HORT 305 helps students become familiar with the often-strange science in the botanical world. The students of this class learn about growth habits, culturally sustainable methods and uses of ornamental woody and herbaceous plants in the California landscape. The class covers plants that are in season for the semester in which the class occurs, mostly those that grow in the landscapes and gardens across the Sacramento region.
Students learn how to recognize plants, their individual characteristics and the diseases they can be exposed to. Students work in nurseries to plant and examine different plants, creating landscaping designs and study how plants react to their environments.
There are often trips to different areas of Sacramento such as Carmichael Park, Sacramento Suburban Water District and even cemeteries, where the students can look at plants, collect their own samples to study them and make their own reference collections known as herbariums.
“I learned a lot that didn’t know before. For example, now I know all the plants in my grandma’s backyard and know she has a garlic plant back there that’s edible.” – Joshua Thomas, Business Major.
“It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of time at home, but I think it’s super important even for just home owners because if they don’t know their plants, they don’t know what they are dealing with.” – Deborah Flower, Horticulture Professor.