On this sunny Wednesday morning we ventured out of the Orchard Garden and to the beautiful UBC botanical garden. Most of us had not been to the botanical gardens before but we are glad to have this experience now before our time at UBC comes to an end (it is free admission for UBC students with your student card). The garden follows a windy network of paths, in which you are surrounded by lots of lush greenery and flowers blooming with the rain and sun combination over the last week or so. Susan and Madison both commented on how different the garden looked today compared to their recent visit a couple weeks ago. We also loved the scents of the flowers filling the air and the active hummingbirds playing around in the trees above us.
During our visit we were particularly interested in the Physic Garden. ‘Physic’ is an ancient Greek word that originally meant ‘natural’. This special section of the botanical garden is dedicated to the cultivation and display of medicinal plants, giving us a glimpse into the historical and contemporary uses of many plants for health and healing. It was interesting to learn and reflect on the evolution of medicine over time and the significance of these plants in many cultures. Each plant in the garden is labeled with its common and scientific name and provides information about the medicinal properties and historical uses. As you walk around the garden you may encounter familiar herbs like lavender known for its claiming properties. Most of the plants I did not recognize such as lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, which helps to treat respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma. While all plants in the Physic Garden contained medicinal properties, some you need to watch out for more than others due to their poisonous nature. Overall, it was a great experience walking around the garden and was a good reminder of the incredible potential the plants around us hold for health and well being. So, if you have a free couple of hours we highly recommend wandering over to UBC botanical garden, you won’t be disappointed!
For the afternoon we returned to do some hands-on work in the Orchard Garden. It is starting to look pretty spiffy, as we prepare the garden to welcome visitors for the upcoming solstice event. There are (almost) no thistles to be found! Although the morning glory and buttercups are another story so we spent time continuing our weeding frenzy for much of the afternoon. We finished the day by putting some logs around one of the garden beds to make it look nice and tidy. It was a lovely day in the UBC gardens, although some shade is becoming necessary with the turned up heat!
- Andrea
No comments:
Post a Comment