On the University of Maine campus in Orono, this botanical garden and research center combines public display with horticultural study. Founded in the early 1960s by horticulture professor Lyle E. Littlefield, it developed as both a permanent collection of woody and herbaceous ornamental plants and a place to evaluate them. Its holdings grew to more than 2,500 plants, especially crabapples, lilacs, rhododendrons, and magnolias. The public garden is open year-round, while research areas support ongoing study. Together with the nearby Roger Clapp Greenhouses, which house more than 200 species of tropical and desert plants, the site serves research, teaching, and public education.