The Abode Gardens
The gardens at the Abode are a place of beauty, rest, and quiet restoration, lovingly shaped over the years by many dedicated hands. They invite visitors to slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world.
At the heart of the gardens lies the herb garden, designed in the form of a rose octagon surrounded by the four elemental beds, air, earth, fire, and water. Within this sacred geometry rests a heart and wing motif, one side filled with medicinal plants, the other with berries, all surrounding a lavender-lined labyrinth that spirals inward toward a white rose encircled by clear quartz crystals.
Interwoven throughout the grounds are cut flowers, native species, and medicinal herbs, used to adorn the Universal Worship altar, the dining hall, weddings, and workshops. Over many seasons, beloved gardeners Regina Jemila and Nizam cultivated these spaces with care, creating a lasting foundation for the gardens’ ongoing evolution.
Near the Meditation Hall, golden Chishti roses bloom beside perennials that take turns lighting up the seasons like slow fireworks. A quiet Memorial Garden rests under the shelter of the ancient metasequoia trees. To the left of the greenhouse, a kitchen herb garden and children’s exploration garden offer fragrant herbs and playful discovery, reached through a tunnel of bright cut flowers from the main road.
Whether watching the sunset from an Adirondack chair beneath the elderberries or wandering among the flower beds, the gardens remain a sanctuary a place where the spirit can pause and be nourished.
Interested in volunteering in the garden? Reach out to us below!
Garden Manager: Sarah Latifa M.Ed. has been gardening at the Abode since 2001 when she apprenticed with Jamila and Nizam for the summer. Her background is in biology and education with a deep love for native plants that provide our animal friends and the ecosystem a bounty of food and habitat. She also has a deep connection to the medicinal plants the divine Mother Earth provides. She hopes you will come and receive the healing that the abode gardens give to all who visit.
