Garden Updates #6

Last Friday (March 24th) some of my advisors started digging up dirt, so that they could start building the garden. Unfortunately, they ran into the roots of the mesquite tree and had to stop construction. Today, they brought in an expert arborist to assess the issue and let us know if it was okay to continue. My advisors were worried about the possibility of accidentally killing the tree, but Claud, the arborist, let us know that it was okay to proceed. In the far future, we might run into problems with the tree's roots breaking the foundation of our raised garden (since we were going to build the garden with cinder blocks), but we could just trim the roots if needed. It's definitely a good thing that the tree won't actually be an issue, so we can continue with the garden plans as is and not have to redesign.

Succulents

Today Ariane went to Home Depot to buy supplies for the garden. While she was there, she also purchased some succulents. I'm hoping to have the garden done before Earth Day, because the EEC hosts a big event that day, so we got the succulents now to start propagating. Hopefully we'll have a lot of them for the garden eventually, but I don't think we will be able to get grown succulents by Earth Day. This will still be a fun experiment! I can't wait to see them start growing.

The Budget

Before I started my internship, the EEC applied for a federal grant to fund the garden. Last week, we found out that we actually did not get the grant, so now our budget is down to $500. To make up for the lost budget, one of my advisors, Daniella, sent me a list of email addresses to ask around for plant donations. After emailing everyone, I got a few responses. Cathy Rymer, the water conservation coordinator for the city of Chandler responded first and offered a Superstition Mallow, which is now sitting in the EEC's office. And U of A's community garden program coordinator, Marina Acosta, told me she will not be able to donate transplants, but she offered to donate seeds. I have yet to pick them up, though.

Today I had a meeting with my advisors, Daniella and Ariane. We discussed garden plans and budgeting. We figured out a design for the garden, which has changed since the last post I made about the garden. It will no longer be in the corner, as I described. Instead it will be along the west fence so that some of the plants can get more shade and others can get more sun. Also, the space between the tree and the fence isn't that wide, so we would have had to sacrifice either garden space or walking space. Right now I'm drawing up a rough draft of how the garden will be organized. I will post the final plan later on.

Garden Updates #5

A few weeks ago, I said that the sensory garden was going to be along one side of the fence surrounding the demonstration garden, but there's been a change of plans. Instead, we are going to put the garden in the northwest corner (as shown in the picture on the right). Putting the sensory garden in this corner will allow the garden to be more encompassing and also be better for the plants, since they will have some shade to protect them from the afternoon sun, especially in the upcoming summer. Also, since we have the tree to utilize, I was thinking about hanging wind chimes or bird feeders. The tree will also make the garden more enjoyable because visitors won't have to be under the direct light of the sun.

Research: Initial Thoughts and Re-evaluations

Although I am already in week six of my overall project, I am still refining my scope and figuring out what exactly I'm going to present. Initially, since the internship provided such a great opportunity with building a sensory garden, I was going to do my research on the garden itself: how to pick the plants, how to take care of them, etc. It was more of a "come along with me and let's build a garden" type project, and I was going to focus on botany. But now that I've been doing so much reading into the processes behind sensory gardens and the application/usage of the gardens, I want to refocus my project towards analyzing how a sensory garden works (the chemical and biological processes), who it can benefit (its affects on people with various sensory integration disorders), and why it works (the greater relationship between people and nature). The re-evaluation of my project made me realize that there are much larger implications and opportunities for learning from the creation and usage of sensory gardens.

I am splitting my research into three categories with two subcategories each:

1. The scientific basis behind sensory gardens: chemical and biological processes involved in the interactions between people and plants

2. The application and usage of sensory gardens: physiological and psychological benefits of sensory gardens for all people (with an emphasis on sensory integration and modulation disorders)

3. The broader relations between humans and nature: philosophical and evolutionary theories connecting the changes in our relationship with nature to changes in culture

Research: The Biophilia Hypothesis

Earlier this week I started looking into "biophilia," the love of life (nature). There's a great book I found for my research called The Biophilia Hypothesis (1995), which is a collection of essays attempting to prove the "biophilia hypothesis," a theory developed by Edward O. Wilson claiming that humans have an innate love of nature or attraction to nature that may be a result of our biology. The Biophilia Hypothesis was actually a response to Wilson's Biophilia (1986), a memoir exploring humanity's connection with nature and conservation ethics. Although both books focus mostly on animals, I thought it would be a good source, because it connects the focus of my research project with the bigger picture of peoples interactions with the greater natural world.

Sensory gardens, and the effects of these gardens on our well-being are, in a way, more concentrated microcosms reflecting the same kind of relationship between humans and nature as described in Biophilia and The Biophilia Hypothesis. And although these are just theories, they provide a good jumping-off point for further research into how nature affects people.

Camp and Garden Updates (#4)

This week and the next are camp week. Since it's spring break, there's a bunch of little kids running around the EEC. It's not a bother, since I mostly close myself off in a classroom to do my work and research, but I just thought I'd mention camp. I'm especially excited though, because there is going to be a pancake breakfast next Thursday.

Later today, I'm going to set a meeting with my on-site advisors (one of them doesn't come in until 10:30) for later on this week (hopefully) to discuss which plants we are going to buy. Looking over my list again, I'm not really happy with the selections. I think they could be better and more interesting, but it's difficult with the limited stock available in Arizona. I'm also having trouble staggering the bloom times, since the nurseries right now are mostly just carrying plants that bloom in spring. I need to find more winter and fall-blooming plants.

Purchasing Plants

This week I sent my on-site advisors a list of plants I want to get for the garden. It's got about forty or  so plants, but it's still unfinished because I want to find more unique, exotic ones. Most of the list is comprised of plants from Lowe's (because Lowe's seems to be the best deal so far), but since these plants can be purchased at any Lowe's in the valley, I still want to find some unusual, more interesting plants. When I went to Lowe's to look at their inventory, I was actually really surprised. They had some plants I didn't think would grow well in Arizona. Also, their plants are all flourishing beautifully. But since it is just another chain store, their stock isn't as varied as the local nurseries. The budget for the garden still hasn't been set yet, but once it is, hopefully we can start deciding which ones we are actually going to purchase and how many.

Garden Update #3

I went out to the garden today to see what was done over the weekend. A few of the planter beds are in. :)

Work Day

On Saturday, March 4th from 9AM to 12PM the EEC is having a work day. Unfortunately I can't make it because I have to go to work, but I am really excited to see the results. They're planning on setting up parts of the demonstration garden, and that will help my part of the project, because it'll be easier to plan for certain plants, since I will know for sure where I can plant them. Right now, the area still looks barren (it's the same as in the photos I posted a week or so ago), and so I can't wait to see it start coming together.