Herbula garden is the T-Factor temporary garden lab dedicated to wild and indigenous herbs and flowers. Herbula is designed to be a demonstrator for collective greening and biodiversity management in urban regeneration, by deploying training and educational activities to involve the local community. It consists of:

• A set of herb planters dedicated to the cultivation of aromatic and officinal herbs and flowers for home-made preparations.
• An experimental area dedicated to the cultivation of species that can be processed through dedicated tools and technologies and turned into innovative products for human use.
• A natural lawn dedicated to spontaneous vegetation that can attract pollinators and enhance urban biodiversity.

The opening event organised in October 2022 was mainly addressed to the community of people working at MIND with the purpose of introducing them to the meanwhile uses of T-Factor. The event was dedicated to aromatic herbs, which is also hosting a parterre of benches designed to run educational activities. The selection of plants, which was curated by LAND, focused on species that can be used for gastronomic, herbal, or cosmetic purposes.

After a short introduction by POLIMI on the overall purpose and plan of the meanwhile space, LAND shared some curiosities about the plants and their uses. Participants were then invited to get their hands dirty transferring the plants into the planters, and to symbolically adopt one of them. In the following months, the Garden will host several activities dedicated to both the internal community of MIND and the surrounding municipalities with the purpose of raising awareness on the importance of preserving and respecting the natural ecosystem of the area, rich in animal and plant species. Also, the Garden will host an interactive exhibition where visitors could discover the urban biodiversity and learn how to interact with it, in a relationship aimed at preserving the environment on the one hand, and at improving personal well being and quality of life in the city on the other hand.

The Herbula Garden has been realised thanks to technical partners Harpo verdepensile and WoodBlocX Landscaping Ltd, and built by Euroambiente Green Solutions.