Pressing the button with the letter ‘R,’ in the elevator in Bessey Hall will take passengers to the roof, where they can escape to a tropical rain forest of sorts. It is home to banana plants, cacao trees and coffea plants.
Stephen Mahoney, the greenhouse manager, oversees the maintenance issues and takes care of the purchasing needs such as fertilizer, insecticides, pots and containers. He also supervises five to six undergraduates in housekeeping and plant care.
The greenhouse houses about 600 different plants from all over the world and from all sorts of different climates in 12,500 square feet of floor space. There are desert plants, plants from the tropics and plants from Central America, South America, Africa and Asia.
