In the Garden

By Pat Naughton “Look, but don’t touch” is something you won’t hear from a mother’s mouth at the Discovery Garden, one of several gardens in Brunswick County Botanical Gardens. In the Discovery Garden, visitors young and old are encouraged to experience nature with all senses. This year Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Lisa Schrager has added several things for children to experience. There are four bottle trees that display types of leaf patterns. A raised bed offers a chance to touch and smell aromatic herbs of lavender, tarragon, basil, and oregano. All these herbs do well in containers.

There is a new maze of stone paths that lead to a vine-covered tunnel. After all that exploring, there are small chairs for the children to take a break.

The Discovery Garden is the largest of the sixteen gardens in the botanical garden. The size of the garden didn’t deter Schrager. She’s been an Extension Master Gardener Volunteer for three years and has been tending to the Discovery Garden for two years. In addition to being curator of the Discovery Garden, she is also part of the plant propagation team.

You can experience the all the gardens at the Botanical Garden open house from 9 a.m. till noon on Oct. 23. There will be guides at each garden which include the Azalea, Rose, Pollinator, Southern Live Oak, Shady Native, Discovery, Fragrance, Celebration, Edible, Rain, Welcome, Native Meadow, Curb Appeal, MicroClimate, Containers, and Reflection gardens. Plants from the plant propagation team will also be for sale.

The Brunswick Botanical Gardens are located at the Brunswick County Government Center near the Extension Building on 25 Referendum Drive. Bring the kids and turn them loose to experience nature. For more information about the Botanical Gardens, go to bcmastergardenerva.org/brunswickcounty-botanical-garden/. To see videos of each garden, go to the YouTube channel Brunswick County Botanical Gardens: youtube.com/channel/ UC15Z_QPup3GDUePqQXXoZvA/ videos.

A rest stop and raised bed herb garden enliven the Discovery Garden in Brunswick County’s Botanical Gardens.

Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Lisa Schrager, curator of Brunswick County’s Discovery Garden, shows the decussate leaf arrangement.