Botanic Garden Basic Operations

The Mills College Botanic Garden acts primarily as an educational resource for the following biology courses:

BIO 001: General Biology I with Lab

BIO 002: General Biology II with Lab

BIO 004: Introduction to Biology

BIO 018: Exploring the World of Plants

BIO 037: California Natural History

BIO 110: California Flora and Vegetation

BIO 112: Plant Physiology

BIO 118: Biology of Plants

BIO 125: Principles of Ecology

BIO 148: Principles of Evolution and Adaptation

Each semester the Botanic Garden provides plant specimens for study and experimentation in laboratories. Classes also come into the Botanic Garden to conduct experiments in the green hosue and to observe plant specimens in the garden beds. The garden beds within the Botanic Garden represent different botanical concepts, such as the morphological and geographic diversity of Manzanitas across the state or California native plants naturally occurring in specific plant communities, such as Chaparral or Redwood Forest. The Botanic Garden allows students to have hands-on, direct experience with plants as whole organisms, many which would otherwise be too distant or too rare to observe.

Sustainability

The following is a brief outline of some of the ways the Botanic Garden actively utilizes and promotes environmental sustainability:

• Preserving local, native biodiversity by collecting, storing and growing campus plants
• Planting appropriate species for our Mediterranean climate
• Applying tested scientific knowledge and method
• Practicing alternative methods for pest and invasive species management
• Collaborating with the Recycling Program and others to make Mills a green campus
• Conserving water by using plants with low water needs and "sheet mulching"
• Promoting good community relationships in the Community Garden
• Experimenting with turf alternatives
• Providing much needed habitat for local bird and amphibian species