Located in the Horticulture Educational Center off Eastern Boulevard and adjacent to the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, the FTCC Horticulture/Management program awards an associate degree in applied science that can be completed in fi ve semesters and also offers two programs of study leading to the award of certifi cates: Basic Landscape Maintenance and Horticultural Science. Each certifi cate program can be completed within one year. Demand is high for graduates of the programs who will be trained to work in nurseries and greenhouses, to install and manage landscapes, to maintain turfgrass, to design landscapes and gardens, to produce fruits and vegetables or to work at resorts, golf courses or public gardens.

The course of study is broad-based, and students may enter the program in any semester. Students enjoy classes in landscape design, landscape management and landscape irrigation; plant science and soil science; greenhouse and nursery production; interiorscapes; turfgrass management; control of horticultural pests; plant identifi cation and use, and more. Preparation for professional certifi cations, such as Certifi ed Professional Plantsman, Certifi ed Irrigation Contractor and Licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator, is emphasized. Hands-on instruction is a critical component in all classes.

The Horticulture Department enjoys a productive relationship with its neighbor, Cape Fear Botanical Garden, whose gardens, plant collections, natural areas and outdoor spaces serve as a biological laboratory. In collaborative projects with CFBG, horticulture students learn many aspects of landscape management in a public garden setting.

Since early 2010, FTCC’s Horticulture program has been actively adopting and promoting sustainability in its classes and landscape. Currently, the Horticulture department is participating in a statewide Curriculum Improvement Project known as the Code Green CIP. In November 2010, the N.C. Community College System began this two-year look at how sustainability could be incorporated into certain curricula across the state. Among the CIP’s goals are simplification and combination of similar program titles, adoption of core curricula and the incorporation of sustainability as learning objectives into courses.

The landscape around the impressive Horticulture Educational Center continues to grow and change as instructors Brad Goodrum and Jeffrey Webb, along with lab technician Charles Brown, develop new gardens and add to the well-labeled plant collection. Students recently completed and experienced building a fence, retaining wall, and brick patio as part of their classroom instruction. In the planning stages for the landscape study are a rain garden, improved composting facilities, and a green roof as well as an interior green wall.

The Horticulture Department at Fayetteville Tech takes the lead in student recruitment. In April, the Horticulture Department hosted more than 250 students, along with their teachers, from Cumberland and Robeson counties in high school and middle school Agriculture and FFA programs at an Open House. Students were treated to a guided tour of the Cape Fear Botanical Garden as well as tours of the HEC classrooms, labs and greenhouses. Students also took part in outdoor events including brick patio laying and operating landscape and turf equipment.

Learn more about available programs of study in the field of horticulture as well as other programs Fayetteville Tech offers at www.faytechcc.edu.