Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden

Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden MHC's botanic gardens serves to meet the plant based research and teaching needs while serving as a

Two goals stand out consistently in the horticultural history of Mount Holyoke College: to increase diversity of plants on campus in order to perpetuate and expand Mary Lyon's vision of the campus as an outdoor teaching laboratory, and to arrange plants on campus in a visually pleasing manner. These two missions remain valid today and are the core concepts for the current Mission Statement.

It seems as if Winter has just begun but are you already dreaming of warmer days, and perhaps some Spring flowers? We at...
01/12/2024

It seems as if Winter has just begun but are you already dreaming of warmer days, and perhaps some Spring flowers? We at the Botanic Garden can’t do anything about changing the weather but we’re definitely working hard to hold up the flower end of things! The Botanic Garden’s 2024 Spring Flower Show is less than two months away and earlier this week we (the entire Botanic Garden staff: Jessie, Ali and Tom) moved 235 pots (well over 1,000 bulbs) of tulips from the walk-in cooler up to the Cool Production greenhouse. There in the sunlight and cool temperatures these bulbs that were potted up by our fabulous student workers back in September and October will be slowly “forced” into bloom just in time for the Show and to the delight of the thousands of people who enjoy this great tradition each year. The daffodils, hyacinths and more are soon to follow but for now they’re still chillin’ in the cooler! If you’ve never visited us during the Show, please plan to this year. If you’ve been coming for years, thank you for supporting us and we’ll certainly welcome you back! The 52nd annual Spring Flower Show will be held in the Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse March 2 - 17, 2024 and open every day 10:00 - 4:00. As always, it will be free and open to all. Of course, the Greenhouse is open year-round so you don’t have to wait until March to enjoy the wonders of the plant world. Before the Show and after the Show the Talcott Greenhouse is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 4:00 and weekends, 1:00 - 4:00; the Botanic Garden’s outdoor gardens are open year-round sunrise - sunset.

Visitors to the Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse this month will be greeted by a stunning violet-purple floral displa...
01/05/2024

Visitors to the Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse this month will be greeted by a stunning violet-purple floral display compliments of Hardenbergia violacea (MHCBG acc. #20140080*A), also known as purple coral pea, purple twining pea, and waraburra. This member of the pea family is a twining, evergreen vine native to eastern and southeastern Australia (including a very small population in Tasmania where it is endangered) and currently offering a prolific display in the Show House, but did you ever stop to wonder why plants bloom when they do? In the case of this plant, flower bud formation is directly related to both photoperiod (daylength) and temperature. Specifically, daylength less than 12.5 hours and cool temperatures in the upper 50’s to lower 60’s F (15-18 C) lead to flower bud initiation and development as discussed in R.W. King’s 1998 paper, “Dual Control of Flower Initiation and Development by Temperature and Photoperiod in Hardenbergia violacea” published in the Australian Journal of Botany 46, 65-74. Another thing to wonder about is why this plant evolved to bloom as a result of these environmental cues? If you don’t feel up to pondering such questions, at least come and enjoy this wonder from Down Under. The Talcott Greenhouse is open Monday- Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 1 pm to 4 pm.

For more than a half century, the Botanic Garden has kept alive the tradition of giving a plant to every new student. Ar...
09/08/2023

For more than a half century, the Botanic Garden has kept alive the tradition of giving a plant to every new student. Are you a Firstie or a new FP, transfer or exchange student? If you are and haven’t picked up your plant you have a few more days but on Monday, September 11 we make any surplus plants available to any MHC students. Come 9 am on Monday, plants will be available on a first come, first served basis but only one plant per student. At this point we have Swedish ivies and inch plants, both durable, adaptable and (hopefully) long-lived!

