Grounds: Greenhouses

[Holmesian Feline]

The Greenhouses of Hogwarts are a collaborative wonder straddling the architecture of the castle and the great outdoors that surround it. Many plants had found permanent residence within, added by various professors over the years especially after the renovations several years back. Recently an additional two greenhouses have been uncovered and repaired, allowing Professor Cole to adjust the space to his own liking to allow for more specialized uses.

OOC: Here's a basic guide of what you might find in each greenhouse; please remember to play realistically based on your character's age and skill level!
Credit for the layout of the Greenhouses go to previous Herbology Professors: BanaBatGirl, kayquilz, Shanners, Samia, and MadAlice…with a couple of tweaks

Greenhouse 1 – Harmless Plants & Beginner Classroom

Any and all mundane flowers
Bouncing Bulbs
Fanged Geraniums
Flutterbies
Honking Daffodils
Trilling Tulips
Puffapods
Color Changing Roses

Greenhouse 2 – Plants Commonly Used for Potions

Abyssinian Shrivelfigs
Bubotubers
Chinese Chomping Cabbage
Gurdyroot
Various Mundane Herbs & Fungi

Greenhouse 3 – Intermediate Classroom

Flesh-Eating Fir
Mandrakes
Mimbulus Mimbletonia
Screechsnap
Stubby Purple Coral
Gravity Resistant Trees

Greenhouse 4 – Restricted (Do Not Enter Without Permission!)

Devil's Snare
Flitterbloom
Venomous Tentacula
Numerous Mundane "Carnivorous" Plants/Vines

Greenhouse 5 – NEWT Classroom



Greenhouse 6 – Student Projects



Greenhouse 7 – Storage and Overflow



Professor Cole’s Office - Thread can be found here

[Zoe]

Gillyweed was no stranger to the greenhouses. Since their first year at Hogwarts, she and her twin had become frequent visitors to this part of the grounds. With their mother being a herbologist and their names drawn from magical plants, it was no surprise that the duo had inherited an affinity for Herbology. Drake, always the more boisterous of the two, was drawn to the louder, arguably more dangerous variety of plants. She, on the other hand, was captivated by aquatic flora, where subtlety and patience revealed the most fascinating secrets.

Today the Slytherin had ventured from Greenhouse 2 into Greenhouse 3. Over the summer she had taken the liberty of reading about all of the plants that they would be focusing on in the fourth-year curriculum, and she was eager to see the details that books couldn't fully capture: the way a plant moved in response to light, the subtle shift in color, etc.

It didn't take long for the curly-haired brunette to make her way through the various species, identifying them and rattling off their magical properties with ease. When she came upon a particular plant submerged in a pool of water, growing horizontally with its unusual shape sprawled across the surface, she paused.

"Stubby Purple Coral," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "Latin name Coral Acropora Tenuis, also known as Spongy Sea Nettle." She crouched down for a closer look at the plant covered in stubby nodules, observing that, based on how vivid its purple shade was, it was being well cared for.

[Holmesian Feline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoe

Gillyweed was no stranger to the greenhouses. Since their first year at Hogwarts, she and her twin had become frequent visitors to this part of the grounds. With their mother being a herbologist and their names drawn from magical plants, it was no surprise that the duo had inherited an affinity for Herbology. Drake, always the more boisterous of the two, was drawn to the louder, arguably more dangerous variety of plants. She, on the other hand, was captivated by aquatic flora, where subtlety and patience revealed the most fascinating secrets.

Today the Slytherin had ventured from Greenhouse 2 into Greenhouse 3. Over the summer she had taken the liberty of reading about all of the plants that they would be focusing on in the fourth-year curriculum, and she was eager to see the details that books couldn't fully capture: the way a plant moved in response to light, the subtle shift in color, etc.

It didn't take long for the curly-haired brunette to make her way through the various species, identifying them and rattling off their magical properties with ease. When she came upon a particular plant submerged in a pool of water, growing horizontally with its unusual shape sprawled across the surface, she paused.

"Stubby Purple Coral," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "Latin name Coral Acropora Tenuis, also known as Spongy Sea Nettle." She crouched down for a closer look at the plant covered in stubby nodules, observing that, based on how vivid its purple shade was, it was being well cared for.

Marcus was working on a plan for one of his latest lessons, needing to make sure everything the students would need that he would be supplying was well within reach when required. Walking into Greenhouse 3 whistling with a large box in his grasp, the herbology professor didn’t readily notice that he wasn’t alone in the green space until he carefully lowered the box onto his workstation. It seemed he and his charges had a curious visitor in the former of a young girl.

“Good day, Miss…um…” he greeted with a polite smile, breaking off as he wasn’t quite sure of the girl’s name. It was taking longer in getting all the students straight than it had memorizing the various varietals of mushrooms and their qualities back in school. “Was there anything I could help you with?” Had she a question and wandered into the classroom waiting for him to appear…or just exploring? He supposed as long as it wasn’t into certain other greenhouses that it wasn’t a worry.

[Zoe]

The Slytherin didn't startle at the professor's voice, though her focus had been entirely on the Stubby Purple Coral. With a calm composure, she straightened up from her crouched position and turned to face the man, a polite smile on her lips. "Gillyweed, Professor. Gillyweed Beery," she responded, her voice soft but confident. "I'm just here to observe. I read over the fourth-year material over the summer, but I wanted to see it for myself. The textbook doesn't really do it justice."

She glanced back at the vibrant purple plant, her fascination evident in her eyes. "The way it thrives in water, how it interacts with its surroundings… it's like it has its own little world." Her fingers twitched at her sides as though itching to reach out and interact with the coral, but she knew better than to disturb it. Instead, she tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "Do you know what conditions it needs to reach its deepest shade of purple? I read that light and water salinity play a part, but I wondered if there's anything else."

Her gaze shifted back to Professor Cole. Gilly might not have been the most outspoken student, but when it came to plants and other topics of interest she could talk endlessly. There was always more to learn, more to uncover, and she never missed a chance to ask questions when someone with expertise was available.

When she took note of the box he had brought in, the corners of her mouth quirked slightly. "I'm not interrupting whatever it is you need to do in here, am I?" she asked. Gilly had a way of moving through the greenhouses as if they were a second home, but she wanted to remain respectful of the new Herbology professor and the space he might need.

[Holmesian Feline]

Ah

Now with a name that unique and …plant related…he really shouldn’t have any trouble remembering it from now on. Especially if her presence would become a common place occurrence, something he suspected would be the case by her enthusiasm on the subject. “Yes,” Marcus agreed with a nod, “however written a book is, there is nothing like seeing the natural things, such as plants and animals, in person. A sacrilegious thought for a Ravenclaw he knew, but he’d also had plenty of experience to back his statement.

The professor couldn’t help but smile in the way she looked and talked about the plant in question. He watched to make sure she didn’t interfere with the coral, but Ms. Beery appeared to be trusted not to misbehave around the source of her interest. A good thing for one so curious, though he himself had had his moments growing up and feeling the need to experiment by touching. And dealt with the consequences on more than one occasion. “MHm the right light spectrum and saturation plays a big role,” he confirmed. And the health of the symbiotic algae that live with it also matters.” It was what changed coral from the sickly white into the various colors it could be found in around the world.

And then her attention was solely on him and he shook his head at her question. “No, not at all. I have time on this.” Marcus was simply one to take advantage of the moments he could to avoid rushing. Or at least try given how he could get sidetracked in his profession just like any other. “Much more interesting in sharing plant facts with an interested party.” It wasn’t like every student in his classes found themselves caring about his subject outside of the classroom or even inside it during lessons.