Photos: Biology Greenhouse Hosts Biannual Plant Sale and Open House

Eight adults stand around a lab classroom with black tables covered with leafy potted plants.
Students and faculty browse the merchandise at the Biology Greenhouse’s biannual plant sale on Nov. 22. All plants sold were grown in the greenhouse, and the profits are the greenhouse’s only source of funding, said Greenhouse Keeper and Whitehouse Nature Center Manager Misty Brooks (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

Plants, plants and more plants! On Nov. 22, the Biology Greenhouse hosted a plant sale and open house, selling all sorts of succulents, tropical plants and houseplants. 

The sale and open house are held once a semester and raise money for the greenhouse.

Greenhouse Keeper and Whitehouse Nature Center Manager Misty Brooks said the plant sale has been going on since before her time at Albion. The greenhouse hosts the sale as a fundraiser for the biology department and greenhouse, Brooks said, adding that the sale draws faculty, staff and students to get a new plant.

“In a dorm setting or an office setting, plants really do brighten people’s day,” Brooks said.

This is Peoria, Illinois junior and biology department employee Bryn Osborne’s second semester working at the greenhouse. Before they are sold, she said the plants are grown and propagated in the greenhouse. 

“It’s a good college job; I can come here, water and take care of the plants,” Osborne said. “I really like the little Haworthias, the little spiky ones. They’re really easy to propagate.”

This past spring, the plant sale changed locations from its former home in the science atrium to Kresge 176. Since its moving, the plant sale has allowed the Biology Greenhouse to be open and accessible to visitors. 

“The greenhouse is pretty quiet,” Brooks said. “We do get classes out here, but it’s not big enough to host an event, which is why we do the open house with the plant sale now. People have a chance to go in and see all the cool stuff we have.”

 A young woman stands in a lab classroom holding a small potted plant and looking at an array of small potted plants laid out on the table in front of her. Behind her is another table, also sporting several small potted plants.
Hudsonville senior Joelle Busscher peruses one of the tables of the plant sale. Each table was labeled with the price of its respective plants (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).
Two young adults stand in a sunlit indoor greenhouse. They face away from the camera, gazing at orange flowers and other plants.
Dallas first-year Roselyn Sanchez and Hudsonville first-year Ashanti McKnight look at flowers in the temperate room of the Biology Greenhouse. The greenhouse has three climate rooms: temperate, arid and tropical (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).
A close-up of several potted plants sitting on a black tabletop.
Various succulents and other plants on offer at the sale (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).
Young adults stand in a lab classroom, four of whom hold potted plants. In the foreground is a black tabletop with potted plants.
Shoppers hold their various soon-to-be purchases from the plant sale (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).
 A wide shot of an indoor greenhouse with floor-to-ceiling-windows. Inside are many cacti and other plants.
The arid room of the Biology Greenhouse. According to Red Butte Garden, plants that typically grow in arid climates need heat and very little water (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).
About Gabriela Popa 2 Articles
Gabriela Popa is a first-year from Brighton, Michigan. She is double majoring in Public Policy and Finance. Gabriela finds joy in making people smile and can often be seen taking pictures of squirrels, landscapes or really old buildings. She can be reached at GLP10@albion.edu.

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