Evergreen's Teaching Gardens

Since 1995, The Evergreen State College has been creating teaching gardens to foster environmental and cultural education. Through these gardens we have committed to:

• use no pesticides or chemical fertilizers
• use non-invasive species with an emphasis on natives
• reduce lawns and existing invasive plantings
• use post-consumer recycled materials when possible
• foster cross-cultural understanding especially with regard to First Peoples

We currently tend or plan to create:

The Longhouse Ethnobotanical Garden: (1995 - On-going)
Surrounding the "Welcome House" Longhouse, natives plants arranged by habitat and labeled with local Indigenous language names.

"Gifts of the First People" Gardens on the Skokomish Indian Reservation: (1995 - On-going)
Created in collaboration with Skokomish Traditional Leader, subiyay - Bruce Miller. Includes multiple gardens: Woodland Trail, Puget Prairie, Wetlands, Ecotones, Dye Garden, Ceremonial Garden, Culinary Herb Garden, Traditional Foods Gardens, and the "sayuyay" Medicinal Plant Circle.

Red Square Native Plant Demonstration Garden: (2000)
Demonstrates the virtues of utilizing native plants.

Waterwise Pollinator Garden: (2003)
Raising consciousness about the importance of bugs and other pollinators.

Post-Glacial Forest: (2004)
A forest in this region at the end of the last Ice Age.

Prairie Roof Garden : (2004)
A prairie of indigenous food plants and native medicine plants from local prairies.

Roof Gardens: (2004)
Gardens of succulents and other plants located on the new Seminar II building.

Laurasian Landscape: (2004 - In progress)
With related plants from North America and Eurasia this garden creates a means to learn about how continental drift and land bridges influence plant speciation.

Medicinal Herb Garden at the Organic Farm: ( 2004)
Medieval and Renaissance European medicinal herbs.

Deer Knot Garden: (Planned for 2005)
Theoretically composed of plants resistant to deer browse. Plants attractive to deer, like clover, will also be included to find a solution for a problem that puts many a gardener in knots.

Basket Garden : (Planned for 2006)
To provide basket-making materials available for Tribal artists who struggle to obtain enough plant material to keep traditional arts alive. We hope to collaborate with local tribal artists. We also intend to grow harvestable material used in traditional European basketmaking arts.

Northwest Rainforest Medicine Trail : (Planned for 2008)
Features native healing plants growing wild in the woods.

Herbicide-free Lawns: (Existing)
A demonstration of beauty without poison.

Western Woods : (Existing)
A celebration of soft and hardwood trees in the parking lot