Getting Greener, plant by plant
Plants Curator, Martha VanArtsdalen, is author of Plant of the Week, a regular feature in the staff newsletter. Below is this week’s submission. I found it quite appropriate for the Going Green blog.
Horticulturist, Carol Wagner, helping green the campus.
Plant of the Week
Getting greener, plant by plant
More corners of Haverford are getting greener plant by plant, thanks to the support of students
and staff. The 23rd annual Arboretum plant sale and freshman plant giveaway have sent multitudes of
leafy palms, prickly cacti, sassy succulents, and dramatic dracaenas into dorm rooms and offices.
Each year when freshmen approach our table setup in the Dining Center lobby, the number one
question (after the incredulous query „The plant is free???‟) is “Which plant is least likely to die? I kill
plants.” Plant sale conductress extraordinaire Carol Wagner then assures each student that, depending on
a sunny windowsill or a dark dorm room, a cactus or leafy tropical is worth the risk. Then comes the hard
part: selecting a 4-inch baby. Upperclassmen also stop by the table; sometimes to try and wheedle another
plant out of us, but often to happily report, “I still have my freshman plant!”
The sale of our larger potted office plants helps offset the cost of supporting this welcoming gift
to freshmen. This has been the Arboretum‟s way, along with a class tree planting during Customs Week,
to introduce new students to their campus beyond the classroom. A total of 68 plants were ordered this
year: hanging baskets of gold pothos and satin pothos, sanseveria, shefflera, lemon/lime dracaena, ruby
rubber tree, pink dragon dracaena, peace lily, and even two standard ficus trees.
We gratefully thank all those who stopped by our table and placed an order. The Arboretum staff
will be delivering plants to offices this week and spreading a little more green to brighten indoor corners
of campus. Thank you!
~ Martha