Teaching Gardens
Innovators look to branch out

Stew Shearer | staff writer
sshearer@smcvt.edu

Walking between St. Edmunds and the McCarthy Arts Center a few weeks ago, you might have seen Professor Patrick Standen lecturing one of his philosophy classes in the recently opened Teaching Gardens.

“I think they’re beautiful,” Standen says. “It’s a great teachable place and it’s a place like Aristotle or Epicurus’ gardens you could easily go to and draw inspiration and examples from to illustrate philosophy or science.”

Who else digs it?

Appreciating the Gardens is not only limited to faculty members.

A student sits among the lush greenery of the Teaching Gardens. Larry Frisoli, photo

“I really like it,” sophomore Ed Griffin says , “It’s a great place if you’re studying to relax and enjoy the scenery. It’s a wonderful environment.”

“When I’m in between classes or after work sometimes it’s a good middle ground in between where I’m going so I’ll sit and listen to my voicemail or do some readings for my next class,” sophomore Alice English says.

“I have a folder that’s labeled ‘fan mail.’ We’ve gotten overwhelming responses,” cofounder Valerie Bang-Jensen, says. “People love the aesthetics of it but they also love the idea of the biology and education students working together.”

“Just about everyone finds a garden to be a pleasant space,” says Mark Lubkowitz, the projects other cofounder.

Making it happen

The construction of this space was not an easy one however. Initiated by Bang-Jensen and Lubkowitz in 2003 the project took four years to complete and had to overcome a number of obstacles.

 “I had this idea about a children's literature garden and I knew about the books but not about the plants. I knew Mark because we got here at the same time, we did our faculty orientations together,” Bang-Jensen says.

“We were the only people [working on it],” Lubkowitz says.

The pair would eventually find help in Alan Dickinson, manager of grounds at St. Michael’s College.

“He’s been a huge silent partner,” Bang-Jensen says. “We talk a lot and he does things.”

There would be much to do, the very process of finding a location would prove to be problematic.

Books in Bloom is one aspect of the Teaching Gardens which host plant life featured in some children's book. Larry Frisoli, photo

“You just can’t start digging anywhere on campus,” Lubkowitz says. “There are wires everywhere [underground] and most of the campus is off limits to digging. It wasn’t just that we had to go find a beautiful place, we had to fit it with the infrastructure on campus.”

As with most projects the issue of money also proved difficult, Lubokowitz says.

“Funding was a challenge,” Bang-Jensen says. “We needed to get books for the children’s literature part and plants and we needed to pay for labor.”

Some of the Teaching Gardens development would be funded with a grant from the faculty development committee which reserves money to further the research and projects of faculty members. Private donations would also prove valuable.

“People were always asking us ‘what do you need? I have a lot at home.’ So we sent out a wish list and people brought in what they had,” Bang-Jensen says.

The growing tendrils

Despite having completed and opened the gardens to a positive reaction, expansions are already planned, some of which have already taken place.

“We already have, just 10 days expanded both the native plants garden and the books in bloom garden and every year we label more trees on campus,” Bang-Jensen says. “We’ve been thinking of starting an international garden that’s related to the international students here that would possibly have some of the plants representing the countries they come from.”

“Down the road we want our campus to become a destination like the ECHO so that when you’re kicking around on the weekends trying to figure what to around the Burlington, area you could choose to go to St. Michael’s College,” Lubkowitz says.

Many of the considered growths have to do with involving more students. Up until now most of the students involved in the gardens have been education and biology students.

“It was part of my botany class,” says Emily Brunet, Teaching Gardens tour guide . “It was our lab for the first half of the semester.”

In the future Bang-Jensen and Lubkowitz hope to open garden related activities to all students.

“We have a program we’re going to start soon where we’re going to solicit people we’re going to call G.E.M.’s, which means Garden Education Mentors; people who want to become involved in the gardens by leading, giving tours. It will be like a club,” Bang-Jensen says .

“Just because you’re not a major why should you be excluded?” Lubkowitz says .

Labeling the plant life, including trees, flowers and bushes, is one aspect of the Teaching Gardens. Larry Frisoli, photo

This idea of inclusion and cooperation is one that Lubkowitz feels is tied closely to the project and St. Michael’s.

“When I was interviewing for this position at St. Mikes', one of the things that really appealed was that I was told that faculty are encouraged to develop as they see fit,” Lubkowitz says . “There’s many ways to be a successful faculty member and to be creative and productive and that’s encouraged. I think that two faculty members working together to create a garden is something that might not be welcome at every institution but it was here.”