Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled Jakobi Vaughters‘ name. The Talisman regrets this error.
The greenhouse behind the Environmental Science and Technology building blooms with socialization for the WKU Horticulture Club’s weekly meetings.
“I heard about it at the Ogden Ice Cream Social my freshman year, and I made a lot of friends through it,” club President Meara Wilcox from Louisville said.
According to Britannica, horticulture is “the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops, generally fruits or vegetables, and ornamental plants.” The members of the horticulture club spend their time in the greenhouse growing as well as caring for different types of plants and greenery.
Wilcox said that the greenhouse contains mostly cacti, succulents and aloe vera. She said that they are also working on growing native wildflower species.
“We would love to build up our budget so that we can invest in some new plants,” Wilcox said.
Wilcox said the club members participate in outdoor activities such as hiking. She said that the club has ventured to Mammoth Cave and other nature trails. She also said they went on a tour of the botanical garden in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.
“It was super, super cool,” Wilcox said. “I’m trying to get us out into the community more as the club has grown.”
Wilcox said that the club has some ideas for collaborating with local agricultural businesses around the Bowling Green community. She said that they know of some local flower farms and farm agricultural areas she would like to collaborate with.
“I would love to do some work with them and come up with a collaborative project focusing on plants and how we can connect with them,” Wilcox said. “Those are some ideas, but nothing has happened yet.”
Aside from the field trips that the club takes, the club itself has been known to offer a peaceful environment.
Jakobi Vaughters, a freshman from Louisville, said that the club offers a relaxing environment.
“I like how peaceful it is,” Vaughters said. “It’s really calm and it’s nice to come here with a bunch of like-minded people.”
Vaughters said that the activities of the meetings are always changing. He said that sometimes they work on preparations for plant sales. Other times, they work on maintenance around the greenhouse, such as cleaning out old plants or cleaning up after a storm.
Maya Beckmann from Louisville is the Vice President of the horticulture club. She said that the club is always looking for new members.
“We like seeing new faces and freshmen,” Beckmann said. “I think we do a lot of fun activities and projects so I would encourage people to join.”
Beckmann said that the current big project for the club is preparing for their bi-annual plant sale. She said that the club members painted flower pots as well as planted plants to sell in a plant sale on Nov. 15 in Downing Student Union.
Wilcox said her favorite part of being in the club is being able to share an interest in plants with others.
“This club is for everybody, and we have people from all different areas on campus and walks of life coming here to have fun,” Wilcox said. “Everyone is welcome.”
The club meets on Mondays at 5:00 p.m. at the greenhouse behind the Environmental Science and Technology building. There is no fee to join.