Eco Tours

A tour of the beautiful Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden is a one-of-a-kind experience you can only find in Ojai, whether it’s the perfect cap to your weekend getaway, a unique treasure to complement your time in this enchanting valley, or a special treat for longtime residents.

With professional herbalist Carol Wade’s gentle guidance and near-encyclopedic knowledge of medicinal herbs, your tour through the garden and its native and regionally adapted plants will open your eyes to the vast world of herbal medicine and lore, and deepen your understanding and appreciation for the many ways we can and have used herbs in our daily lives. You’ll see, smell, touch (and sometimes taste!) these awesome tools for healing and wellness. To cap off your tour, you’ll make a special herbal product to take home with you, a souvenir and reminder of your experience which you can enjoy long after.

The Garden: dreamed up long ago and finally made a reality in 2012, the Earth Island Medicinal Herb Garden has taken years of intense work to become the gorgeous landmark it is today. Since ground was first broken in 2012, the garden has truly blossomed, becoming a must-see stop for visitors and a place of respite and renewal for locals. Nestled in Ojai’s East End, with breathtaking views of the valley’s encompassing mountains, the garden was conceived as a showpiece, educational tool, and medicinal resource in one. Designed in the shape of a nautilus shell, the 11 main beds in the garden represent the major body systems, and each is planted with specimen herbs specially suited to supporting and healing those systems. Above the nautilus is a sunburst row of production beds, with plants for future harvest and use in tinctures, salves, oils and other preparations.

Your Guided Tour Will Include:  1) an introduction to medicinal plants and their traditional uses in various cultures—including native plants used by the Chumash Indians, indigenous to the Ojai Valley region; 2) tips on how to identify, grow, and harvest a variety of herbs, and 3), an herbal product you will make and take home.

Cost:

$110 for one person

$190 for two people

$240 for three people

Groups tours are available by arrangement.

A Method Without Madness: the garden is completely organic, and uses drip irrigation to stay water-wise. Combined with the fact that the herbs are all native or regionally adapted and thus well-suited to California’s Mediterranean climate, the garden is a beautiful example of ecologically-friendly design. Furthermore, as part of EIH’s commitment to sustainability nearly all of the structures you’ll encounter in the garden, including the arbors, the bamboo fence and the chairs and tables, are made of reclaimed wood or recycled materials.

For more information please contact: 

Carol Wade – 805-798-1909 – info@earthislandherbs.com