Ben Owen: W&M Nursery Greenhouse Supervisor

One of the first things you notice about William and Mary’s campus is the scenery, from the endless brick roads to the historical sites. These are all enriched with beautiful flower beds and trees lining every path you walk. The greenhouse nursery supervisor, Ben Owen, takes great pride in beautifying the campus. 

“The students and the parents that come in - potential students and parents - the first thing they see is the beauty of the campus.”

With 5,000 square feet of greenhouses, it’s easy to see how much care is put into this work. Ben is in charge of everything from setting up flowers for graduation to picking up stray sticks in the Wren yard. His love of flowers has stayed with him since childhood, leading him to numerous plant related jobs over the years. 

“When I was a kid, I'd get my birthday money, I’d go to the garden center and buy flowers, put it in the flower bed. When I saw that ad in the paper, I knew that's what I wanted to do.”

Although Ben has worked with plants in a variety of different ways, working at William and Mary brings a special element of joy that makes it stand out from the rest.

“I enjoy working here also because of the young people, the students. When you're working around young people all the time, you feel younger.”

A film by Josh Wingard.

Produced by Kendahl Huber.