Gardens of The Learning Fields

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Garden #1 Welcome Garden

The Welcome Garden is beside the steps to the Isaac Witt Education building and along the walkway from the south parking lot. The garden is designed to welcome visitors and demonstrates options for foundation planting. We use perennials to give constant blooms from early spring to late fall.

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Garden #2 Vegetable Garden

This is a 20 x 40 foot demonstration garden designed to feed a family of four to six. The garden is used to educate those who have never grown their own vegetables. The garden demonstrates spring, summer and fall gardening.

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We grow vegetables that a majority of families would like to grow and eat. We try at least one unfamiliar vegetable as a learning example. We have room to rotate the crops. The garden area along the fence has been added for vining crops. Smaller gardens were added for corn and blueberries. While not organic, we use very little pesticides and have compost from the landfill to improve the soil.

The soil is tested yearly by the University of Arkansas Extension office. This service is free to every resident of Arkansas.

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Newley added to our garden is one raised bed for senior citizens. It is 33” x 48” x 16 ft. long. The bed is filled with garden soil and amended with compost.

 

 

Garden #3 Medicinal Herb Garden

Our medicinal herb garden demonstrates the second oldest use of plants, after food for the ailments of mankind. The quadrant design for these beds has been used since medieval times. The plants themselves are mostly common herbs, often thought of as cooking herbs but almost all have medical value. The herbs are commonly used externally on the body as antiseptics. We have learned that some can be harmful for your health if taken internally ie. Comfrey. Many healers and herb doctors distributed medicinal herbs with beneficial effect, but we discourage using plants in the medicinal beds for that purpose. THESE BEDS ARE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

 

 

 

 

Garden #4 The Herb Spiral

This garden was designed based on a unique European design. The raised bed provides good drainage and warm soil for the plants. The water feature at the end of the spiral helps cool the bed in summer and warms it a little in the spring. Most of the herbs in this garden are used for cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden #5 Memorial Fountain

Sit and enjoy the unique water feature in this peaceful and serene landscape for meditation and memories.

 

 

 

 

Garden #6 Patchwork Quilt Garden

This garden demonstrates different group covers for both sun and shade, including strawberries, creeping thyme, mondo grass, liriope and creeping jenny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden #7 Rose Garden

The rose garden is designed to demonstrate how to grow and care for roses in our locale. The garden features old and new varieties.

 

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Garden #10 Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Habitat Garden is designed to showcase plants for attracting butterflies and hosting caterpillars. The beds host 5 major families of butterflies

that are in the River Valley. If you look closely, you may find a beautiful baby butterfly chomping away on the leaves of a host plant. There are many ideas that you can incorporate in your home garden to provide an oasis for butterflies in your neighborhood. We are a designated Monarch waystation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden #11 Cutting Garden

The Cutting Garden contains several varieties of annuals, perennials and fillers to be used for floral arrangements. We intend to have cut flowers available from early spring through the fall by planting both cool-season and warm-season selections and by succession planting throughout the year.

 

 

 

 

Garden #12 Blackberry Patch

In the blackberry garden we are growing thornless primocane and floricane varieties developed and released by the University of Arkansas. Our goals are to (1.) Demonstrate the planting, fertilization, irrigation, pruning, trellising, and maintenance of these plants and (2) evaluate berry production and quality.

 

Garden #13 Compost Demonstration Garden

Compost is an essential product that will enrich any garden. Composting is a process of combining organic materials normally discarded, such as grass clippings, leaves, kitchen leftovers and garden plants. This process allows nature to break down the coarse materials into useable product to be tilled back into the garden. We call it “garbage to black gold”. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden #14 Blueberry Garden

The goals of this blueberry garden are to (1) demonstrate the planting, fertilization, irrigation, pruning, and maintenance of these plants and (2) determine which varieties do we in the River Valley. The garden contains Rabbiteye, Southern Highbush and Northern Highbush varieties.

 

Garden #15 Hugelkultur Demonstration Garden

The Hugelkultur Method is a Germanic term that translates to Mound Culture. This garden method creates a higher mound to plant on by starting layering with limbs, branches and other cuts of wood stacked over cardboard in a shallow berm. On top of these materials, other layers of mulch, compost and soil are added. Over time, the wood materials break down, acting as a sponge and protecting the soil in winter, keeping it awarmer, and in summer, keeping it cooler. Building up to do this is easier than digging down in compacted soils.

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Garden #16 Children’s Garden

A garden for children to have a safe and fun place to learn how to plant, grow and harvest plants. The children who accompany their parents to The Learning Fields quickly get bored looking at grownup projects. This garden is designed to let the young generation learn where their food comes from and enjoy a fun scavenger hunt at the same time! 

 

Garden #17 Labyrinth Garden

Labyrinths are known to have existed for thousands of years and ancient ones have been found among many cultures, including American Indian, African, Celtic, Greek, French and Italian. The labyrinth at The Learning Fields is a winding single path that leads to and from the center of the labyrinth. Along the path are many plants such as Green Santolina, Lavender, Echinacea, Black-eyed Susan’s and Red Hot Poker. Above the rock bench seat is a Muscadine grapevine. There is no wrong way to walk the labyrinth, so just take your time, relax, enjoy and leave your stress behind.