Bark Medicine Workshop

We’ll meet at the patio picnic table for herbal teasans & decoctions over introductions. Then we’ll take a saunter through the garden, identifying and discussing trees & shrubs with medicinal bark. We’ll discuss the best times for harvest & pruning each species, as well as their medicinal gifts. There will be a pruning demonstration along the way with the Ulmus rubra, slippery elm, and possibly other species.

We will then gather back at the patio and arrange ourselves to process & harvest bark medicine together while sampling some fresh brewed bark decoctions. Ulmus rubra, slippery elm, will be the focus of our harvest, though other barks may be available to work with as well. If quantities allow, participants may be able to take home a sample of bark medicine for their home apothecaries. If possible, please bring a good carving knife to use for harvesting bark.

Come for plant lover’s fellowship & connection, and go home with the confidence & knowledge to identify & gather your own bark medicines!<3

What to bring ::

A notebook & writing utensil if you use them.

Please also bring a good carving knife if you have one & are able to.

If quantities allow & you’d like to bring home your own bark sample, bring a small bag, jar, or basket.

**Note: This class will be held outside, weather permitting, so dress for the occasion. If the weather is unfavorable, most of the class will be inside the basement classroom, with the possibility of still taking a garden walk.

The parking area is grass & may become unsafe in wet conditions. Please check your registration email in case of cancellation prior to leaving for class, especially if there have been unfavorable storms.

Possible species to be discussed ::

Aesculus pavea, horse chestnut

Berberis vulgaris, barberry

Crataegus laevigata, hawthorn

Ligustrum lucidum, chinese privet

Myrica cerifera, wax myrtle/ bayberry

Prunus serotina, cherry

Frangula alnus, alder buckthorn

Salix spp., willow

Taxus brevifolia, pacific yew

Ulmus rubra, slippery elm

Ziziphus jujube, jujube/chinese date

Accessibility and Promotions:

Four reduced-price Scholarship tickets are available for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) individuals.

Five reduced-price Scholarship tickets are available for Seniors, Students, and other people in low-income circumstances.

Email Z2ZnIHwgY2VpICEgZWFydGg= to claim a Scholarship ticket!

We are currently only accepting donations of LARGE sized glass jars, quart size or larger only, with lids. Always welcoming donations of harvest baskets.

Located in Fulton, Maryland, The Green Farmacy Garden is a sanctuary for approximately 300 native and non-native species of plants that have been used traditionally and/or researched for medicinal applications. USDA botanist James A. Duke, PhD, and his wife, Peggy, collected medicinal plants for over sixty years. In 1997, they transformed part of their pasture land into a teaching garden highlighting the plants that are featured in Jim’s book, The Green Ph*rm*cy.

The Green Farmacy Garden is also a part of the United Plant Savers network of sanctuaries around the country, which strive to educate the public and maintain native plant species that have become at risk or endangered.

In 2022, The Green Farmacy Garden became a sister site of Freetown Farm, part of the Community Ecology Institute based in Columbia, Maryland. The legacy gardeners are delighted and honored to have the garden continuously cared for as an educational garden & community space, and be a part of the fundamental ecological & educational community work of local non-profit The Community Ecology Institute.

Also check out other Workshops in Fulton, Trips & Adventurous Activities in Fulton, Nonprofit events in Fulton.