As cold weather and final exams close in, members of the University of Connecticut community swarmed to the UConn Botanical Conservatory greenhouses for a plant giveaway on Wednesday, Dec. 3.
The Botanical Conservatory’s plant giveaway has become an end of semester tradition at UConn. This year, it featured over 500 specimens from a variety of species, some of which were tropical and some of which were succulent. Those interested could come by at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. to grab a plant, and the same plants were available for each time slot.
The giveaway occurred in a small building that connects three greenhouses together. A line of people snaked their way through the corridor and into a humid greenhouse room as they awaited their turn. The line moved quickly, and once at the front, visitors could choose from a variety of plants set up in small trays. Each plant tray was labeled with its name and necessary care instructions.
William Tangredi, a seventh-semester ecology and evolutionary biology student, said this was his first time being able to attend the giveaway because he was busy in earlier semesters. He came down to the first time slot without any specific plants in mind and returned later in the afternoon to pick from the updated display.
“I saw earlier they had some catnip plants, and I was like, ‘that sounds cool, maybe if they refresh those I’ll get some,’” Tangredi said. “Other than that, I just kind of like seeing what the greenhouse has.”
The offered plants ranged in their care requirements. Some of the tropical plants required a lot of moisture and sunlight, while the succulents fared better in drier and darker conditions. Greenhouse workers stood by the giveaway table to answer questions about each plant’s specific needs.
Snehal Mohire, a third-semester chemistry student, said she heard about the event through a friend. She said she is “always excited to have plants,” so she headed over after hearing the news.
“I’m glad they made some with less water, because it’s difficult to have plants during the winter,” Mohire said.
Mohire grabbed a plant called Moses-in-the-cradle, one of the larger plants with pointed waxy leaves. It does not require a lot of water, and she managed to grab a few other plants that could also withstand drier conditions.
Abrar Sitab, a graduate student studying chemistry, said he came across the giveaway on Instagram and decided to head over.
“I was looking for the plants that [don’t] need too much light because in my apartment, in the winters, it’s not too bright,” Sitab said.
Sitab walked away with a spider plant and a firecracker plant, which he felt could meet the dark and dry conditions in his apartment.
Matthew Opal, a collections scientist who works in the greenhouses, said all of the plants came from the greenhouses. During the semester, the staff would propagate cuttings for the giveaway at the end of the semester.
“A lot of these are sort of purpose-grown out for the plant giveaway, but some of them are just kind of extras that we propagated too many of,” Opal said. “Better than throwing them out is to give them away to people.”
Opal said the event is a great way to let people in the UConn community learn more about the greenhouses at UConn, which hosts almost 3,000 different plant species. According to Opal, the Botanical Conservatory is one of the largest greenhouse collections in New England and one of the best botanical greenhouses at an American university. They are used in education to teach UConn students in a hands-on setting, but they are open to the public to walk through as well.
“We do outreach events like this to just kind of bring people in for something fun, to hopefully encourage some to see the greenhouses and think about plants,” Opal said.
The greenhouses are open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. According to Opal, they will remain open for these hours during winter break but will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.