Native Plant Space

The Native Plant Space, located off the popular Mountain Goat Trail in downtown Monteagle, TN, is a small educational garden that highlights plant species native to the South Cumberland Plateau. Growing Roots volunteers upkeep the garden beds throughout the year and research and maintain this website companion, which outlines basic information about the culinary, medicinal, and cultural uses of these plants.

Importantly, the Native Plant Space also aims to bring awareness to land use narratives of the South Cumberland Plateau area - seeking insight and stories from the Indigenous people who first called the Plateau home. The Native Plant Space stands along the Bell Route detachment of the Trail of Tears, which runs locally along Hwy 41 and Main Street. This group suffered 23 deaths, including 2 infants, on their 89-day, 707-mile journey.

This ADA accessible garden will soon host storytelling panels, drafted by Lianna Costantino, Cherokee Nation elder and illustrated by M Kelley, Nashville artist, which outline three chapters: “Gratitude,” “Humility,” and “The Next 7 Generations.” This story speaks to the Indian Removal Act, the Trail of Tears, and challenges the reader to consider how their actions today might influence generations to come.

— If you were redirected to this page from a sign at the garden, that means we still need to do more research on the plant you were observing! We are actively recruiting volunteers to assist with research from both scholarly sources and from those with lived experience in traditional uses of plants. Contact us to get involved.