Ashtyn Britt
abritt@lc.edu
For another year, Lewis and Clark Community College’s Garden Show has succeeded in drawing the eyes of visitors, students, staff, and faculty alike. The Garden Show includes thousands of different types of plants, including flowers, trees, herbs, and more. This year’s theme, being SENSE-Sational Blooms, have made a point to divide the eight garden exhibits around campus meant to entice a specific sense from those who view them. The senses that are meant to be affected include touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste. Each exhibit is also specifically named, including Say Aloe to My Little Friend, Whispering Winds, Don’t Stop Be-leafing, Come to Your Senses, Scarborough Fair, Don’t Kale My Vibe, Mirror Mirror, and It was Mint to Be. Each exhibit is placed on campus, and can be easily seen and admired as students pass them on their way to class.
SENSE-Sational Blooms is the latest theme of many Garden Shows in the past, including Bicentennial Blooms, Solar Flair, Gardens through the Looking Glass, Garden of Eatin’, Bee-Dazzled, and Menagerie in Bloom. Lewis and Clark Community College’s landscaper and gardener, Katie Piper, believes that the various activation of multiple senses makes an important impression that stands out from other themes. “What I think makes this show stand out from the rest is the interactive aspect,” says Piper. “We hope this show appeals to people of all ages and encourage them to get out into the gardens, taste the herbs and veggies and feel the different textures of the plants. This garden show is a feast for the senses literally and figuratively.”
It is not only visual plants that have been a part of this year’s garden show, but also naturally grown vegetables made available. “My favorite pocket garden is ‘Don’t Kale My Vibe’ located in the grove,” says Piper. “In this design we mixed vegetables with ornamental plants. I love that visitors can grab a snack while admiring how attractive vegetables can be. I hope this garden inspires visitors to think outside of the box when using vegetables in their home gardens.”
Piper also shares the variety of options that the general public may attend and enjoy the Garden Show. “The gardens are always open for self-guided tours with maps available at the security building. We love to give garden tours as well and that can be arranged by contacting myself at kaepiper@lc.edu or our horticultural manager Ethan Braasch at ebraasch@lc.edu.”
For any further information about the Sense-Sational Blooms Garden Show, more details are available at www.lc.edu/sense-sational/.
