"the University of Minnesota, Morris greenhouse and conservatory... Gail Boe, UMM groundskeeper and gardener. ... the greenhouse used to have an extensive collection of orchids... "We lost a lot of [orchids]... because I was gone a lot, and it's tough to keep everyone else in the loop of how to take care of them," Boe said. ... it's difficult to replace the orchids that didn't make it because of budget cuts, as well as the effort it takes to care for the plants in their early stages. ... Boe is still tending to some orchids that she hopes will recover enough to bloom again...
She remembers spending time at her grandparents' home in Morris during 1960s and seeing the conversion from the West Central School for Agriculture to UMM. ... After graduating from Appleton High School, Boe earned a degree in Landscape Development and Design from the University of Minnesota campus in Waseca, in 1977. ... getting a job on the grounds crew at UMM in 1980. ... Three years after starting at UMM, Boe began working in the greenhouse, and now manages both the greenhouse and conservatory on campus. The greenhouse at UMM was built in the mid-1980s, and the conservatory was added shortly afterwards. Boe explained the conservatory was built as a place to store tropical plants and display plants in their beginning life stages. ... The greenhouse is used primarily for experimentation for faculty and students at UMM. "It helps them learn about plants and their structural systems," Boe said. Areas of the greenhouse are filled with student experiments, as well as common, easy to grow plants that are used by UMM faculty in classes. The greenhouse also utilizes Integrated Pest Management, a method that uses "good bugs to eat bad bugs," Boe jokingly explained. This system allows the greenhouse and conservatory to be maintained without spraying pesticides" URL : http://www.morrissuntribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=11876 ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
