Just past Ball Gymnasium on the southwest end of campus, Christy Woods looms in the wake of spring. A gravel path leads to two greenhouses, nestled within the trees and wild flowers. Banana trees and cacti mingle. Carnivorous plants await unknowing insects. Vivid orchids and exotic flowers hang from ceilings and walls, reaching across the stone walkways. While the spring air holds a chill, the Wheeler Orchid Collection greenhouse is humid with trickling fountains and tropical temperatures native to the tropical poison-arrow frogs it houses.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, students have a chance to take home a piece of Ball State's vast greenhouse collection. The second Spring Cleaning Greenhouse Fundraiser will be in the Christy Woods Classroom, located next to the Teaching and Research Greenhouse.
Wheeler Orchid Collection curator Cheryl LeBlanc said there will be more than 1,000 plants from more than 100 different varieties at the sale. LeBlanc said outdoor perennials, native prairie species, ferns, tropical flowers and 43 species of orchids are coming from the Wheeler Orchid Collection. Sharyl Grant, who manages the Teaching and Resource Greenhouse as the field coordinator for the Field Station and Environmental Education Center, is offering succulents, cacti, various lilies, aloes, African violets, herbs, vegetables and fruits.
The plants will be sold at suggested donation prices that can range from $1 to $24. Grant said a red dawn oak, which is known to grow to up to 80 feet tall, is going at a suggested price of $7.
"Prices are very low," Grant said. "The plants we are selling are excess, so we want them to leave."
All of the proceeds go to the two greenhouses.
"I have a very limited budget to run the collection," LeBlanc said. "These kinds of things help us get what we need; it helps the collection to be taken care of in a better way."
The first fundraiser was held last year, and $2,800 was made from sales. There were 400 plants price-tagged, and 90 percent of them were sold.
As a result of the fundraiser, a fogging unit that helps growing conditions for the orchids, potting soils and other supplies was purchased. This year, two and half times the amount of plants are being put up for sale. LeBlanc said the projected sales for this year are double. LeBlanc said the Wheeler Orchid Collection is the largest collegiate collection of orchids in the nation, and there are plans underway that need funding, such as a new greenhouse and extensions for the current greenhouses.
"This would be a huge boost to our greenhouse management budget," LeBlanc said.
However, cash isn't the only way to give. Students, faculty and community members are also free to donate gardening supplies, plant-related books and potting soil during the sale.
Three organizations - the American Society of Landscape Architecture, the Natural Resources Club and Students for Responsible Consumerism - helped prepare for the sale. Students from those organizations will also be present at the event to assist customers.
Fundraising is not the only aim, however. The sale also is meant to be a learning experience.
"For each plant, there will be a fact sheet about how to care for it - about the plant, its environment and interesting facts," LeBlanc said. "The university is an educational place. With the distribution of plants, those things go hand in hand."
Biology and exercise science major Michael Russell has worked at the Wheeler Orchid Collection for three years. He said one lament he has is that not many students are savvy with Christy Woods or the greenhouses in it.
"This is such an amazing collection, and it is sad that more people don't know about this hidden jewel that Ball State has," Russell said.
LeBlanc said she has been around plants her whole life and has worked in greenhouses since high school. Orchids are particularly special to her, she said.
"I met my first orchid was I was nine in Maine," LeBlanc said. "It was in my backyard. Ever since then the love I have for them has continued."
Plants provide many benefits, LeBlanc said. For students who are stressing over moving and finals, a floral friend might be beneficial during long days of in-dorm studying.
"For people that like to be outdoors to relieve stress, it can be very helpful," LeBlanc said. "If you can't go outside, then that plant shows that the green space is out there."
At the Teaching and Research Greenhouse, students can buy tomato plants, cooking herbs, peppers and strawberries. Grant said there are health benefits, too.
"I like to grow my own food because I like to know where it comes from," Grant said. "Also, working with plants is very therapeutic and great exercise. It gets you outside."
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