Lipscomb creating outdoor classroom and opportunities with native plant garden

Brittany Buhlig | 06/16/2009

For centuries, the way the American people have lived has negatively affected the native plant landscape. It has been discarded and turned into endless highways and suburban homes, or replaced with agricultural crops and exotic and alien landscape plants that have become invasive and destructive. As a result of this loss, Professor Mary Sledge is taking the steps necessary to preserve our native plant life with a sustainable, native landscape garden outside Ward Hall to serve as a teaching and service-learning resource for biology, education and sustainable practices students. With this native plant garden, Sledge believes the restoration of native plants to the American landscape can successfully be taught through educating the public on Lipscomb University’s campus.

Traditionally, many homeowners attempt to create a landscape that “looks” the same, regardless of their location. They do this because they grew up learning one set of plants and understandably using those plants as a frame of reference as they move about the country. As a result, these forces have created an atmosphere that emphasizes using the same plants regardless of location and changing a site to accommodate these plants, no matter what the detriment is to the landscape.

Native plant gardening, however, emphasizes selecting the plant that grows naturally at the site. Since native plants evolved to grow under local conditions, they do not require that the site be changed. They do watering (except during establishment) and they do not require fertilizer beyond that is provided naturally and they are not prone to the diseases of many industrial plants. A native garden thus provides an easily maintained, less expensive and healthier environment for homeowners.

Many opportunities will be created for faculty and students upon the completion of the Ward Native plant garden, as it will act as an outdoor classroom in more ways than one and will provide Lipscomb the opportunity to become a large influence in the community. The proposed garden includes a “council ring” large enough to seat 26 adult students, literally making it an “outdoor classroom”. This allows discussion-based class sessions and better learning opportunities for all academic departments on campus. It will serve a special purpose though for biology, education and sustainable practices students, sinceit will be planted with native plants.

The standards are high are with the Native plant Garden, as a drip irrigation system isproposed with rainwater collected from the roof of the McFarland Science Building. This system will include a rain sensor to prevent watering during rainstorms and also will use an improved drip method that waters the plants via underground water piping. It will contain an on-site composting system, an important component of a sustainable landscape and interpretive stations that will explain the benefits and uses of the irrigation system as well as plant identification labels. Some of the native plants that Dr. Sledge is providing are Southern Magnolias, Azaleas, Spider Lilies, Cumberland Rosemarys and so many more.

“This past fall of 2008, students in the Fundamentals of Biology course were taught in a service-learning course and they learned the importance of native plants and sustainable landscapes,” said Dr. Mary Sledge, Associate Professor of Biology. “These students, with the native garden, will be offered hands-on learning and practice that they can use as future homeowners.”

Not only does Sledge feel the garden will be a great learning tool for students, but for area teachers, homeowners and kids as well. “The Ward Hall Native Garden will offer numerous avenues for outreach to K-12 schools and the local community,” said Sledge. “A long-term goal of this project is to apply for grants offered by the U.S. Department of Education to conduct summer workshops to educate K-12 teachers how to establish their own native landscape/outdoor classrooms.”

The Ward Hall Garden will serve as a model outdoor classroom to these teachers and help bring in money for the grants and Lipscomb. The recognition that comes with this will allow Lipscomb to assist K-12 schools in establishing their own native gardens. It could also make Lipscomb the focus of an annual native plants sale, where teachers or homeowners could come to purchase plants for their own native garden. “This would provide an opportunity for the public to visit our campus and to see firsthand a sustainable, native landscape, helping community members to envision their own garden,” says Sledge.

“The Ward Hall Native Garden has the potential to enhance the beauty of the Lipscomb University campus while providing educational benefits to our students, and providing multiple opportunities for positive community involvement,” said Sledge.

As construction on the garden begins, endless amounts of opportunities and options are coming into perspective. With such a groundbreaking new garden, Lipscomb will continue to be a major force in sustainability for the Nashville community.