Scent Garden Grows

This past season, Glenwood Gardens underwent a few changes. One of the changes I am most proud of is an upgrade to the Scent Garden in Highfield Discovery Garden. It was a project that was only possible because of the support of our amazing volunteers.

Scent Garden, Area 1, Before & After

The project began with a community grant from United Plant Savers. The grant funded the creation of three new areas in the Scent Garden: one for medicinal plants, one for culinary plants and one for native/scented plants. The goal was to make a place where people of all ages could learn about these plants and develop a lasting appreciation for nature.

The first major step of the process took place on June 5, 2015, when Great Parks’ volunteers and staff came together for a prep day. Volunteers helped with activities such as transporting compost, amending the soil, transplanting plants, removing old structures and weeding, just to name a few. The second major step occurred on June 12, when volunteers helped with the actual installation of the new plants. On this day, the planting was completed and the wood chip path that meanders through the medicinal plant area was created.

Just a few days after the project was complete, our new upgrades were already being put to use educating people about plants. Visiting school groups, as well as park guests, were out in the Scent Garden discovering the medicinal qualities of plants, learning to identify them and finding out how they are used in teas. It was very rewarding to see how quickly these upgrades were being utilized. In the end, the hard work and dedication of volunteers helped to create a space for people of all ages to experience and learn about nature for years to come!

Doug Stevenson, Naturalist, Glenwood Gardens