ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Bay College greenhouse is helping the community get ready for summer with its annual plant sale.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 8, a variety of wildflowers, perennials, herbs, and vegetable starts will be available to purchase. The selection includes several native plant species, which are easy to maintain and provide ecological benefits.
“Native plants are adapted to our environment and our soils, so once they’re established, they really don’t require a lot of care, weeding, or watering,” explained Brian Black, biology and environmental science instructor at Bay College. “More importantly, they provide habitat for pollinators. They also provide food for a diversity of other wildlife. I find amphibians in my yard. Lots and lots of birds feed on their seeds. It just creates a really vibrant and dynamic ecosystem.”
Prices start at $1 for small plants and go up to $25 for a flat. Proceeds will support student organizations, like the new Forestry Club, and greenhouse operations.
Typically, the greenhouse sells about half of the plants it produces. The rest are donated to local projects.
“Native plant group the Wild Ones helps with collecting seeds and transplanting, so they sell some plants as a fundraiser,” Black said. “This year, I’ve donated 12 flats of plants to Gladstone Schools. They’re working on a couple of new garden beds at the high school, both vegetables and native plants. We have a long-running relationship with the Forest Service. They use lots of our native plants for restoration projects around the forest. We also have a long-term relationship with groups up in the Keweenaw that promote planting native plants.”
2025 was a record year for the greenhouse plant sale, and Black hopes to replicate that success this year.
The Bay College greenhouse is located in Room 116 of the Math/Science Building. Questions can be directed to blackb@baycollege.edu or (906) 217-4051.
