BOOTHBAY (AP) – Maine’s only botanical garden is about to get a little bigger.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay opens its newest garden to the public on Friday. The one-acre Lerner Garden of the Five Senses is described as an interactive garden that aims to appeal to the senses.

Visitors are invited to taste some plants, take off their shoes and feel the moss under their feet, and smell the various flowers and herbs. The garden is named for Dan and Lynn Lerner, who made a major gift to build the sensory garden.

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, now in its third year of operation, is located on a peaceful 248-acre plot on the edge of a tidal river that flows into the Atlantic.

AP-ES-06-19-09 0530EDT