Beauty in Bloom
22
gnes Scott College is known for its majestic trees, but on a small plot of land on E. Dougherty Street across from the Bullock Science Center is another illustration of nature’s beauty on its campus. There sits an organic garden, full of color and life, flourishing without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Those who rarely venture on the campus’ south side may not know this special treasure exists. The journey to the current garden began when the Center for Sustainability and a group of staff and faculty volunteers constructed the raised beds on the sunny patio behind Winship Hall and planted the first seeds during the May 2009 Community Day. One of the center’s first
sustainability fellows, Justine Schwartz ’10, took on the task of moving the raised beds to the more prominent location where they now sit. And a summer intern in the center, Leah Bryant ’13, worked nonstop through heat and mosquitos to bring the garden to its highest level of productivity until Lois Turner Swords ’77 was brought on staff as the college’s garden manager. Different plants are always growing in the garden, and they change with the seasons. This fall it featured beds of zinnias, marigolds, lemon balm, red clover, Tuscan basil, tulsi (holy) basil, Mexican sunflowers and volunteer tomatoes. Blueberry, elderberry, coneflower, rudbeckia, bee balm and calendula have been planted within the past year.
