Link to the Gifford Garden:
http://www.ecostudies.org/gardens_&_grounds.html

The CIES mission and all of its components call out for a garden.

Mission

“The Institute’s Purpose:

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is …dedicated to the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge about ecological systems.

The Institute’s Goals

The goals of the programs … are:

* To enhance the general understanding of ecology by students, policy makers, and the general public.

Implementation of Goals

The work of the Institute contributes to an understanding and resolution of pressing environmental problems in two fundamental ways:

Basic science is the foundation for environmental problem solving. … Basic ecological understanding, derived largely through investigator-initiated research, represents the heart of the program of CIES.

Second, CIES staff has assumed a mandate to make scientific information available to the public, managers, and decision-makers. …

Gifford Garden

…the Gifford Garden is a perennial garden that is both educational and beautiful…. The garden’s plant collections are grouped to convey themes or design concepts. …visitors can expect to see plants that are preferred by pollinators, such as butterflies and hummingbirds, plants known to have poisonous qualities, and hardy plants that are resistant to deer browse. Many beds feature educational brochures that enable visitors to take information home and apply it in their own yards and gardens…. there is always something new to learn and experience.

Gifford Garden History

On her death in 1967, Mary Flagler Cary willed her property to a charitable trust. The trust was tasked with ensuring that her land was both preserved and used in a way the (sic) benefited the public….

The Gifford Garden is an integral part of the Institute’s education mission. It is home to over 850 different species of plants, presented in display beds that offer ecological as well as horticultural insights for visitors. It is a place to study and evaluate plant growth patterns, cultural requirements, and ecological relationships. The overwhelming majority of plants are labeled, so that precise identification is possible.”