Grow Purposeful Beauty
The time has come for a new greenhouse.
The horticulture program continues to be one of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s (NSA) most popular service for individuals and communities alike. We’ve long advocated for the use of regionally native plants in gardens throughout the state so that greenspaces would have a positive environmental impact and would support wildlife and people alike. Our work has paid off, Nebraskans now look to NSA to provide them with hard-to-find plants grown from local seedstock. As the movement of gardening with purpose continues to grow, we want to be able to meet the demand and create Nebraska communities that are sustainable and green.
To support more gardeners and communities, as well as to expand the variety of native plants and trees we offer, we need a new production greenhouse. We also need sheltered spaces for our staff to package and ship plants to communities throughout the state, building upon our award-winning Bloom Box program. Currently, we utilize a small production greenhouse in Mead, NE. Our new production greenhouse would be located next to our shade house and tree nursery on the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s East Campus. This new location would put all our facilities in one place, eliminating travel time for the greenhouse staff allowing them to focus on what matters--- the plants. Finally, we need a more accessible and permanent sales area so any gardener can stop by to pick up plants when the mood strikes them.
Production greenhouses allow us to begin to grow plants in the dead of winter, so they are ready when communities and individuals can plant in the spring. This 30’ by 72’ greenhouse would more than double our current production output, allowing us to send more plants to more communities the first growing season we’re in production.
The total cost for a new production greenhouse is $140,000. This includes materials, site preparation, and construction. Thanks to a grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development’s Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery & Investment Act (LB566, 2021) and generous matching donors we are very close to our goal! Please help get us over the finish line by donating now so we can start construction in the fall of 2022.