What flowers will work best in Florida landscape gardens? Which flowers will last the longest? Which will provide the most yearlong blooms-and what are the exciting new cultivar releases?
Sandra Wilson said those who participate in Annual and Perennial Gardening will know the answers to those questions and much more upon completion of the course to be offered for the spring semester, 2007, to begin Jan. 8, at the University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center, or IRREC, located at 2199 South Rock Road, in Fort Pierce. The course will meet each week on Wednesday, 4:00 until 8 p.m., through mid-May. The IRREC is part of UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences statewide mission to provide agricultural and natural resources extension, research and education to Florida residents.
Wilson, who holds a Ph.D. in plant physiology, is an expert in ornamental horticulture practices of Florida. An award-winning educator and researcher, her innovative teaching techniques work is published frequently in national horticulture and educational journals.
"The course will introduce participants to a wide array of annuals and perennials used in landscapes of Florida," said Wilson.
The lecture segment of the course will be team delivered by interactive videoconference. The laboratory component of the course will be instructed on site at IRREC by Sandra Wilson, an associate professor of environmental horticulture.
Wilson said course participants will have an opportunity to plant annuals and perennials, and learn to identify them, in the IRREC Teaching Garden located on the UF campus in Fort Pierce. The Teaching Garden features about 230 species, including sections devoted to salt-tolerant plants, annuals and perennials, roses, aquatic plants, and Florida native plants.
The basis of this course will include the identification, selection, use, and management of herbaceous annuals, perennials, herbs, grasses, ferns, and bulbs in the landscape. The lecture will provide specific plant family information and the laboratory portion will involve plant identification, landscape preparation, design, installation, and maintenance.
The course is being offered to both degree and non-degree-seeking students, and is dual-listed at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
To enroll in Annuals and Perennials or for more information about degree programs and course offerings at the University of Florida Fort Pierce location, contact Student Support Services Coordinator Kim Wilson at (772) 468-3922, Ext. 126, or by e-mail at: wilsonks@ifas.ufl.edu To take a virtual tour of the UF Indian River Research and Education Center Teaching Garden, or to learn more about the course, visit website http://irrecenvhort.ifas.ufl.edu
UF/IFAS/IRREC