Gardens at the Center
The Center is home to many gardens which follow the design and plantings of the Renaissance period. They include a formal knot garden given by the University of Massachusetts, Hampshire College and individual donors; the herb garden given by Smith College; the Scholar's Retreat Garden, given by the University's Alumni Association; the Bernard Spivack Shakespeare Garden; and the Walter Chmielewski Performance Garden used for dramatic performances and poetry readings.
The Kitchen Garden Initiative: 2013 - Present
If you have ever wondered what the garden of an English commoner might look like during William Shakespeare's time, the Center can show you. In 2013, a group of students from the University of Massachusetts and Mt.Holyoke College began researching and developing a Kitchen Garden at the Center. This project, co-sponsored by the Center and the UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture, asked six undergraduate students to investigate what an English commoner’s garden might look like pre-and post-1492. Once the research was completed, the Center designed and built demonstration gardens on Center grounds. See the link below for additional detail: Garden Project Website
Garden Layout
Perennial Plants (26) | Annual Plants (22) |
---|---|
1. Angelica archangelica/Angelica (P) | 27. Echium vulgare/Bugloss (A) |
2. Artemesia Vulgaris/Mugwort (P) | 28. Beta vulgaris/Early Blood Turnip (A) |
3. Ruta graveolens/Rue (P) | 29. Daucus carota/St. Valery Carrot (A) |
4. Artemesia absinthium/Wormwood (P) | 30. Petroselinum hortensis/Triple Curled Parsley (A) |
5. Borago/Borage (P) | 31. Cichorium endive/Marachere Tresfine Endive (A) |
6. Viola tricolor/Heartsease (P) | 32. Coriander sativum/Long Standing Coriander |
7. Tanacetum parthenium/Feverfew (P/A) | 33. Satureja hortensis/Summer Savory (A) |
8. Levisticum officinale/Lovage (P) | 34. Brassica oleracea/Winterbor Kale (A) |
9. Carthamus tinctora/Safflower (P) | 35. Brassica oleracea var.capitata/Bravo Cabbage (A) |
10. Hyssopus officinalis/Hyssop (P) | 36. Foeniculum vulgare/Bronze Fennel (A) |
11. Oenothera biennis/Primrose (P) | 37. Allium ampeloprosum/Giant Musselburgh Leek/Scotch Flag(A) |
12. Salvia officinalis/Green Sage (P) | 38. Anethum graveolens/Dill Bouquet (A) |
13. Matricaria recutita/Chamomile (P) | 39. Allium cepa/Alissa Craig Onion (A) |
14. Achillea millefolium/Yarrow (P) | 40. Phaseolus vulgaris/Vermont Dry Cranberry Bean (A) |
15. Alcea rosea/Nigra Hollyhock (P) | 41. Phaseolus vulgaris/Dry Bush Bean Mix (A) |
16. Marrubium vulgare/White Horehound (P) | 42. Cicer arientinum/Tan Garbanzo Bean (A) |
17. Tanacetum vulgare/Tansy (P) |
43. Cichorium endivia/Flat Leaf Endive/Escarole (A) |
18. Thymus vulgaris/Thyme (P) | 44. Brassica rapa/ Purple Top Turnip (A) |
19. Fragaria vesca/Alpine Strawberry (P) | 45. Vicia faba/Fava/Bell Bean (A) |
20. Mignonette F. vesca/Strawberry (P) |
46. Raphanus sativus/Helios Radish (A) |
21. Woodland F. vesca/Strawberry (P) | 47. Pisum sativum/Champion of England Pea (A) |
22. Ruegen F. vesca/Strawberry (P) | 48. Ocimum basilicum/Lettuce Leaf Basil (A) |
23. Pineapple F. vesca/Strawberry (P) | |
24. Moschata F. vesca/Strawberry (P) | |
25. Humulus lupulus/Fuggle Hops (P) | |
26. Humulus lupulus/ Kent Hops (P) |