The Horticulture Learning Center in Cotton Tenant North, next to the Ethnobotanical Herb Garden.

HORTICULTURE LEARNING CENTER
"Change Over Time: Natural Resources and the Innovations of American Horticulture"

Strawbery Banke Museum’s Horticulture Learning Center in the restored Cotton Tenant House (North) is designed as a teaching space for the Historic Landscape Department. Complementing the Traditional Crafts Center in the adjacent house and bordering the Ethnobotanical Herb Garden (created in 2013), the Center’s programs preserve and interpret heirloom plants and gardens, teach hands-on garden crafts, and archive online learning opportunities utilizing the museum’s garden-related historical collections. 

Experience hands-on programs inspired by the museum’s heirloom gardens, plants, and investigations based on 300+ years of garden-related items in the historical collections. Museum Horticulture team members introduce visitors to garden and nature-inspired science investigations and crafts inspired by the history of the site:

• Distilling essential oils
• Microscope investigations
• Wreath-making
• Harvesting and saving heirloom seeds
• Sustainable gardening

Gardens and nature have inspired a wide variety of crafts and activities throughout history. Some crafts are meant to make essential garden work more fun, others can be used to create beautiful ornaments and gifts, and all stimulate dialogue and creativity.  The Horticulture Learning Center gives visitors the opportunity to learn how these activities fit the stories of Strawbery Banke.

Click on the following links for garden and nature-related activities:

• Making dried leaf "roses" (PDF)
• Garden Journal (PDF)
• Scavenger Hunt (PDF)
• Language of Flowers (PDF)
• Make Your Own Herbarium (PDF)
• History of the Herbarium (PDF)
• The Strawbery Banke Museum Herbarium (PDF)
• Heirloom Seed Saving (PDF)

Many thanks to the following contributors for supporting the development of educational and interactive horticulture programs at Strawbery Banke by providing funding for the establishment of the museum's Horticulture Learning Center:

Foundations:
Roger R. and Theresa S. Thompson Endowment
The Mary and Storer Goodwin Decatur Foundation
Cabot Family Foundation
Francis R. Dewing Foundation
Rosamond Thaxter Foundation
The Putnam Fund at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation

Organizations:
NorthEast Seacoast Unit of the Herb Society of America
University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension/Master Gardener Program
Slow Food Seacoast

Individuals:
Louise Richardson in memory of Bertha and William Parsons
Laura Brown
Hendrika Sluder