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A bouquet of flowers created at the giveaway hosted by the Vanderbilt Community Garden, as photographed on Oct. 13, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Urmika Nandwani)
A bouquet of flowers created at the giveaway hosted by the Vanderbilt Community Garden, as photographed on Oct. 13, 2023. (Hustler Multimedia/Urmika Nandwani)
Urmika Nandwani

IN PHOTOS: ‘I can buy myself flowers’

Students built their own fall bouquets at the giveaway hosted by the Vanderbilt Community Garden.

Vanderbilt Community Garden hosted a fall bouquet giveaway on Oct. 13 on the Rand Patio. Students were able to build a fall-themed flower arrangement for free using a selection of vibrant flowers and ribbon. 

The flowers were donated by “Floral Unique by Paul,” a Nashville-based floral company specializing in personally-created bouquets. With a vibrant array of flowers to choose from, students then had their arrangements wrapped in paper and then chose a fun ribbon to tie it all together. My flowers have made the perfect fall decorations for my room and are proudly displayed on my windowsill. 

The Vanderbilt Community Garden is located near the University Club and McTyeire House. The garden was revitalized in 2019 by SPEAR after being previously maintained by the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office and Vanderbilt Plant Operations. Plants and produce grow in the garden, and it also serves as a testing ground for sustainable gardening methods. The garden is open for use by the Vanderbilt community, as well as the Vanderbilt Children and Family Center which uses the garden as part of their curriculum. 

Senior and co-president of the Vanderbilt Community Garden Jiachen Sun helped coordinate the event and explained how she loved seeing smiling faces as students and families received their flowers. 

“I loved seeing everyone’s smiles as they received their wrapped bouquet and took pictures with it, and it was pretty amazing to see the range of people who showed up,” Chen said in a message to The Hustler. “Today we had students from all classes, graduate students and even some parents!”

A floral arrangement displayed among other plants on a windowsill, as photographed on Oct. 13, 2023. (Hustler Staff/Jorie Fawcett) (Jorie Fawcett)

Next up for the community garden is a fall planting event. They will be clearing plants at the end of their season, planting new vegetables for the fall, cleaning garden beds and setting up the new greenhouse.

About the Contributors
Jorie Fawcett
Jorie Fawcett, Senior Advisor
Jorie Fawcett ('25) is from Tiffin, Ohio, and studies secondary education and sociology in Peabody College. She previously served as Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Life Editor. When not writing for The Hustler, you can find her teaching, reading or pretending to study at Local Java or Suzie's. You can reach her at [email protected].
Urmika Nandwani
Urmika Nandwani, Staff Photographer
Urmika Nandwani (‘26) is from South Jordan, Utah and studies biology and anthropology in the College of Arts and Science. When not taking pictures for The Hustler, she can be found cozied up with a good book or out and about on a run. She can be reached at [email protected].
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