Mays Greenhouse, located at 6280 S Old State Rd 37, Bloomington, IN. Mays sells a variety of house and outdoor plants among many other items.

A young girl holds a pumpkin over her face as her mother pays the cashier. Many families bring young children to Mays Greenhouse.

A sign details which plants can be founds inside this specific greenhouse. Geraniums, orchids, and cacti are some of the house plants found inside.

Many small cacti sit in pots to be sold. Cacti are typically kept in medium-high heat and are watered sparingly.

A customer touches the leaves of a sensitive plant. Sensitive plant leaves fold up when touched.

Butterflies sit atop flowers in a greenhouse. This greenhouses doors are kept open during the day allowing insects to frolic inside.

Water drips down into a pond inside of the house plants greenhouse. The fountain brings a soothing touch to the greenhouse.

Pots of all sizes, shapes, and colors sit outside on the grounds of Mays Greenhouse. Many plants need to be kept in pots.

A small troll figurine stands inside a maze at Mays. The maze is open to the public.

An employee squats down to bag a customer’s items. This was the final sale of the day.

For many IU students, a drive down College Avenue does not extend much further than “Kroghetto”, located between 1st and 2nd streets. Onward, past the merge of College and Walnut, only a few miles south and you will find Mays Greenhouse.

Mays, which opened over 50 years ago, serves the Bloomington community by providing countless plants, landscaping material and much more. Founder Marshal May left the heating and air conditioning business to fulfill a dream in gardening which led to the birth of Mays Greenhouse.

Beginning with a small greenhouse on their home property, Marshal and his wife Emma opened Mays Greenhouse for business in the spring of 1965. The business was a family affair with their daughters Martha and Helen working too.  As business took off, Mays added more greenhouses and a shed for the cash register.

After Emma’s death a few years later, Marshal’s daughters Nancy and Judy joined the business and shortly thereafter he gave the business to all four of his daughters.

As the years past, Marshal’s daughters grew the business and Mays became a corporation in 2004.

Mays now serves the Bloomington community year-round providing a plethora of products to the community. In addition, Mays hosts three open houses each year: spring, fall, and Christmas.

Mays also hosts classes to provide customers with a better understanding of how to care for their plants. Sheila Brewer, who works with house plants, instructs classes on fairy gardens and bonsai.

“Succulents are probably the most popular thing right now,” said Brewer. “We sell a lot of different kinds because they are so easy to grow.”