Illinois State University has been home to the 23-acre, biodiverse Horticulture Center for 19 years. Students and community members are welcome to explore several gardens at the center.
Their core beliefs are centered around three things: students, research and outreach.
The Horticulture Center allows students to gain hands-on experience with gardening and nature, regardless of their major. Students can intern at the center, complete independent studies and fulfill the requirements for honors classes. Faculty can utilize the space for their students and classes in the Outdoor Classroom.
The center also offers paid student positions as well as several volunteer opportunities.
The Bloomington-Normal community is welcome to visit the center. Volunteers from the community help keep the center thriving, and it is very popular among high school students in the area for homecoming or prom pictures.
Horticulture Center Director Jessica Chambers is very enthusiastic about her position in the center and believes it is a very useful tool for both the community and students.
“It’s all education," Chamber said. "It's all about teaching people, and people connect to plants in different ways. When you’re dealing with nature it is very diverse.”
The Horticulture Center capitalizes on diversity; there are over 10 gardens for visitors to pass through. There are also “literary gardens,” which include informational signs for visitors to learn more, such as how midwestern authors like Shel Silverstein used nature to inspire their work.
Highlights include the Betty Norris Fairchild Children's Discovery Garden, where younger visitors are allowed to have a hands on experience with nature. The Herb Garden is a way for visitors to interact with herbs in four categories: culinary, historical, themed and fragrance.
Chambers said her favorite garden at the center is The Prairie, inspired by Illinois's nickname as The Prairie State for the large amounts of prairies that once were throughout the state. Chambers described it as "a parade of colors with the medley of grasses and plants," adding that “they all find their way together.” Chambers enjoys guiding visitors through The Prairie.
“What I have learned here over the last 20 years has motivated me to show visitors this garden," Chambers said.
Chambers spoke about future projects, sharing that Illinois State University Professor Ruth K. Burke will be working to create the Illinois Iteration of Domestic Rewilding. This will serve as an acknowledgment of the land of the indigenous Kickapoo and Miami tribes that were once living in the Bloomington-Normal area.
Chambers expressed the desire for more students to come and experience the center. The Horticulture center is free to the public with the exception of special events and it is open daily from dawn to dusk.
