Hilltop Garden

As campus quiets and the sun lingers in the sky, many of us are looking to grow connection with our land, communities, and bodies. One way to do so is through shared gardening, and IU Bloomington offers plenty of ways to collectively tend to blooming flowers and growing crops.  

One option is the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. At Hilltop, you can volunteer and help sustain the gardens, participate in the free Family Gardening Program, find peace of mind in the Healing Garden, and plenty more. 

On your commute to the garden, conveniently located at the northeastern edge of campus, you may take notice of your mood. Whether it’s the liminal moment between the spring semester and a new internship or a joyful afternoon with family, personal stressors and planetary health concerns may surface. 

Passing the garden threshold, then, opens a world of possibilities around caring for the earth and being cared for by the earth.  

• Responsible sun exposure stimulates vitamin D synthesis that promotes healthy bones and a strong immune system.  
• Growing our own food reminds us to be thoughtful in nourishing our bodies.  
• Gardening involves diverse movements like weeding and carrying supplies, stretching and engaging a range of muscles. 
• Slowing down and having fun with plants can simultaneously cultivate mindfulness and soil health.  

In fact, studies support what many of us have experienced -- gardening can reduce stress. Breathing fresh air and admiring flowers are great ways to remind yourself that life is more than any task or deadline. 

One key site for this dual tending of earth and self is the Healing Garden. Keitlyn Alcantara, assistant professor in the IU Department of Anthropology, says the Healing Garden was created for people to enjoy gardening from a “perspective that isn’t about production” and to “learn how nature can teach us a lot.”  

While gardening for abundant harvest has its perks, part of the Healing Garden’s wonder is how it invites visitors to let go of the urge to control.  

“I really wanted to make a space where people could get together, and Hilltop is a cool space because it has this whole ecosystem,” Alcantara said, recalling how she came to IU during the pandemic. “Even being out there before we made anything was really satisfying and a nice break from that intense screen time.”

Because this garden space and all of Hilltop revolves around workshops like gourd carving and seed starting, friends of IU and residents of the region get the chance to broaden their circle and experience communal peace.  

Many visitors find the Healing Garden therapeutic in reconnecting with their cultural and ancestral roots, as well as understanding themselves. 

“Knowledge about the natural world is something that a lot of people’s grandparents have,” Alcantara said. “Random people will know things that maybe aren’t in books but are passed down through conversations.” 

Maybe your aunt taught you how to plant marigolds on some spring weekend 20 years ago. Then, in a new place, connection with land becomes a link to memories and past lives. 

And though climate change and loss of biodiversity have been clearly attributed to human activity, there are innovative and thoughtful people like Keitlyn who work with with fellow beings toward a better future. Humanity can maintain its place in the world while still supporting the earth’s flourishing ecosystems. We all have a role to play in taking care of the environment, and in turn, ourselves. We all can take time to listen to plants and understand how the land encourages reflection.  

After all, gardening can grant invaluable knowledge beyond what can be conveyed through a textbook. As Alcantara says, “that’s how you learn — by just being there.” 

To get involved in gardening at Hilltop in its 75th year, you can head to the Hilltop website and check out volunteer opportunities, the Family Gardening Program, WonderCamps, the 75th Anniversary Workshop Series, the Flower Show of the Bloomington Garden Club's Annual Garden Walk, and Camp Good Grief.