to arrange a visit (we begin cutting back potted plants at this time)
The Google posting on the internet does not show accurate hours, IGNORE IT. We also no longer have a landline phone so email is the only option! Sorry for any inconvenience.
Please be aware that some years in early fall we sometimes close the nursery early due to low customer turn-out. Though no longer holding regular hours the nursery does remain open by appointment to those looking to buy plants or tour the gardens. Unfortunately, we have no staff to cover our absence. If you are traveling from afar it is best to email first. Visit nursery news for any schedule changes. Thanks for being flexible and we look forward to seeing you!