Editor’s note: “Between Two Pines” is a weekly column chronicling the history and ecological restoration of various green spaces around the UW and Seattle area.
Carved out of two feet of cedar, the statues of two howling monkeys perched at the entrance to the UW Medicinal Herb Garden have always spooked me. At first, erecting statues of monkeys seemed like an odd choice to me, but the legendary treasure they stand before might warrant the placement of the fierce guardians.
The Medicinal Herb Garden contains one of the largest collections of plants and herbs in the Pacific Northwest. Tucked away in a quiet spot on campus, the Medicinal Herb Garden began in 1911 as a one-acre laboratory to preserve hundreds of different plant species, with the UW School of Pharmacy using the herbs for various purposes such as drug discovery.
By the mid-20th century, the Medicinal Herb Garden was home to over 800 species of plants spread across eight acres of land. However, once synthetic pharmaceuticals gained prominence after World War II, the Medicinal Herb Garden steadily lost funding. By the 1980s, the School of Pharmacy cut funding entirely, with the department of botany stepping in to take the lead in preserving the garden.
In 1984, volunteers from the Friends of the Medicinal Herb Garden and the department of botany began laying the grounds of the Herb Garden, leading to its revitalization. Today, the department of botany no longer exists, with the garden now in the hands of the department of biology. However, the garden itself is still a delight to walk through. Plants are categorized by placards listing the common and Latin names and are routinely cared for by skilled gardeners.
Among the Italian arum, gypsy combs, and yellow mansa, different species grow with the changing seasons. A fall visit will be a completely different sensory experience than a springtime one. In my opinion, the variable abundance of scents and sights is what defines the garden and is one of its best features. The garden’s metaphorical canvas serves as the foundations for a wonderful year-round experience, which is why I suggest visiting more than just once.
Expansion efforts have continued throughout the Medicinal Herb Garden’s participation in a seed exchange program, which allows different gardens to exchange seeds that can then be planted and preserved. Each plant in the Herb Garden has an index identity that is compiled into a seed exchange catalog, known as an Index Seminum. The garden is part of an international seed exchange managed by attendant Keith Possee.
Possee manages hundreds of requests each year from gardens all over the world, the majority of his work being to fulfill these requests and update the Index Seminum for the Medicinal Herb Garden. Owing to his efforts, the Medicinal Herb Garden has outgrown its unfunded limbo and flourished into a thriving space once more, with over 1,000 diverse species to be enjoyed by the public.
Next time you pass by the howling monkey statues, take a few moments to experience the herbs. This breathtaking spot is worth admiring during your time at the UW, and its botanical treasures are a sight to behold. There is nothing quite like rubbing fresh oregano between your palms, listening to the chickadees sing overhead as you take in a slice of UW history on a warm spring day.
Reach columnist Andy Chia at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @GreatBaconBaron
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The Link LonkApril 15, 2021 at 02:00PM
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Guardians of the UW Medicinal Herb Garden | Columns | dailyuw.com - Dailyuw
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