Even through dreary Wheaton winters, Meyer Science Center room 275 bursts with colorful life as the home to the Wheaton College greenhouse. Twice a week– Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.– the greenhouse offers a space for students to relax and enjoy plant life.
The greenhouse has been at Wheaton College for over 30 years, first in the old Armerding Hall and now Meyer Science Center, and houses more than 100 species of flora. The species within the greenhouse are all acquired from within the United States through plant donations and Amazon orders. The space is home to many unique plants, such as Epiphyllum oxypetalum, better known as Queen of the Night, which blooms at night and dies in the morning.
The greenhouse is split into the jungle and desert rooms, the former space a humid and moist design for plants that favor a wet environment, and the latter space dry and hot for plants better suited for harsher climates. Both rooms include air filters and window shades to protect the plants from too much direct sunlight.
The two student staff members of the greenhouse, senior biology major Jacob Elsen and sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major Linus Kennedy, take shifts throughout the week repotting plants as they grow, tending and watering them, and facilitating the bi-annual plant sale.
The systems developed to care for the plants are quite intricate, as are the plants themselves, which Kennedy appreciates. Caring for God’s creation, he said, “comes with an obligation of humility for its intricacies and nuances.”
“I think the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of the greenhouse mirror the simplicity and complexity of our God,” said Kennedy.
When Elsen’s not working, he likes to unwind or do homework among the plants, in a corner lawn chair surrounded by greenery.
“I love getting new plants and getting to work with them, although when I’m not careful, I sometimes get skewered by a cactus,” Elsen said.
Students taking Biology 338 or 339 use the greenhouse for hands-on learning experience, getting a chance to examine the biological makeup of the plants they learn about in class. Raymond Lewis, associate professor of biology, hopes the greenhouse will offer a restful and unique space for students, whether or not they’re aspiring botanists.
“During the open house people can come take a chair and enjoy it,” said Lewis. “Having a place of refuge like that can be real soul-affirming.”
At plant sales once a semester, the greenhouse workers sell plants propagated from plants in the greenhouse, and the money raised goes into buying new plants for the space. Lab associate Coreen Ogilvie enjoys seeing all people engaging with the greenhouse, whether they be staff or students.
“Part of that ties back to an appreciation for God’s creation and giving people green space to enjoy that,” she said.
For Kennedy, during the hectic business of the week, the greenhouse offers a space of calming relaxation and a break from the business of school. He sees infinite majesty in the room full of plants.
“There’s just such an immense diversity of plants,” said Kennedy. “There’s always something new and exciting to see, there are plants that are pink, ones that eat bugs, or ones that look like dolphins. There’s never a dull moment in the greenhouse.”
