Botanist, Herbalist, and Forager, Abby Artemisia is honored to continue the legacy of Joe Hollis on the land that was a major inspiration to her journey to North Carolina almost a decade ago to start The WANDER School, a nonprofit Herb school with a mission of Herbal Reparations. Proceeds will benefit both nonprofits, Mountain Gardens and The WANDER School.

Learn the plants of this transition time into Autmn.Abby will give you some basic introductory botany tips for identification, along with sustainable harvest and processing tips.

This will demystify the often but unnecessary complications of learning Botany and even make it fun!

Bring your field guides!

Learning Outcomes:

-You will gain basic botany knowledge for beginning local plant identification

-You will be able to recognize plants that grow in the outdoor spaces around you

-You will gain ideas for making your own herbal formulas and adding wild edible plants into your daily diet

Note: the location is an hour from Asheville and has wide weather fluctuations, including more rain and cooler temperatures. There is steep, rocky terrain, though we will be walking very slowly.

BIPOC Scholarships available email botanicalabby@gmail.com

RSVP https://www.thewanderschool.com/store/p75/legacy-equinox-plant-walk.html

Join us @mountaingardens for Music Gardening with Sarah Louise Saturday 9/7 2-5:30pm

We’ll enjoy an herbal tea ceremony together, with live music offered as a bridge to connect with plant intelligence. Explore flavor as embodied communication from the plant realm and experience a supportive container to begin to sing the songs of plants. Enjoy the beautiful “Paradise Garden” setting of Mountain Gardens, where we will meet many plant friends. Sliding Scale $45-65, with donations of any amount accepted. No one turned away for lack of funds.

I have studied Herbalism since childhood, learning from books and the plants themselves. The simplest thing I can say about myself is that I love nature. My special focus is singing the songs of plants. As a human animal, I believe our bodies are amazing instruments to learn about and connect with the wide world of intelligences around us. My practice is presence. And this is what I bring to my workshops. I love helping to create space where art and wonder can thrive. In this circle, we will have an herbal tea ceremony. As part of the ceremony, I will sing as a bridge for connecting deeper with the plants. I will share some of what I have learned about my ancestral plant traditions, including access points for beginning to sing the songs of plants yourself. We will take stock of where we are at this moment, in this place and be in conversation with the land itself around how to invite more care and repair.

RSVP https://www.springfromsoil.com/events

MORE INFO about 6 week program https://www.springfromsoil.com/sing-from-soil

Join clinical herbalists Janet Kent and Dave Meesters of the Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine for an educational tour of medicinal herbs collected by Joe Hollis. Expect in-depth information about each herb from the perspective of experienced practitioners of western herbal medicine including botany, medicinal properties, and herbal preparations.

Dave and Janet are also Mountain Gardens board members and are happy to discuss the philosophy that built Mountain Gardens as well as the past, present, and future of the project.

All proceeds will go towards the Mountain Gardens transition fund.

RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/medicinal-herb-walk-with-dave-meesters-and-janet-kent-of-terra-sylva-school-of-botanical-medicine-tickets-974276807157?aff=oddtdtcreator

Marc Williams is an ethnobiologist. He has studied the people, plant, mushroom, microbe connection intensively while learning to employ botanicals and other life forms for food, medicine, and beauty. Marc runs the educational website Botany Everday.

Food as medicine is a concept that is rooted in the healing systems of ancient Africa, China, Greece, India, and others. It is well known that various compounds such as antioxidants and bitters can be helpful in promoting overall health and well-being. Groups of plants, such as adaptogens, make up a large part of the current superfood trends in our society. An overview of plants and fungi that are prime examples of how food can be medicine, as well as some fascinating stories of how these life forms and humans have interacted over time will be the main focus of this class in Powerpoint form, food for sampling and during a plant walk after.

If money is a limiting factor in your enthusiastic attendance feel free to write marc@botanyeveryday.com and we will try to work something out.

RSVP https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-as-medicine-wmarc-williams-of-botany-everyday-tickets-956500226927?aff=oddtdtcreator

Come join us for a delightful afternoon at Mountain Gardens for a hands-on Chinese tea workshop (3-5PM) led by expert Shunyu Huang. Learn about the art of brewing traditional Chinese teas and immerse yourself in the rich cultural heritage behind each cup.

黃順玉 Shunyu Huang, born and raised in 1989 in a southern China city, Zhuhai.Shunyu recently rediscovered her passion and love for Chinese teas, specifically 白茶 white tea, and 鳳凰單欉 Phoenix Dancong Oolong. In April 2024, she set foot in eastern Guangdong in search of wild tea trees.

In this special offering at Mountain Gardens, where the herb means medicine, Shunyu will be sharing 3 White teas, which are claimed to be highly anti-inflammatory and able to reduce heat in the liver.

Before the workshop , enjoy a complimentary garden tour (1-3PM) of Joe Hollis' (Sept 3, 1942 - Nov 9, 2023) Mountain Gardens. Stroll through Joe's Paradise Garden of useful plants featuring the largest collection of native Appalachian and Chinese medicinal herbs in the Eastern US, organically grown at the foot of the Black Mountains in Western North Carolina.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience the harmony of tea and nature in one unforgettable event!

THIS EVENT IS AT CAPACITY!

Breaking through the "green wall": An introduction to plant identification. part 2 How to learn the name of a plant. Taxonomy. Plant families, genera and species: how to ID plants using "Newcomb's Wildflower Guide" & "Botany in a Day"; Latin names and their meaning.

Children under 6 free, age 6-12 half price.

