Project-based Education in Public Horticulture

The Longwood Gardens Professional Gardener Program is a two-year, curriculum-based education in public horticulture, which was established in 1970. Experiential learning is a hallmark of the PG Program, where students are engaged in 12-week blocks of rigorous academic coursework and rotational internships throughout the nearly 1100-acre garden and its 4.5 acres of greenhouses and conservatories. One unique component of the PG Program is the Student Exhibition Garden. The Student Exhibition Garden opened in 2010 as one of Longwood’s newest display gardens, and it features the creativity and horticultural expertise of the Professional Gardener students. The concept for the SEG was to integrate team-based and project-based learning directly into the PG students’ landscape design curriculum. During the first year of the PG Program, students are enrolled in LAND 1612 Introduction to Landscape Design, where, as teams, they interview their clients about Longwood’s theme for the next year, conceptualize and design their four SEG display gardens to the specified budget and theme, and present their designs to a high-level review panel for final approval. During the second year of the PG Program, students continue working on the SEG project through the course LAND 2653 Landscape Design and Construction, where they complete construction documentation, procure plants, develop interpretive materials, and begin installation of the hardscape and hardy plants. The SEG project culminates with the course LAND 2693 Capstone Garden Project, where the PG students finalize the installation of their four display gardens, maintain them throughout the growing season, and communicate through interpretive materials and garden seminars the successes and failures of their gardens with Longwood’s over one million guests.