Botany Club Brings Native Plants to UCO Students

The Botany Club planted Native Oklahoma plants during its first annual Native Plant Gardening event on Friday in Howell Hall, to sell at their plant sale on April 24.

This year was the Botany Club’s first Native Plant Gardening Event, which was inspired by the plant sales the club had in the past.

Many customers at the plant sale asked if Native Plants were available, which sparked the idea from the President of the club, Damon Corvelo, to have an event specifically for planting Oklahoma native plants. The Botany club wants to promote Native plants that are tolerant to all types of weather.

Damon Corvelo, president of the Botany Club, said, “Last year, we had a few dozen native plants that were donated, so we just gave them away at the plant sale. They were such a hit, and they ran out so fast.” 

At the event, members of the club put a variety of plants in different pots with soil and moved them to the greenhouse on campus.

Dr. Messnick, the club advisor, said, “native plants are used to winter, they need to be in cooler areas such as the racks at the greenhouse because it’s cold outside. These plants need a period of cold; some need a few weeks, others need months.” 

This event will end up being a seasonal event. In future events, the club will plant native plants in January, so that the native plants will be used to the cycles and the seasons. The seeds are put in the cold and will bloom in the Spring, just in time for the plant sale. 

Some of the different plants that were planted were different forms of Buffalo grass, different types of sunflowers, and goldenrods. The origin of these plants comes from donations from Dr. Messnick’s, the advisor’s, backyard, or donations from other students or professors. 

There are several goals for the outcome of this event. One of the main goals of the event is for people to buy native plants instead of focusing on the typical roses or tulips. It is also for students with a variety of majors to come together and bond over Oklahoma’s native plants.

Maci Davis, club executive, said, “It’s a really nice way to raise awareness of the native critters we coexist with. We can spend money on helping the critters in your backyard.”

The outcome of the Native Plant Gardening is to hopefully raise funds for events for the Botany club, reinvest in the new school year, new plants, get a better diversity for students to buy more plants, and bring awareness to native plants and how they help the ecosystem.

Future events for the Botany Club consist of the plant sale on April 24, two repotting parties, and Maci Davis, executive of the Botany Club, said, “all things plants.”