Planting the Garden of Eden at Eden Hall Campus
Plants bloom in the “Garden of Eden” outside the Solar High Tunnel at Eden Hall Campus. (Courtesy of Holly Tyson)
There’s a flourishing garden bed surrounding the Solar High Tunnel at Eden Hall Campus thanks to the work of Holly Tyson, MSUS ’25.
The small garden of perennials, blueberries, rhubarb, and more is located just behind the Esther Barrazone Center. It was Tyson’s idea of a southwest Pennsylvania Garden of Eden.
“It’s along a path that’s walked pretty frequently by community members, students, faculty, and staff,” Tyson said. “It felt like a high-impact area to beautify and make more useful for wildlife as well.”
Though it’s small, the garden has a host of uses that go beyond making the area look prettier. The rhubarb and the berries can be used by food studies students for recipes—Tyson’s friend, Grayson Skupin, MAFS ’25, made a rhubarb galette with this May’s harvest. Plus, the flowers and fruits on the plot help sustain native pollinators.
Tyson poses for a selfie during the planting of the garden. (Courtesy of Holly Tyson)
Tyson worked with assistant professor of food studies and director of sustainable agriculture Laura Livingston, Chris Kosin of GaiaScape Landscaping, and Eden Hall farm manager Indira Ortiz, to decide what plants they would use, emphasizing beautification and low maintenance.
A team of over a dozen volunteers planted the garden in May 2024. One year later, it’s doing quite well.
“Some plants tripled in size,” Tyson said. “It illustrates the benefit of using native plants, because they’ve coevolved here in this space.”
Now that Tyson has graduated, the garden will continue to be cared for by students and Eden Hall Farm staff.
“I really wanted others to participate in building this together,” Tyson said. “For all those folks, that becomes a moment in their lives where they were able to contribute to something bigger … that they can go back and visit and say, ‘I helped plant that. Look how well it’s doing.’”
Reflecting on her time at Eden Hall, Tyson said, “It really has been an Eden for me,” calling the campus a “heaven on earth.”
Learn more about Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus and the University’s commitment to sustainability at chatham.edu.