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person

In this 3-hour workshop you’ll learn how to become a hunter-gatherer on your own land. Once established, many of these species are care-free, and can be harvested for years to come. Knowing the appropriate habitat is one key to success. Another is knowing in advance the potential weediness or invasiveness of a species. Diversify your diet, CSA, or restaurant sales.

Breaking through the "green wall": An introduction to plant identification. part 1 How to look at a plant: important aspects of basic plant anatomy for plant ID purposes; the various types of roots, leaves, flowers & fruits and their terminology.

Children under 6 free, age 6-12 half price.

Gynostemma: Propagation, cultivation and uses of "the best plant to grow for your health" aka "Southern Ginseng" (contains ginsenosides), "Immortality vine" (known to promote longevity) - the easiest to grow and use adaptogenic plant.

Western North Carolina is ideally suited for wasabi cultivation. In this workshop I’ll share what I’ve learned over 25 years of working with wasabi, and we’ll inspect several plantings. Wasabi is easily grown if you can provide the right habitat, and a very high-end market is there and waiting. Seeds will be available for purchase and possibly some plants as well.

This class will focus on plant observation with discussions on botany and identification, cultivation, processing and medicine making, and clinical application in the diverse gardens developed by Joe Hollis over the last 50 years.

Thomas Avery Garran, PhD, is an herbalist, practitioner, author, translator, and scholar who has been studying botanical medicine for over 30 years. He holds a PhD in Chinese Materia Medica Studies from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China where he currently resides. Dr. Garran is widely published, and is the author and/or translator of four books including Western Herbs in Chinese Medicine: Methodology & Materia Medica, Western Herbs according to Chinese Medicine: A Practitioner’s Guide, and Chinese Herb Cultivation: Daodi Practices for Growing and Processing Chinese Herbs. His recent work focuses on daodi (local) herbs and agriculture, and bringing his nearly 16 years of living, farming, and studying in China back to the U.S.

In this half-day session we’ll spend the afternoon in the garden, learning about native Appalachian medicinal herbs: ID, ecology, propagation, cultivation and uses. We are repeating this workshop, which sold out in April.

Adaptogens to know and grow and use. Health and longevity promoting herbs which we can grow in this area. Adaptogens are herbs that help the body adapt to stress— in other words, health and longevity-promoting herbs.  This is my favorite category of herbs and I have put a lot of effort into acquiring and learning to grow them.   After a brief introduction to the concept, worldwide, and relevant literature, we’ll tour the garden examining  and discussing the plants.  

We’ll tour our large collection (100+ spp.), and discuss habitat, propagation & cultivation, harvesting and processing methods. Chinese medicinal herbs encompass a complete range of plant types (annual & perennial herbs, shrubs, vines, trees) and habitats (garden, woodland, wetland, etc). There is an established market, nationally and locally, but almost no growers. Be a pioneer!

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person

In this half-day session we’ll spend the afternoon in the garden, learning about native medicinal plants. We’ll cover ID, uses, ecology, propagation, cultivation and harvest of plants throughout the garden used in medicine.

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person

In this half-day workshop you’ll learn how to become a hunter-gatherer on your own land. Once established, many of these species are care-free, and can be harvested for years to come. Knowing the appropriate habitat is one key to success.

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person ($20 for students, residents of Yancey and Mitchell Counties, and groups of 3 or more)

In this workshop we will review all previous efforts to classify western (American & European) herbs in Chinese medicine categories (taste & character, meridians entered, actions & indications) – we have collected eight publications on the topic, plus we’ll be referencing 75+ reports by my students at Daoist Traditions. A particular focus will be native (S. Appalachian) herbs with closely related Chinese species, such as Black cohosh / sheng ma, wild yam / bie xie, Solomon’s seal / yu zhu, American ginseng / Asian ginseng, etc. Mountain Gardens offers a unique opportunity to view these herbs in close proximity.

In this half-day session we’ll spend the afternoon in the garden, learning about both native and introduced medicinal plants. We’ll cover ID, uses, ecology, propagation, cultivation and harvest of plants throughout the garden used in medicine.

In this half-day workshop you’ll learn how to become a hunter-gatherer on your own land. Once established, many of these species are care-free, and can be harvested for years to come. Knowing the appropriate habitat is one key to success. Another is knowing in advance the potential weediness or invasiveness of a species. Diversify your diet, CSA, or restaurant sales.

We’ll tour our large collection (100+ spp.), and discuss habitat, propagation & cultivation, harvesting and processing methods. Chinese medicinal herbs encompass a complete range of plant types (annual & perennial herbs, shrubs, vines, trees) and habitats (garden, woodland, wetland, etc). There is an established market, nationally and locally, but almost no growers. Be a pioneer!

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person ($20 for students, residents of Yancey and Mitchell Counties, and groups of 3 or more)

Western North Carolina is ideally suited for wasabi cultivation. In this workshop I’ll share what I’ve learned over 25 years of working with wasabi, and we’ll inspect several plantings. Wasabi is easily grown if you can provide the right habitat, and a very high-end market is there and waiting. Seeds will be available for purchase and possibly some plants as well. *This will be a three-hour workshop and cost will be $30.

Join us for a two-hour walk in the garden, as we look at edibles, medicinals, and other useful plants. We’ll look at both native and introduced species. The walk will cover ID, cultivation, harvest, and uses.

$25 per person ($20 for students, residents of Yancey and Mitchell Counties, and groups of 3 or more)

In this half-day workshop, we’ll learn about adaptogens, herbs that help the body adapt to stress— in other words, health and longevity-promoting herbs.  This is my favorite category of herbs and I have put a lot of effort into acquiring and learning to grow them.   After a brief introduction to the concept, worldwide, and relevant literature, we’ll tour the garden examining  and discussing the plants.