Standing at about 10 feet tall, Silphium perfoliatum towers over the rest of the outdoor garden. Easily noticeable by it...
07/13/2023

Standing at about 10 feet tall, Silphium perfoliatum towers over the rest of the outdoor garden. Easily noticeable by its height and currently blooming yellow flowers, this member of the aster family is a native to eastern and central North America.
Silphium perfoliatum is commonly known as the cup plant due to its perfoliate leaves. Leaves on opposite sides of the stem fuse together around the stem, forming a cup shape (slide 2). Water is captured and stored in the cupped leaves for several days after rainfall, attracting birds and pollinators to drink from. While interacting with Silphium perfoliatum, birds may feed on and aid in seed dispersal.

Myrmecophytes are known as “ant-plants'' due to their mutualistic symbiotic relationship with an ant colony. In the Cyca...
07/07/2023

Myrmecophytes are known as “ant-plants'' due to their mutualistic symbiotic relationship with an ant colony. In the Cycad House, Myrmecodia platytyrea is a unique member of the Rubiaceae family as it is a myrmecophyte. This plant has a noticeably swollen base of the stem, known as a caudex. During growth, sections within the stem dry out, leaving behind empty chambers. These structures provide arboreal ants with shelter and protection. Myrmecodia platytyrea is an epiphyte that generally grows on other trees, providing a shelter above and away from most predators. Further protection includes small spikes around the plant that are physical deterrents to predators. By allowing the ant colony to live within them, the Myrmecodia platytyrea absorbs any detritus that the ants leave behind. Microbial activity breaks the materials down and the nutrients are absorbed through the wall lining.
In addition to Myrmecodia platytyrea, there are many other myrmecophytes scattered throughout the different houses of the Talcott Greenhouse.

The Pollinator Strip, across from the Clapp Laboratory and next to the Heckel Staircase, is a garden of plants native to...
06/30/2023

The Pollinator Strip, across from the Clapp Laboratory and next to the Heckel Staircase, is a garden of plants native to Eastern North America including many locally native plants that support native pollinators. Pollinators visit a variety of plants, transferring the pollen that is necessary for sexual reproduction. This process is vital to the health of an ecosystem by promoting plant reproduction and biodiversity.

Pollinators and many of the plants that support them face many challenges, including habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture as well as poor quality nectar and disease. By maintaining a garden that is pollinator-friendly, the MHC Botanic Garden aims to encourage the utilization of local plants to help improve nearby ecosystems.

Recently a member of the Apocynaceae family and a native to much of North America, Asclepias tuberosa, has been attracting many pollinators to the garden. Commonly known as butterfly w**d, the bright orange flowers of this plant appeal to many pollinators, especially bees and butterflies.

Many plants are currently in bloom at the Pollinator Strip along with many others at the outdoor gardens of the MHC Botanic Garden.

Estimated to only have thirty individuals growing in the wild, Osa pulchra is an endangered species. Originally, the onl...
06/23/2023

Estimated to only have thirty individuals growing in the wild, Osa pulchra is an endangered species. Originally, the only population of Osa pulchra was on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. Due to its close proximity to humans, it has been debated whether this population had been introduced and cultivated by humans. In 2007, another small population of Osa pulchra was discovered in Panama, which may be the first native population of the plant to be discovered. This plant currently resides in the Conservatory of the MHC Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse.

The MHC Botanic Garden joins the collaborative efforts of botanic gardens around the globe to conserve the natural biodiversity of the planet. By maintaining endangered species, such as Osa pulchra, their extinction can be prevented. As we share their stories, we hope others will appreciate the struggles of endangered plants.

Red-leaf Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, is a tree native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and southeast Rus...
06/16/2023

Red-leaf Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, is a tree native to Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Over centuries, many hundreds of cultivars have been selected. Cultivars are plants that had been selected for and propagated to emphasize specific characteristics. In the case of Japanese maple, cultivars can vary in leaf color, division, and size as well as overall growth patterns. Located behind the north end of the Talcott Greenhouse is a generic Red-leaf Japanese maple (slide 1).

Featured in slide 2 and located by the Reese Psychology and Education building, is ‘Tamukeyama’ Japanese maple, which has weeping downward branches. Its bright red leaves are very thin, serrated and finely dissected.

