Gardens provide great escape

Amid the 243-acre sprawl of Richland College lie a number of hidden gems – quiet places where students can escape the daily hustle and bustle of campus life.

They are peaceful getaways, places often overlooked and underutilized because of the sheer vastness of the campus.

One of the best examples is the Horticulture Demonstration Gardens, which were designed and built by students more than a quarter-century ago. The gardens were

dedicated on April 18, 1986.

Tucked between Sabine and Yegua halls, next to parking lots C and D, the roughly half-acre gardens are enveloped by lush trees and teeming with small creatures such as birds and squirrels. It's a beautiful place to just sit and observe.

"Most of my classes are big and loud. I need some alone time," said Colin Roeger, 18, an engineering major who often brings his lunch to the garden between classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Roeger said he noticed the area one day after parking in a nearby lot. He said he hasn't brought his friends to the gardens because they're in class when he breaks for lunch.

"It's a good getaway place," said Roeger.  "Everything is blocked out. It's kind of like you're hidden away with all the bushes."

Tall, overhanging trees enclose the garden, which  has numerous winding paths and several benches scattered throughout.

 There are at least 10 benches, including seven wooden ones with carvings from lovers past, and three stone seats dotting the pathways. A small fountain surrounded by a multitude of flowers stands in the center.

Nick Knight, 61, a part-time gardener at Richland, said the gardens are an eclectic mix of various holly shrubs,  rose beds, live oaks, magnolias and other trees and plants.

Knight  has worked mainly on the gardens for about 10 years.

Asked  if he sees many people here, he said, "Not as many as I'd like to see visit the garden. I mean, we have regular visitors and some come occasionally. Some people just don't know it's here, I think."

Why this peaceful little area is so often overlooked is puzzling to those who tend to it. But it's just the type of quiet, secluded area that some students might need to focus and re-charge their batteries.

Those who have discovered it find themselves making regular treks.

Cameron Edwards and girlfriend June Vu, both 21, said they enjoy the flowers and the squirrels that run amok. They happened upon the area one day after spotting their friends inside. And they've been regular visitors ever since.

Fadoua Hakimi, 16, Samira Elm, 17, and Abeere Hymore, 16, are all relative newcomers to the garden.  

They said they'd frequently seen the gardens as they passed by on the way to the parking lots but only recently began to stop and enjoy the scenic, secluded spot.

The lack of noisy distractions --  coupled with the gorgeous, overhanging live oaks -- add a welcomed layer of tranquility to the space, they said.

Hakimi put it plainly: "You're able to get away."

Contributing reporters include Angela Lao, Zach Walker and Valencia King.