About
The Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden features mature trees and shrubs, specialty gardens and the Talcott Greenhouse, a Victorian-era complex.
The specialty gardens include a rock/alpine garden, and woodland and rhododendron gardens. The trees and shrubs on campus include many rare and unusual specimens, as well as more familiar species, and many are labeled. The Talcott Greenhouse displays a permanent, living collection of tropical, subtropical and temperate plants from around the world, including ferns, orchids, bromeliads, aquatic plants, cacti and succulents.
These rich botanical resources provide collaborative opportunities for academic departments, programs and centers across campus. The staff of the Botanic Garden seeks to work collaboratively and interdisciplinarily with academic departments, and it is also happy to assist with horticulture questions.
The Botanic Garden offers several events every year, including the annual spring flower show in March, which began in 1971, and the plant sale in May. The Botanic Garden also sponsors the First-Year Plant tradition, which also began in 1971. Students starting at Mount Holyoke College are invited during Orientation to pick up their “Firstie Plant” at the Talcott Greenhouse. Many alumnae still have their original plants.
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