Just north of United Supermarkets Arena on the Texas Tech campus, you'll find the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources' Horticultural Gardens and Greenhouse Complex. The facility is used for teaching and research purposes, but also serves as a place for the public to see some of the state's most iconic blooms, lending inspiration to weekend gardeners. The greenhouse complex consists of eight bays, three of which are used for teaching.

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"It's definitely used by far more people thank you might think," said Jennifer Simek, greenhouse manager with Tech's Department of Plant and Soil Science. "Grounds maintenance uses one of the bays for their interior plant program. The other four greenhouses are all used for research. A lot of changes have already been made, and in the future you should expect to see a lot more changes in the gardens."

Officials with Department of Plant and Soil Science note that greenhouse construction began in 1973. Currently, the complex consists of eight glass and aluminum national greenhouses, a steam drying facility and a plant laboratory with seven growth chambers, an autoclave, a growth room, and standard laboratory equipment. In addition it has two classrooms with projectors, internet access and document cameras to assist in supporting the more than 1,000 students that pass through classes held at the greenhouse each year.

In addition, the complex has four research houses with high-intensity lighting and automated temperature control to support an estimated $3 million in research conducted with federal, state and private grants each year. There are three teaching compartments, housing an interior foliage collection, along with plant production facilities to support the laboratories.

Meanwhile, the first plantings for the horticultural gardens were made in 1982. Over the decades the gardens have expanded to include a variety of garden rooms, including collections of annuals, perennials, shrubs, ornamental grasses, a xeriscape, two rock gardens and a small arboretum. Each area provides a demonstration area for screening new plant materials for use in semiarid landscapes, as well as serving as an outdoor classroom for plant material classes. The gardens include a demonstration vineyard, rose collection and paving materials demonstration area.

Video Reporting/Production by Jeff Ramazani & Allison Hirth

CONTACT: Eric Hequet, Department Chair, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or eric.hequet@ttu.edu

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