Units
Baton Rouge
The Baton Rouge Unit of The Herb Society of America
The Baton Rouge Unit of The Herb Society of America began in 1989 as "The Baton Rouge Herb Study Group" bringing together a group of people with a desire to share experiences with herbs and to continue learning about their cultivation and uses. In 1991, the group became an official unit of HSA and is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization.
Since its beginning as the study group, the members started its newsletter The Herbletter and began an Herb of the Month Program. The organizing group was a mixture of herbal professionals and enthusiastic amateurs, many of whom had a longtime involvement with herbs. The diversity of experience and herbal interests represented, has from the outset, provided a rich resource bank for group projects and presentations.
The Baton Rouge Unit is building a Historic Ethnic Garden at the Burden Botanic Gardens, a facility of Louisiana State University. This public garden will honor the ethnic groups who settled in this area, as well as the Native Americans who lived here and will feature their culinary and medicinal plants. This garden will also be a therapeutic garden and will be entirely wheelchair accessible.
The Baton Rouge Unit has also been asked to create a traditional Acadian healer's garden, a Traiteur's Garden, at the Rural Life Museum at the Burden Center. It will be at the Bergeron House, the oldest Cajun house in existence, built around 1791 and moved recently to the Rural Life Museum. Both gardens will be maintained by the unit.
Our unit is active and involved by providing educational speakers for garden clubs, schools, etc., growing and selling herb plants and educating about their uses. The unit is also planning symposia and workshops open to the public about herbal and culinary topics.
Meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month (except November) beginning at 6:30pm at the Burden Conference Center at Burden Gardens located at 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA. Information about meetings and special workshops, symposia, herb sales, etc. are on our Facebook page and on our Baton Rouge Unit website.
Guests are welcome to attend our programs. Check the website for more information or contact our unit chair: Mary Williams, at 414.526.3016
