“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. The Fiori family – Andrew, Melissa, Cassidy, Aiden, and Sebastian. Visit us at:
212 Fisher Rd, Bowdoinham, ME 04008
Phone: Call (207) 666-8419
Email: andrewfiorigardener at gmail.com
Facilities and Assistance
The parking area is immediate 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 unfortunately 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 simply struggle to make sense of a difficult piece of property or particular planting, we are able to help you interpret and understand the characteristics of your land and provide a plethora of unique ideas on how to manage it and hopefully enhance its usefulness and beauty. If the landowner so chooses, a written consultation is available with a synopsis of the design/maintenance ideas and various plant species/varieties suggested or identified. Many people have found a short one-hour consultation enough to open their mind 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 and the result is less time, resources, and money wasted. Please contact us for more information.
Design and Construction
Design, whether in the gardens of our full-time clients, our own display gardens, or new projects, never leaves our mind and we continue to develop and refine our pallet and technique every season. Though we actively create new gardens every season, one particular difficulty, and the most defining factor which limits this, is accessibility to the right quantity and quality of plant material. Since we are committed to producing our own stock, many plants which cannot be found elsewhere, and since we are a very small nursery, we are limited in the number of new gardens we can create each year. 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, a process has been 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. This involves a sensitive and intelligent reading of a space so as 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 so as to enhance its beauty and productivity. Three years is the average span of time needed for a planting of primarily 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 which have not survived on a customer’s property while under their care. For wholesale and design projects, the client will need to understand the degree of risk involved in establishing a new planting, and 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 plant for half the cost. If only a few plants of either one variety or a mix have died over winter, the customer will assume the full cost of replacement. 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 from year to year
Aug. – mid-September (2nd weekend), Saturday & Sunday, 10-4.
Mid-September – Oct. 15 – call to arrange a visit (we begin cutting back potted plants at this time)
The Google posting on the internet does not show accurate hours, for we are not affiliated with this. Sorry for any confusion.
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 call ahead. Please visit nursery news for any change in schedule. Thanks for being flexible and we look forward to seeing you!