Medicinal
and botanical gardens hidden URI treasures
A large pergola circles around some
of the plants whose home is in the Botanical Gardens. URI photo by Nora Lewis.
The University of Rhode Island
Kingston Campus is home to numerous historic buildings, picturesque study spots
and some less well-known spaces that make it unique.
Two of those hidden treasures are
the medicinal and botanical gardens, each with its own unique beauty and plant
species. Both are open to the public, and are enjoyed by students, faculty,
staff and those from surrounding communities looking for a break from the
frenetic pace of daily life.
Depending on the time of year, visitors can enjoy colorful displays of flowering plants.
Depending on the time of year, visitors can enjoy colorful displays of flowering plants.
A meticulously cared for garden
located between Woodward and Tyler Halls is framed on the west side by a glass
wall that depicts images of cells under a microscope.
At night, the wall is illuminated, but when the sun is shining, the focus is on the Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Plant Garden, a central part of the College of Pharmacy and its Paramaz Avedisian ‘54 Hall.
At night, the wall is illuminated, but when the sun is shining, the focus is on the Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Plant Garden, a central part of the College of Pharmacy and its Paramaz Avedisian ‘54 Hall.
The medicinal garden lies between Woodward, Paramaz Avedisian ‘54 and Tyler Halls. URI photo by Nora Lewis.
The garden is used for research and
teaching, and it contains more than 200 medicinal plants, 500 ornamental
plants, birch trees, sodded areas, walkways and benches shaped like birch
leaves. From Salvia officinalis (sage) to Humulus lupulus (whose flowers
produce hops) the garden has an impressive range of plants.
Friends of the Heber Youngken Jr.
Medicinal Garden are responsible for its maintenance and care. A group of five
or six volunteers, directed by J. Peter Morgan, head gardener, work year round
to maintain and preserve the garden’s beauty and its role as a research center.
Once a plant is deemed to no longer be hearty, like sugar cane in the winter, volunteers harvest and transport that and other plants to a nearby greenhouse.
Once a plant is deemed to no longer be hearty, like sugar cane in the winter, volunteers harvest and transport that and other plants to a nearby greenhouse.
From its creation decades ago, the
garden has played an important role in the College of Pharmacy’s position as a
national center for research on natural products. Youngken, the first dean of
the College of Pharmacy, was a leader in the application of natural products
and plant-based remedies to pharmacy.
Navindra Seeram, professor in the
Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of
Pharmacy, who is internationally renowned for his research into the health
benefits of berries and compounds found in pure maple syrup, uses the gardens
when teaching general education courses and courses for pharmacy students.
“The garden provides students with
the opportunity to familiarize themselves with botanicals they see in current
practice. For example, some plants housed in the garden, like garlic or
cranberries, are used as botanical dietary supplements to maintain and promote
the health of consumers,” said Seeram.
Some of the plants blooming in the
Botanical Gardens. URI photo by Nora Lewis.
“Also in the garden, students can
see plants that are the source of drugs or plants that usually grow only in
tropical environments. The medicinal gardens provide a real life opportunity
for students to connect what they are learning in the classroom to the
discovery of drugs in nature.”
The medicinal gardens were
originally located outside Ranger Hall and made the move to Fogarty Hall, which
became the College of Pharmacy’s home in 1964. In 2013 the garden was reopened
in its current location thanks in part to an endowment from the Rhode Island
State Council on the Arts.
Up the hill to the east on Greenhouse Road is a 4.5 acre showcase for sustainable plants and landscape practices called the Botanical Gardens. A premier location for photos of big events, from proms to weddings, the gardens have had a home on the Kingston Campus since the 1960s.
They began as a test site where
shrubs were evaluated for home, garden and landscape use. Conifers were
collected and flower seeds were planted every year.
This led to the establishment of the garden as it is today. In 1992, URI Cooperative Extension collaborated with the Rhode Island Nursery Association to create a multi-use garden where landscape architects could bring their clients to visualize what mature landscapes and plants look like.
This led to the establishment of the garden as it is today. In 1992, URI Cooperative Extension collaborated with the Rhode Island Nursery Association to create a multi-use garden where landscape architects could bring their clients to visualize what mature landscapes and plants look like.
One of the garden’s features is the
outdoor classroom, which was designed and built by 1979 URI graduate John
Manchester, a landscape architecture major. Once the weather gets nice,
students from the College of the Environment and Lifes Sciences, artists and
friends gather in the botanical gardens for learning or relaxing.
The URI Master Gardener Program is a
vital supporter of the botanical gardens. Each Monday morning, volunteers and
students help maintain the area as a teaching tool.
“Our core group of between five and
eight volunteers have been working hard this first year to bring the botanical
gardens back to their fullest glory,” explained Thomas Hoagland, URI Master
Gardener project leader.
“Although we have been weeding and
pruning this first year, we will soon be replanting, labeling the existing
plants and restoring the original designs. Hopefully by next year we can resume
monthly evening tours, invite the public and accomplish the educational
outreach that is vital to the mission of the Master Gardener Program,” said
Hoagland.
“This year both the URI Master Gardener Program’s annual plant sale and the Volunteer Recognition Event will be held under a tent in the garden so that is a major motivator for the team.”
“This year both the URI Master Gardener Program’s annual plant sale and the Volunteer Recognition Event will be held under a tent in the garden so that is a major motivator for the team.”
Additionally, two horticulture
students work full time to maintain the beauty that lies within URI’s Botanical
Gardens.
Olivia Ross, an intern in the
Marketing and Communications Department at URI and public relations major,
wrote this press release.