WAYNESBORO– The Institute announces a spring series of small-group garden talks, held on four Tuesdays in May from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Civil War era garden adjacent to Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum. The programs are free and open to the public.
The topics are as follows:
• May 2: Planting an Herbal Container Garden
• May 9: How to Design and Install Raised Beds in Your Backyard
• May 16: Medicinal Uses of Herbs in the Garden at Monterey Pass
• May 23: How to Create Natural Dyes from Herbs & Plants
The talks are conducted by Pam Hind Rowland, The Institute’s director of education and an accomplished gardener.
“Although we will be talking within our Civil War era garden, most of the information will apply to anyone’s home garden,” Rowland said. “We’ll move about the garden to illustrate some of the topics discussed.”
In the May 16 program, guest speaker Greg Susla will discuss the medicinal uses of herbs during the Civil War. A retired pharmacist and a master gardener, Susla has extensive experience with the medicinal herb garden at the Pry House on Antietam Battlefield, and with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He will talk about the medicinal applications of various plants grown and their uses during the 19th century.
The historic garden was created in partnership with the Friends of the Battle of Monterey Pass, based on extensive research. It is used as an educational tool for area school children and for visitors to Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum.
“The garden is an interpretation of a Civil War-era garden, not a literal reproduction,” said Rowland. “In addition to traditional vegetables, 19th-century gardens often included a variety of herbs, used for both medicinal and culinary purposes.”
The 25-by-28-foot garden is enclosed by a period style wooden fence. With six raised beds and one 24-foot-long bed, the plantings will change from year to year, always with an eye to reflecting period gardens.
Institute garden volunteers and Blue Ridge Garden Club members maintain the garden throughout the season.
The programs are free but space is limited and pre-registration is required. Register online at www.natureandcultureinstitute.org. Participants should wear shoes appropriate for being inside the garden. Seating is not available but attendees may bring a chair.
This program is produced in partnership with Friends of Monterey Pass Battlefield. It is underwritten in part by grants from the M&T Charitable Foundation, Younger Toyota and by Marge Kiersz, Lucinda D. Potter, CPA, and SEK CPAs & Advisors. Additional support from The Institute’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation and the Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin. Facility support courtesy of Monterey Pass Battlefield Museum and Washington Township.
The garden was established by The Institute with support from M&T Charitable Foundation, Younger Toyota and in-kind support from GRC General Contractor, Inc.