Similarly, ‘Dissectum’ is a short tree with lace like leaves (slide 3). However, this tree has green foliage in the spring, which gradually changes to red in the autumn. Three ‘Dissectum’ reside in the Ciruti courtyard.

Located by the reflecting pool is ‘Ukigumo’ (slide 4). It is a taller tree with rounder, green leaves than the previous cultivar. ‘Ukigumo’ is also known as the “Floating Cloud” maple because of its white variegated leaves in early spring.

‘Beni tsukasa’ (slide 5) is found on the Southeast corner of Rooke Theater. The foliage of this tree transitions from pale pink in the spring to green in the summer and then to red during autumn.

Flanking the entrance to the Torrey parking lot, are ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maples (slide 6). These trees will remain red though most of the growing season.

Cultivars display the diversity within a singular plant species. Explore variety of Japanese maple cultivars around the grounds of the MHC Botanic Gardens and the rest of campus.

Nesocodon mauritianus, a member of the Campanulaceae family, is a plant endemic to the Mauritian islands. A unique trait...
06/08/2023

Nesocodon mauritianus, a member of the Campanulaceae family, is a plant endemic to the Mauritian islands.

A unique trait of the bell-shaped flowers is the nectar that they produce. While most floral nectars are clear, the Nesocodon mauritianus nectar is bright red. Initially, the nectar of this plant is pale yellow but changes to red as the plant matures. This way, pollinators are signaled when the plant reaches maturity. Vibrant colors are often key to attracting pollinators, and in the wild, the red lures day geckos. Very few plants are pollinated by gecko, but the distinctive color appeals to the small lizard.

This plant is currently in bloom and producing the red nectar in the Cycad house of the MHC Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse.

Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) undoubtedly bears the most uniquely colored flowers of all in the living collecti...
06/03/2023

Jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) undoubtedly bears the most uniquely colored flowers of all in the living collection. No editing on these pics - the exquisite turquoise color is true to life! We were thrilled when it first flowered a couple months ago and delightfully surprised with an encore performance. It should be in bloom for a couple more weeks. Our plant - accession #20100039*A - came from in 2010. This high climbing liana (woody vine) is in the bean family and native to Philippines. The MHC Botanic Garden’s Talcott Greenhouse is open M - F 9:00 - 4:00 and weekends 1:00 - 4:00 and free to all visitors.

The time has come! The spectacle that greeted us this morning was well worth the wait and all the effort that went into ...
05/10/2023

The time has come! The spectacle that greeted us this morning was well worth the wait and all the effort that went into caring for this unique plant and bringing it to maturity. We received this one (1 of 4 in the Botanic Garden’s living collection) in 2020 from Dartmouth College’s Life Sciences Greenhouse; Dartmouth raised a batch of seedlings from seed they got from The Ohio State University. Indeed, the botanic garden community is tightly knit resulting in a great spirit of collaboration, generosity and mutual support. Pangy’s parents were Maudine (seed parent) and Woody (pollen parent). Botanic gardens around the world - including MHCBG - keep detailed records of all plants in their collections. These records add depth to the collection and make our living collection significantly more valuable as a resource for supporting academic programs at MHC, research, conservation and engaging people with the fascinating world of plants. **seflower

It is happening! Midday observation revealed that Pangy was starting to open and offering just a bit of the telltale odo...
05/09/2023

It is happening! Midday observation revealed that Pangy was starting to open and offering just a bit of the telltale odor that provides it with one of the common names - co**se flower - for this magnificent aroid, . The 4:00 olfactory experience was positively stinky! We expect a fair bit of action overnight so make plans to be at the door when we open at 9 tomorrow morning. The flowering period is short so don’t delay and make your way to the

Address

Lower Lake Road
South Hadley, MA
01075

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10pm - 4pm
Sunday 10pm - 4pm

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+14135382116

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