New greenhouse to enhance horticulture program

Magnificat’s horticulture program just keeps on growing. Building on the success of the Pollinator Sensory Garden and the beehives located behind the school, a new greenhouse, outdoor classroom, and pavilion are being installed this summer to cultivate new opportunities for students.

Made possible by the generosity of donors, the full-sized, heated greenhouse will enable the Seeds of Service Horticulture Club to propagate new plants during the winter and early spring after harvesting seeds from the gardens. Club members plan to grow and sell more vegetables and floral bouquets as a fundraiser, in addition to the honey available for purchase in the Streaks Boutique. The cut flowers will also be used in large floral arrangements used during Masses and special events.

The greenhouse project involves removing the small hoop house and tearing up grass, which prompted Horticultural Manager Karen Ryan Tigue ’85 to examine how the area between the tennis courts and parking lot could be improved not only aesthetically, but also as a teaching and learning environment. Working with several consultants, she developed plans to add a pavilion, pergolas, water features, raised garden beds, composting, and rain barrels. Several benches and seating areas would invite more teachers to use the space as an outdoor classroom, as English, photography, and science classes have already done with the Pollinator Sensory Garden.

The improvements are part of a larger initiative to expand the Seeds of Service program, which has grown to 60 members participating in nine subcommittees, from beekeeping to marketing to floral arranging. Each aspect of the program aligns with the Catholic Social Teaching principle of Care for God’s Creation to protect people and the planet, as well as the example set forth by Sisters of the Humility of Mary in being careful stewards of the land at Villa Maria in Pennsylvania.

With so many students involved in the club, Tigue hopes to build more time into the school day for activities through a new elective course on native landscaping and horticulture. The club’s evolution has resulted in a signature program that distinguishes Magnificat, attracting many eighth graders to become involved and later become committee leaders.

“We are at the point where we are bursting at the seams with the hoop house and the program,” Tigue said. “This new space and greenhouse gives us room to expand and keep empowering these young women to connect with nature and become environmental stewards.”