SCHOOL
HERBAL GARDEN
Plants play a major
role not only in the life of a human being but also every living being and are
the gift of the nature to protect, sustain life in this world. Some provide us edible
material, food- grains, pulses, fruits, vegetables, Some provide beautiful
flowers which we offer in our prayer and also decorate a place to have a very
aesthetic look, some provide us materials for making cloths, some provide wood
for making our home and furniture, some provide fuel- bio-fuel. Plants provide
oxygen for us to breathe. Tress provides shade for us to rest, helps cloud
formation and rain, and prevents global warming. Some plants are used as
medicines. Some plants are natural fertilizers, cattle feeds and some are
natural insect repellents and pesticides. In simple terms life is fully
dependant on the nature’s gift called plants. Though plants grow in the same soil,
imagine the range of species that are available and also the natural variation
within the same species. It is essential for everyone to be associated with
creating and preserving a herbal garden, be it at school or home or industrial
area, community park, hedge of plants and where ever possible.
“Herbs are defined as plants (trees, shrubs,
vines, perennials, biennials or annuals) valued historically, presently, or
potentially for their flavor, fragrance, medicinal qualities, insecticidal
qualities, economic or industrial use, or in the case of dyes, for the coloring
material they provide” -
Holly Shimizu
Purpose
- Demonstrative purpose - The purpose of the Herbal Garden is to demonstrate about the plants that have been the source of medicines in the past and present and also the future.
- Awareness creation - Creating awareness on the importance and traditional uses of medicinal plants for better health of school going children, parents and teachers.
- Conservation- Herbal garden paves the way preserving the medicinal plants, especially the rare, endangered and threatened (RET) species of medicinal plants.
- Herbal Garden in schools’ provide them an opportunity to work closely with herbal plants and inculcate a sense of familiarity from childhood with surrounding biodiversity
- To create medicinal plant resource in schools so that it can be replicated in the nearby areas, homes, hostel and also become available to the needy persons.
- Utilization - Increasing the availability of the medicinal plants utilized in Traditional Medicines and as simple home remedies
Creating a herbal Garden
The
size and type of herbal garden need not be very big. It depends on the space
available, water potential, protection from cattle, stray animals etc. An herbal
garden may be informal with a mixture of herbs, flowers and vegetables, or it
may be formal with paths and herb beds laid out in simple or complex patterns.
The Paths or walkway can be made of a number of materials, such as brick,
stone, gravel, red earth , river sand or grass, but in each case they should be
wide enough at least 5 ft width.. For schools with limited space, herbs grown
in a variety of containers make an attractive display on a balcony or near
walkway .The sides of the walk way can have bushes- shrubs like Henna, Hibiscus
which are both medicinal and ornamental.
Choose
an area for growing herbs on which the sun shines four to six hours per day. Some
plants perform well under shade of trees like coconut etc, but Tamarind tree
does not allow plants to grow However, if you have a shady yard there are a
number of herbs that will do well for you. A clear demarcation of the garden
plots with stakes and string is essential and students should be involved in
every activity including this activity. Once the outside perimeter in place, with
the help of a predesigned garden map create garden designs with rectangular
beds and plots, and straight pathways. If enough space is there circular beds,
star-shaped plots can also be created. Create walkways around it and mulch the
garden paths. Wood chips from tree pruning work well. The site must be well
drained. If water remains on top of the soil, drainage is poor and herb growth
will be affected. If a badly drained site is the only one available, tiling may
be done or, , raised beds may be
constructed. Raised beds can be built with extra soil kept in place by raised
bed edgings of brick or stone. A mounded bed does not require an edging at all;
however, this look is more appropriate in an informal plan. Adding a great deal
of organic matter to the top two feet of soil can also improve drainage in
heavy clay soils.
Garden Tools and
materials
Basically a tap with water, hose pipes based
on the length and breadth of the site, rose cans, sikatures, garden scissors,
hand hoes, small crowbars , spade, spading fork, rake, trowel, hand weeder,
pruning shears, sharp knife are required.
The enjoyment of working in a herbal garden depends in part upon using
the right tools. The quantity of each sort of gardening tool will depend on the
budget and the scale of the program. Select only those that are needy, strong
and durable enough for long years of service. Take good care of them and keep
them in a convenient area ready for use.. The minimum needed is a good pair of
pruning shears, a sturdy trowel, watering can or hose and a spade. It is better
to buy less and get the best quality you can afford.
Who will mind them?
Students, who are members of the eco club,
green club and students of biological sciences from class Sixth to 9th
will carry out the garden creation and maintain them under the supervision of
the biology teacher and Eco club coordinator. A each batch of students will be
responsible for particular herbal plots. During school vacation, school
gardener or guard will water the plants. Teachers and students from immediate neighborhood
can also volunteer during holidays.
Where to get plants/ seeds/
saplings
Most
of the plants of common use are generally available just around the School and
roadsides, pond sides. Most of them multiply through stem cuttings or plantlets
or seeds. So the propagation material can easily be collected. Seeds and
Saplings could be collected from nearby forest nurseries, forest extension
centres, horticultural dept farms, corporation parks and from private
nurseries. Children could also be encouraged to collect plants from homes,
roadsides, tank, river bunds etc,
Choice of Plants for School garden
The
choice of plants for school herbal garden should be drought resistant, shrubs,
small herbs, climbers. They should not have thorns as it may hurt children
passing by. They should be safe, non-toxic and should be useful for common
conditions that affect children. The nursery activity should commence in June as
soon as school reopens after summer holidays and planting by end july. Following
plants will be good to start with
1. Indigofera tinctoria – Avuri
or Neeli
2. Hibiscus rosa sinensis -
Chemparathai
3. Cissus quadrangularis – Pirandai
4. Aloe vera – Sottru Katrazhai
5. Bacopa monnieri -
Neer Brahmi
6. Plectranthus ambonicus- Omavalli
7. Andrographis paniculata
- Nilavembu
8. Tinospora cordifolia – Seendilkodi
9. Lawsonia inermis – Maarudhani, Henna
10. Adhatoda vasica -
Aadathodai
11. Ocimum tenuiflorum – Thulasi
12. Centella asiatica
- Vallarai
13. Vitex negundo – Nochi
14. Gymnema sylvestre
- Sirukurinjan
15. Piper longum-
Thippili
16.
Lemon Grass – Cymbopogon citratus
17.
Vetivera zizonoides- Vetiver
18.
Alpinia calcarata- Chitharathai
19.
Curcuma longa – Manjal
