In December 2008, The Garden Project, a public medicinal plant garden founded by Jennifer Strouse as part of her thesis research, received a grant from The Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation. The Lyle Center is partnering with the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy, Inc. (NHI) to develop The Garden Project. Through this project, Jennifer is integrating three fields of study, including garden design, herbal science and regenerative studies into a design style called medicinal plant landscape design (MPLD), which will be applied to the design of a 1.5 acre medicinal plant garden in Encinitas, CA.
MPLD emphasizes the restoration of human health and the maintenance of environmental harmony through practices in sustainable landscape design. The medicinal plant landscape will contain botanical plants that support the improvement of several health conditions and regenerative technologies that emphasize the conservation of water and energy. Demonstaration of landscape energy and water conservation practices in the garden will include solar powered lighting, rainwater collection, drip and low water-use irrigation, and a green roof.
Through consultation with Dr. Schecther, the director of NHI, medicinal plants will be incorporated into the landscape that aid in the restoration of body systems. The entire garden will be designed in sections defined by human physiological systems. Categories include the cardiovascular, digestive, liver, nervous, respiratory, reproductive, skin, and the musculoskeletal systems. Plants will be incorporated in each section that benefit common health conditions occurring in the body systems. A virtual garden website will be generated that provides instructions on how to harvest and process the plants, make medicine from them and how to organically maintain the garden.
The funding from The Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation will aid in the development of the "nervous system" section of the garden. Students from Cal Poly Pomona will help to design and build a counseling structure made of bamboo with a green roof. Herbs that help restore the nervous system, including passion flower and hops will grow up the sides of the structure. Other plants used to balance various nervous system conditions such as anxiety, loss of memory, depression, insomnia, headaches and stress will also be planted.
Once the nervous system garden is installed, free tours and classes will be held once a month for six months in order to promote the growth and utilization of botanical medicines and regenerative technologies. The Garden Project will be available to the public as a model for designing personalized residential health gardens in San Diego County.
