More than 150 citizens, after studying under Washington State University Extension personnel and passing an examination administered by the State Department of Agriculture, find satisfaction in spending a few hours a week during the growing season in areas of heavy public traffic to answer questions from backyard gardeners and urban homeowners.…

Describes how to create a secret garden in an urban school backyard. Includes specific information on preparing the space and planting an eight-square-foot plot. (KB)

This article summarizes a 2000 study of school garden programs and their variation and the impact of such variation on 427 third-grade students' sense of responsibility and attitudes toward science and the environment. A teacher questionnaire was developed to gain insight into how teachers use school gardens with their students and in their…

A teacher reviews the ways in which a garden project improved cognitive gains, responsibility, and appreciation of beauty in nature for learning disabled students (eight to 12 years old). (CL)

Master Gardener mentors were used to prevent trainees from dropping out of Master Gardener training programs. Dropout was reduced from 26-27% (1995-97) to 2% (1998). Most trainees thought mentors were good to excellent but only 25% felt mentors influenced their participation. However, 73% of mentors thought mentoring was a factor in trainee…

Exotic, captivating, and seductive, orchids have long fascinated plant lovers. They first attracted the attention of Westerners in the 17th century, when explorers brought back samples from South America and Asia. By the mid-1800s, orchid collecting had reached a fever pitch, not unlike that of the Dutch tulip craze of the 1630s, with rich (and…

These forty-two learning activity packages, intended for student use, are based on a catalog of performance objectives, criterion-referenced measures, and performance guides for gardening-groundskeeping developed by the Vocational Education Consortium of States (V-TECS). They are organized by four areas of instruction: Organizing and Planning…

This folder contains 12 fact sheets designed to improve the quality of gardens near the Great Lakes. The titles are: (1) "Your Garden and the Great Lakes"; (2) "Organic Gardening"; (3) "Fruit and Vegetable Gardening"; (4) "Composting Yard Wastes"; (5) "Herbicides and Water Quality"; (6)…

Elementary school teachers (236 of 315) who used gardening as an interdisciplinary teaching method indicated a widespread use of Master Gardeners to provide horticultural and gardening information and help with school gardening activities. Respondents also indicated a high interest (49.6%) in obtaining Master Gardener training. (SK)

One of two competency-based horticulture curriculum guides developed by an Illinois project, this Gardening/Groundskeeping guide provides the classroom teacher with specific tasks determined by state industry personnel to be necessary for entry-level job placement. It is intended for horticulture education at the senior high school and two-year…

Describes a school gardening program involving the classroom, homes of the children, and special tracts of land throughout the city. (DM)

Describes a program in vegetable gardening developed by Purdue University specialists in horticulture and computer technology. This computer program offers residents of Indiana individual garden plans based on their own specifications. (CT)

Topiary is the gardener's ancient art form in which plants are trimmed to form living sculptures. Reports the evolution of the art and the source of recent interest in the art form. (MDH)

Focus groups arranged by local Native American Master Gardeners on two Minnesota reservations determined community interest in extension-horticulture programs. Topics of interest included food preservation and historical Native-American uses of plants. (SK)

A Clemson University introductory landscape design class collaborated with South Carolina Botanical Gardens (SCBG) staff and coordinators of Sprouting Wings to design an exploratory Children's Garden within the SCBG. Service learning provides students with invaluable real-world experiences solving problems and interacting with clients while…