By Sharon Rude

On a cold, sunny Tuesday morning on January 20, I had the opportunity to join the Iowa City Camera Club to photograph plants at the University of Iowa Greenhouse on top of the Biology Building located at 210 E. Iowa Ave. in Iowa City. We met at 8:30 that morning, when the outside temperature was still -1 degree.

Once we were at the greenhouse, everyone was able to shed their coats, hats and gloves. The greenhouse made any thoughts of the bitter cold outside quickly melt away. 

There are six rooms filled with lush plants. There is a Dryland Plants room full of a large variety of thriving succulents, including giant and blooming cacti. I was familiar with some of the succulents, but there were quite a few interesting and unusual ones I’d never seen before.

Two plant-propagation rooms include large Tradescantia zebrina (also known as inch plants), ready for dividing. There is a Ruscus hypophyllum (spineless butcher’s broom), which I’d never seen before, and thought it was unique to have a small “broom” emerging from the center of each leaf. The propagation rooms also feature blooming orchids, familiar geraniums, begonias, large coleus and Tradescantia pallida (purple heart), a species of spiderwort.

All of the colorful blooms made me forget the frigid cold outside.

The Biology Teaching Collections room includes a small, raised water feature where tiny, colorful fish swam. Greenhouse manager Justin Tucker said the fish are a combination of South American catfish, guppies, and platys.

The Irish Lab room is designated for the biology of tomato-plant development (Solanum lycopersicum). There are a variety of tomato plants in all different sizes, including some four feet tall.

There’s also the D.I.R.T. room – Determined Gardeners Incorporating Radical Farming at the University of Iowa (formerly known as UI Gardeners), which has buckets of kale reaching four to five feet tall. A sign outside the room reads, “All gardeners: feel free to take some produce. Currently ready for harvesting: Kale! Take a few large leaves from the bottom of the stalks.”

The hallway to these rooms is lined with various large plants, which need a little less direct sunlight. At the end of the hallway stands a large rubber fig reaching to the ceiling.

The Biology Building East includes biology labs and research space. The greenhouse is located on the fourth floor, and is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It is closed Saturdays, Sundays and on university holidays. 

It is definitely a nice way to enjoy thriving plants in the middle of winter. For more information, check out https://biology-uiowa.edu/research/biology-greenhouse.