Statement by GW Greenhouse Club President, Sophie Orban:
The GW Greenhouse Club was founded in the fall of 2018 to give students an opportunity to directly engage with the university’s greenhouse. Located on the top floor of Science and Engineering Hall, the 1,225-square-foot Wilbur V. Harlan Greenhouse is home to a diverse collection of plants.
In past semesters, the club has hosted a variety of events, including a terrarium workshop, where students could learn to build their own terrarium or mount an epiphytic plant to cork bark. We have been able to take private tours of local greenhouses, such as the U.S. Botanic Garden and its production facility. Each semester we also hold a “Potting and Propagation Party,” where students come to repot plants that have outgrown their pots, propagate, and trade cuttings.
Despite being unable to meet in person this year, we are finding ways to virtually connect the plant-loving community at GW—one of which is through our plant book club. For the month of October, we have been reading Helena Attlee’s The Land Where Lemons Grow, a book about Italy as told through the history of citrus. We will be hosting our virtual book club meeting on Friday, October 30 from 6:00–7:00 pm EST. We are looking forward to chatting about the book and getting to know everyone a bit better. Coming this November, we will be reading The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World’s Rarest Species by Carlos Magdalena, a Kew Gardens horticulturist with a passion for plant conservation. Whether you have read the books or not, you are welcome to attend the meetings.
GW Greenhouse Club is open to everyone, whether you are studying biology or international affairs, or whether you know everything about plants, or nothing! It is a chance to get to know people interested in all things green, regardless of experience. If you have questions or would like to sign up for the club newsletter, feel free to email us at greenhouseclub@gwu.edu. And please follow us on Instagram.
~ Sophie Orban is the GW Greenhouse Club President
