HORT5023

Public gardens play multiple roles in an increasingly fast-paced, nature-deficient world. Among other things, gardens can serve as an aesthetic refuge for individuals, they can provide education regarding plants and the role plants play in our lives, serve as a place for a multitude of outdoor activities, serve as a refuge for rare and endangered plants, and provide a venue for the discussion of public policy issues that involve plants and their role in our society. There are over 700 public gardens in the U.S., ranging from large to small in regards to operating budget and physical size. Each garden has a unique mission statement that drives their priorities in terms of the plants they manage and the services they deliver to the public. While gardens have a serene and simple outward appearance, they are actually complex, multi-tiered organizations involving several operational divisions. In the course of this semester, we will investigate a number of aspects that comprise a modern public garden and how they function as a whole, resulting in the gardens we see.

Every Spring