The greenhouse, a controlled growing facility covering approximately 740 square feet, holds plant collections from tropical and arid regions as well as plants grown for student projects, campus greening, and the annual fall plant sale. The greenhouse is equipped with a cooling system, a shade system, and an irrigation system, all installed within the last five years as part of the greenhouse renovation. The greenhouse allows plants that are not adapted to our California climate to still flourish under warmer temperatures and higher humidity. Unique specimens including Rock Plants, Carnivorous Plants, and Orchids can be viewed and appreciated. For more information and to organize a visit, please email sswope@mills.edu.
The lath house is an outdoor timber structure which provides shade and cooler temperatures for young seedlings and shade-loving plants. The collection of plants within the lath house changes seasonally, although much of the year, the lath house is the site for most of the seed propagation of California native plants. As young seedlings mature, they can be moved out of the lath house where they can tolerate more solar radiation and higher temperatures in the nearby outdoor growing areas.
The majority of the Mills College Botanic Garden is dedicated to thematic beds which reflect different botanical concepts or natural plant assemblages. The following is a working list of the existing thematic beds within the garden:
Recently installed thematic beds include:
The William Joseph McInnes Memorial Garden, part of the Mills College Botanic Garden, was dedicated in the fall of 1947 in memory of William Joseph McInnes, a horticulturalist and the husband of Blanche Rice McInnes, alumna class 1900. Blanche Rice McInnes was a generous supporter of the Botany Department, contributing to the greenhouse, lath house, and funds for grounds maintenance. In acknowledgement of Blanche Rice McInnes' generosity, the Joseph McInnes Memorial Garden was established.