Check out the Climate Change Garden

Last summer, Plantations staff partnered with faculty in the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture departments to install a climate change garden. By growing plants inside and outside a high tunnel, visitors have the opportunity to compare how plants grow differently in today’s garden (the outside portion) with the garden of 2050 (the inside portion).  Plants inside the high tunnel are being subjected to projected climatic conditions for 2050, which include higher temperatures, periods of drought and heavy rainfall and heat waves.

This summer, we added five interpretive signs to guide visitors through the garden. Hand-written labels call attention to differences between the plants growing inside and outside the high tunnel, and we provided a space for visitors to share their observations. If you live close by, we hope you visit to make some observations for yourself. If not, you can follow what’s been happening on our Climate Change Garden blog. Also, see what’s happening on our Instagram account.