by Carla Caruso

A new veggie patch in your Adelaide Park Lands is helping recently-arrived migrants lay roots in the community.

The ‘Global Garden’ is an initiative of one of the Botanic Garden’s therapeutic horticultural programs in the Adelaide Botanic Garden.

Participants engage in “a powerful process of place-making, connection and belonging” by growing culturally significant food plants within its Kitchen Garden.

So far, more than nine countries and cultures are represented in the program, including Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Colombia, and Mexico. Participants are aged from two to 70 years old.

We spoke to the Botanic Garden’s practicing horticultural therapist, Emma Lewellyn (pictured), to learn more about it.

Hi, Emma. Please tell us how the idea for the Global Garden came about.

With the long-known benefits of the botanical world in mind, the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium employed me as their horticulture therapist in 2021.

I work to deliver three programs to vulnerable members of our community.

Participants in the Global Garden are connected into the program through our partners at the Australian Migrant Resource Centre.

The group participates in a three-hour gardening session, other nature-based activities, and morning tea every fortnight.

The session is facilitated by [me]. The program will culminate in July with a harvest of the produce and a shared feast.

*One of the participants tends to some bamia (okra) plants. Photo: Botanic Gardens of SA.*

What types of plants do you have at the garden? And how many participants are involved?

We have many different plants growing in the Global Garden, each special in some way to the individuals in the program.

Okra, Egyptian spinach, rosella, daikon, Chinese cabbage, dill, turmeric, coriander, Persian basil, turnip, edible chrysanthemum, kohlrabi, and caraway are some of the plants we have grown so far in the beds that cover an area around the size of a tennis court.

On average, a dozen people come to each session. There are over 30 program participants all together.

*The new garden aids “place-making, connection and belonging”. Photo: Botanic Gardens of SA.*

Why is an initiative like this important?

Valuing and celebrating multiculturalism and diversity is so important. At its heart, the program is about belonging.

New migrants come to Australia with amazing skills, experience and stories, but transitioning to a totally different place, culture and language can be incredibly challenging. The Global Garden program proudly says: “You belong here.”

Participants quite literally put down roots in one of South Australia’s most beautiful and celebrated public gardens.

Watching the participant pride that grows along with the garden is wonderful. Individuals often bring friends and family members along to sessions to proudly show off the fruits of their labours.

The program is also an excellent vehicle of social engagement. Regardless of language, participants in the group bond over a shared love of plants and gardening.

Watch the progress of the Global Garden within the Kitchen Garden. It’s located on the eastern side of the Adelaide Botanic Garden, between the First Creek Wetlands and the National Wine Centre. Signage next to the plants grown reflects the native languages of the group.