Cultivating OutreachÂ
The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden is a connection point between people, plants and the natural world. Naturally, when Cornell connected us and asked about help in revitalizing their plant collection, it was an enthusiastic YES from everyone on the team.
Because of our efforts in growing and replenishing our plantings, we were able to be there for Cornell College while they work toward reopening their greenhouse in the near future. We look forward to continuing this relationship moving forward. And if scheduling works out, staff from the Botanical Garden are hoping to attend the grand reopening.
Cornell College Sustainability Task Force
On the Cornell College Sustainability Task Force is Sam Bigalke, a Biology student, who was the one to reach out. He requested assistance with plant donations for re-establishing a botanical garden on the Cornell campus for class and research. The greenhouse at Cornell has been mostly shut down for several years. One of the Task Force’s main goals is reopening that greenhouse for professors and students.
The Green Team
Aaron Harpold, Director of Horticulture, and Diane Brockshus, Curatorial Horticulturist, worked with Sam since December 2024. Together they to determined which plants would be the ideal donations for the college. Sam was open to anything the Botanical Garden had to offer! Because Cornell is working on building up a broad collection of plants, the initial plant list suggested to Cornell included 71 plants, representing 20 plant families. After Sam consulted with his professors, together they chose 46 plants for the final selection.
Let’s Get Growing!
This March 6, 2025, Sam visited the Botanical Garden to tour the conservatory plus greenhouses. He discussed plant care and greenhouse operations, then went to take a look at the offered plants in person. After Sam’s tour with Diane and Laura Pence, Horticulturist, the Botanical Garden added a sampling of the scented geranium and coleus collections to the final plant list.Â
Sam returned this March 31, along with Isaac Winkler, Assistant Professor of Biology at Cornell, to pick up the donated plants. Aaron, Diane, and Laura were on hand to help load plants into the van for the trip to their new home in Mount Vernon.
 A Healthy Collection
The total donation included 52 plants, representing 19 plant families. Among the specimens being gifted to the college are two young palm trees, a cycad, 15 cacti and succulents, 4 gesneriads, 8 coleus, 8 scented geraniums, and an assortment of tropical plants. Most of these plants were propagated in-house at the Botanical Garden from cuttings or divisions of plants in our collection. The two palms were grown from seed collected in the conservatory.
Naturally Better for All
Collaborations such as these foster a sense of connection by linking back to the Botanical Garden’s mission of supporting local needs. It also builds goodwill reinforcing that the Botanical Garden is a vital community resource. This donation is more than an act of generosity—it’s an investment into the future. By fostering hands-on learning, and sharing of resources, these partnerships create lasting benefits for students and society at large.
