IU South Bend Community: Volunteer at Potawatomi Conservatories

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Please come to visit and enjoy the wonderful environment at the Potawatomi Conservatories filled with a variety of amazing plants and then volunteer to help make it thrive! Lord & Burnham called their world-renowned conservatory a "Crystal Palace for Plants". We would appreciate your time.

The Conservatory needs volunteers for watering plants, caring for the plants both inside and outdoors, cleaning the conservatories, planting, weeding, painting, and sharing new ideas. We are planning to start a docent program for tours of the conservatories soon.

The original conservatory, the Potawatomi Greenhouse, was built by Lord and Burnham in the 1920s and was originally built to raise plants for South Bend city parks, fire stations and flower shows for the community. In 2006 there was a move to close the conservatories due to a lack of funding and a possible location for a new fire station. A petition drive was started to save the conservatories and within a week there were more than 2,000 signatures collected. A new organization the Botanical Society of South Bend was formed and is now responsible for managing the conservatories. A $1.2 million dollar renovation took place in 2011.

Please call (574) 235-9442 or stop by the Conservatory for a volunteer application.