The Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden, in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States, encompasses the Mount Holyoke College campus, an arboretum, numerous gardens, and the Talcott Greenhouse. It was first designated a botanical garden in 1878, with guidance from Lydia Shattuck, professor of botany. The construction of the Talcott Greenhouse complex, which houses the Botanic Garden's collection of non-hardy plants, began in 1896, after the original greenhouse was destroyed by fire, and was completed in 1899.[1]
The Botanic Garden serves as an outdoor teaching laboratory as well as a place to arrange and display plants on campus.[2] The Talcott Greenhouse maintains a permanent collection in addition to space for research and teaching purposes.
Heckel Staircase Garden - perennials and dwarf evergreens[6]
Traditions
The Greenhouse sustains a college tradition by providing students with plants during their first year, which many try to keep alive until they graduate.[7][8]
Since 1971, Mount Holyoke has hosted an annual Flower Show each spring.[9][10]