Westminster College will welcome the vernal season with a special spring celebration and greenhouse open house from 11:40 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the College’s new biology greenhouse located on Westminster Drive adjacent to Hoyt Science Center.

Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the greenhouse and learn about the different activities planned for the facility. Additionally, visitors can join in a hands-on activity and create a potted herb garden to take home.

The greenhouse, developed as part of the Hoyt Science Center’s renovation, will be used for class and laboratory instruction for biology courses and other related disciplines, said Dr. Diana Ortiz, greenhouse manager and associate professor of biology.

Ortiz said the greenhouse will be home to various tropical plants as well as native Pennsylvania plants and some aquatic plants. A Pennsylvania plant and pollinator garden outside the greenhouse is also being planned.

“We would like to educate our community about the conservation, cultivation and use of native Pennsylvania plants,” Ortiz said, adding that she hopes to hold community workshops and classes in the space.

The greenhouse is a “smart space” and features the ability to control the climate by regulating temperature, humidity and sunlight in the structure’s three segments.

“The sustainable greenhouse allows us to separate the facility into three separate climates, allowing us to grow tropical plants and local native plants,” Ortiz said.

The open house is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be available.

For more information about the greenhouse or the event, please contact Ortiz at ortizdi@westminster.edu.

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