Specialized Training

Student Garden

The Student Garden allows first-year students to practice what they have learned in the classroom and on work rotations. It is an opportunity for students to use their newly acquired skills in a creative manner. Students work cooperatively as a team to design, install, maintain, and dismantle a show garden that measures about 400 ft². The garden is accessible and is frequented by the public. Students are responsible for day-to-day maintenance of the site and grades are based on success of display and ability to work as a team.

Plant Walks and the Plant ID Final

Plant Walks are designed to help students learn to identify plants based on morphological similarities and differences in preparation for the Plant Final. Twenty plant walks and cumulative quizzes are scheduled during the spring-summer-fall quarters of the first year to review plants listed in the Required Plant List manual (over 1,000 plants). The twenty quizzes make up 30% of the Plant Final. Plant families, genus, and specific epithet are stressed. The Plant Final is an all-day exam to determine if students can identify plants on the Required Plant List. Scheduled on the last Friday in October, students are asked to identify plants from specimens and/or samples. Students must attain 70% or higher on the Plant Final to pass the exam.

Field Trips

During the first year, students participate in monthly field trips to public gardens, private gardens, nursery and ecological areas. Field trips encourage students to explore horticultural opportunities, meet practitioners in the field, and learn how horticultural sites function. Trips take place during the week. Food expenses on field trips are not included in tuition.

Second-Year Internship

The internship is designed to allow students to expand their horticultural skills and to work on their professional development skills. Second-year students commence their six-month internships in April and end them in September (total of 1,040 hours). Students are responsible for identifying areas and businesses/institutions that they would like to explore. They must secure approval from the Director prior to starting an internship. The Director regularly checks on the student through on-site evaluations. Upon completion of the internship, students submit a ten-page paper and deliver a ten-minute presentation on their internship experiences. Grades are given for the on-site evaluation, paper, and presentation.

American Gardening Lecture Series

Held on the third Thursday in January, February, and March, the American Gardening Lecture Series showcase experts in the field. Topics include diverse disciplines from “Plant Explorations in Asia” to “Growing Native Plants for Shore Restoration." These lectures further expand students’ knowledge of their chosen fields.