The Healing Garden
The healing garden is an old-fashioned apothecary garden, created in 2018 as part of the Biodynamic Botanic Garden based at the Rachel Carson Centre which houses the garden offices and dispensary.
We welcome herbal medicine students and interested members of the public to visit, volunteer and learn.
The herb beds are as far as possible arranged by plant family, so that it is possible to see the similarities and differences in botany between related species. This is especially useful for studying certain species which can be hard to tell apart!
Medical herbalist Kirsten Hartvig is director of the Healing Garden.
The Biodynamic Botanic Garden at Emerson College
The whole 22-acre gardens are registered as a botanic garden with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).
We use biodynamic gardening principles and have Demeter organic and biodynamic certification.
We have several plants of particular interest, including two ‘Champion trees’ - a Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Squarrosa Sulphurea’ (which is the Britain and Ireland Champion for both girth and height) and a pandora cherry which is county champion for girth - the second largest in the Britain.
The Emerson Vegetable Gardens
The Emerson vegetable gardens grow fresh organic and biodynamic produce for college meals and for the wider community. There is also a regular garden pop-up-shop where students and visitors can buy fresh seasonal produce from the garden.
A large glasshouse has recently been built after a successful fundraising campaign, which will enable the production of more delicate crops.
See more about the garden and other Emerson events here:
The purpose of the Healing Garden is to
unite botany and herbal medicine with biodynamics,
to create a peaceful inspirational forum
for learning, healing and conservation while
promoting health and wellbeing for all living beings.
