>What do people recommend we grow in our greenhouse for a good, basic
>teaching collection? A banana tree is clearly a must, and I understand
>it's not legal to buy Wellwitchia any more, but what else? We've got
>several available benches but no specialty space (e.g., no fountains or
>rock walls or ponds), we can keep the greenhouse nice and warm in winter
>but can't prevent it's getting pretty hot during the summer (there will
>certainly be days about 35 degrees C).
>All suggestions happily received.
It depends on what you are teaching. If you are teaching an overview of
botany, you will want to grow some ferns, some monocots, some dicots, a
terrarium of moss and Selaginella, a tank of algae, maybe some liverworts,
etc. If you are teaching systematics, you will want representatives of large
or important families--some aroids, some orchids, some hibiscus, cacti,
euphorbias, and so on--this will be much easier if you have some outdoor
bedding space for not-so-tropical families like mints and mustards. For
getting students interested in plants in general, nothing beats an acid-bog
terrarium of carnivorous plants!
If you can tell me a little more about what your needs are, I can possibly
make some concrete suggestions.
Monique Reed
Texas A&M
