The college experience is a combination of the environment in the classroom together with the ambiance of nature in an outdoor setting. Providing areas on campus where students can relax, form study groups, as well as participate in course instruction outside of the classroom can greatly improve student success. On the SPC Clearwater Campus, hidden behind the Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NM) building, is one of these perfect outdoor areas- the NM Oasis Garden.

A number of years back, the original native plant garden was implemented through the hard work of John Williams and his students.  A great, but underutilized resource, the garden area recently received a make-over with the help of the hard working CL grounds crew, Tri Beta National Biological Honor Society, SGA, and numerous students from all disciplines.

With their help the entire green space behind the NM building has been converted to a teaching garden.  To add to the diversity and utility of the garden, additional components have been added: dye plants, medicinal plants, butterfly plants, and other ethnobotanical plants. The majority of the collection focuses on plants used by native Florida Indian tribes; however, other notable plants that are not considered invasive have also been included.

The garden is still a work in progress – mulch needs to be spread, plant identification tags need to be printed and placed, and seating and tables need to be added – so there is still plenty of opportunities to help out!  For more information contact Dr. Erin Goergen (goergen.erin@spcollege.edu).