The California Native Plant Garden by the Science Building is home to over 25 different native California plants, according to the Cosumnes River College website.
CRC Professor of Botany Noah Gardner said he uses clippings from different garden specimens in the classroom to teach his students ways to make life better through botany.
“I have brought in some cuttings of conifer branches,” Gardner said. “I use cuttings to show students plant morphology, plant growth patterns and plant reproductive structures, where they show up and what kind of plants have what kind of reproductive structures.”
Sacramento County Master Gardener and biology professor Julie Oliver said the garden predates her tenure at CRC by 22 years. She said the science building was remodeled from 2005 to 2010 and the garden was rebuilt from a clean slate by faculty and other volunteers in 2010. During the garden’s remodel, over 200 plants were installed.
“It’s been a labor of love for all of us,” Oliver said. “The biology department takes care of it.”

Oliver said the biology department is responsible for managing tasks like the plant names and tags. She said the garden is considered part of the science lab and an extension of their department.
The UC Master Gardener Program is a public service and outreach program under the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, administered locally by participating UC Cooperative Extension county offices, according to the UCCE Capitol Corridor website.
Gardner said being in greener spaces has shown to have a positive correlation with physical and mental health.

“We talk about a whole lot of current topics with regards to handling the climate crisis,” Gardner said. “Rethinking how we build societies, build cities and we talked about urban greenscaping, and how people being in greener spaces, around more trees has a positive health effect and we talk about that from an equity perspective too.”
According to the National Recreation and Park Association, being separated from nature can damage someone’s mental health and consistent contact with nature is required for good mental health.
Oliver said if something major needs to be trimmed or attended to, the maintenance crews on campus need to have permission before working in the area.
“It looks different every season,” Oliver said. “Now it’s looking a little dry, but the water revitalizes it.”
Biology professor Eric Neff said his use of the garden is for seasonal maintenance and to enjoy the benches when the weather is good.
Gardner said Fred Deneke, the previous horticulture professor, was a legend in the department and had a lot of involvement in building the garden.
Eighteen-year-old biological chemistry major Gianni Beard said he is always in the garden while waiting for classes because he loves the ambience.
“The variety of plants and trees is just awesome,” Beard said. “It’s just, it’s such a great environment, you know? I can feel nature when I’m sitting out here, compared to anywhere else on the campus. I’ve always loved nature, so it’s just a great time being here.”
Gardner said botanists use a term called “plant blindness”, meaning that someone sees plants as a lesser organism than animals. He said it’s a common topic he touches on in his class.
“I think taking the major series biology can really help you gain appreciation for all of the branches of life and I think it’s a really great thing that we do that,” Gardner said.