ASHS 2024 Conference

A forum for discussion of potential collaborations with regards to ornamentals – i.e. floriculture, nursery crops, breeding, turf, ornamentals industry, botanic gardens, landscape industry, orchids, etc.

Curated Literature as Continuing Education for Master Gardener Volunteers - Alicia Herzog
A Landscape Performance Evaluation of Sun-Loving Impatiens x hybrida in Mississippi - Scott Langlois
Evaluation of Selected Commercially Available Tabletop Hydroponic Systems and Their Performance on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Growth Characteristics - Leonard Githinji
Needs Assessment Evaluation to Inform Statewide Horticulture Newsletter - Cynthia Domenghini
Master Gardener Volunteers Learn Basic Plant Research Through the A.R.T.S. Rose Evaluation Program - Jeff Wilson

Enchanted Garden 4-H Day Camp was inspired by our whimsical fairy garden, which is one of the most popular Florida-Friendly demonstration gardens located at UF/IFAS Extension St. Johns County Botanical Garden. The objective of this program is to cultivate appreciation for the natural environment and increase knowledge of sustainable horticultural principles among youth participants. Methods include teaching plant propagation, design and construction of a fairy house, clay saucer design, guided sensory walk, and a scavenger hunt in the garden. Problem solving, critical thinking skills, and teamwork were encouraged throughout this 2 day, 6 hour camp for youth ages 9 to 12. Integrative, experiential, and reinforcement methods of teaching were used to meet the various learning styles. Of the 18 youth participants in 2022 and 2023, 100% reported increased gardening knowledge; 89% increased appreciation for the natural environment; 83% learned how to transplant a plant; 100% increased construction and design skills; and 100% intend to share information learned with others. Additionally, 9 fairy houses were constructed for display in the garden, and each participant took home their new planters to hone their horticultural skills. Enchanted Garden Day Camp was successful in cultivating appreciation for the natural environment and increasing knowledge of horticultural principles among youth participants.

Enhancing Public Garden Experiences: Utilizing QR Codes and Videos for Plant Identification and Education - Bailey Singleton
Educational Signage in a Community Garden can Assist in Volunteer Learning - Jonah Trevino
Marigolds - An Overlooked Cut Flower Alternative - Alessandro Holzapfel
Improving Military Community Reintegration: The Effects of Plant-related Jobs on Military Service Member Mental and Physical Health - Alicia Thomas
Evaluating the Impacts of Climate Change on Urban Tree Performance and Survival - Teagan Young
Managing Drift in Vegetable Operations: Extension Risk Management Herbicide Workshops - Kathryn Fontenot
Native Trees for Public Gardens: Building a University Teaching Collection for Increased Student Learning, Visitor Engagement, and Carbon Sequestration - Lauren Errickson
Future Directions of Horticultural Research Among Botanical Gardens and Arboreta in the United States - Michael Opgenorth

Public gardens play a crucial role in promoting horticultural education and appreciation. Proper plant signage can further enhance a visitor’s learning experience. This project provides partner gardens with trusted horticulture information while further utilizing Oklahoma Gardening content, produced by Oklahoma State University Extension. Oklahoma Gardening, a research-based, how-to gardening television show, airs weekly on Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), a PBS affiliate. This project created a virtual, educational experience for visitors of participating gardens. Eleven public gardens and educational demonstration gardens located in rural and urban settings throughout Oklahoma were provided with 5-15 signs depending on the size of the garden, the availability of in-season plant material, and the applicable video content. This approach leverages the recent widespread adoption of QR codes, allowing visitors to access plant information effortlessly from Oklahoma Gardening. Many of the selected gardens provide free entrance to the public, offering a horticultural experience to all. However, this can reduce the garden’s operation budget and limit their ability to provide adequate educational signage. The objective of this project is to help these public gardens increase their horticulture educational interpretation. These QR code signs not only provide gardens with seasonally appropriate plant identification signage but also offer visitors videos about the plants they are observing. Furthermore, for open-access public gardens it can be difficult to quantify visitation. By utilizing dynamic QR codes the quantity and time of scans is captured. This allows for tracking of the usage of each sign and which plants are most popular. This information is then shared with participating gardens. Public gardens are often visited by tourists as well. This project expands Oklahoma Gardening and OSU Extension beyond television and YouTube to reach an audience in the public garden space. The dynamic QR code scans provide the phone’s registered city, state, and country, giving approximate geographic locations of garden visitors. After a year of placing the signs, we have identified clicks from 23 states, and 5 additional countries. This project was funded by Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Volunteering issues in community gardens have been an ongoing problem and have resulted in high turnover and untrained volunteers that may not have the skills to appropriately staff a community garden. The problem of having to train or have dedicated staff at a garden to assist volunteers is that often community gardens are not funded, or garden staff are stretched too thin. To inspect factors in volunteerism in community gardens, researchers sent out a ten-question survey to head community garden leaders (N=51) across the U.S. Overall, researchers found that many gardens perceive educational opportunities and the people that attend the garden as successful elements, while volunteer retention and education, along with signage issues, were the most prevalent problem. Finally, when asked about signage, most signs turned out to be purely informative and attractive, with few playing educational roles. Researchers concluded that educational signage may play an important role in the garden that many community gardens are missing. To understand further how educational signage plays a role in people’s understanding of a subject, researchers have developed another survey that is currently being distributed to the public. The data from this survey will allow researchers to more effectively use signage to not only attract but educate and train volunteers to relieve some of the burden from community garden staff.

Especially the floral industry is dependent on fashion trends and changes in taste that dictate the colors and styles of arrangements. As it turns out, when it comes to marigold cut flowers, certain customers have been traditionally underserved in the southeastern United States. Research conducted by the Louisiana State University and Mississippi State University indicate that Marigolds are not only a very viable alternative to traditional cut flowers but also a worthwhile investment for commercial growers. Further research indicates that specific cultures and religions prefer marigolds for celebrations and holidays representing a relatively large customer base with considerable purchasing power that has previously gone unnoticed by the floral industry in the southeastern United States. Findings suggest marigolds have the potential to increase the floral industry’s market share and attract new customers that it previously failed to attract. Additionally, many celebrations and holidays for which marigolds are desired are during a time of the year when demand for flowers is typically low. Marigolds should therefore be considered for season extension.

Military members are a unique and diverse group making up 7% of the U.S. population. After completing their military service many return home and struggle with reintegration back into civilian life due to mental and physical ailments they obtained during enlistment. One of the first steps of civilian reintegration is acquiring a job. A type of job that military members enter is in plant-related fields. Research on the passive and active interaction with plants and its benefits, has been conducted extensively. However, it is not yet known how specific jobs that require working with plants or being in nature can help improve military member health and if they have therapeutic benefits. To evaluate this, part 1 of an online survey ascertained demographics and part 2 was created based on the National Veteran’s Survey and the VR-36 which looked at participants’ physical (PCS) and mental wellness (MCS). Results show that most of the military participants (N=148) were in the 25-30 year and 40-50-year-old range, Caucasian (70.9%) males (68.9%) involved in Army (44.6%) and Marine (24.3%) branches of the military and honorably discharged or retired. Military members in plant-related jobs scored in the top 3 job categories for PCS (49.1) and MCS (45.0), while Health related jobs were top for MCS (53.6) and those retired were top for PCS (49.7). Overall, those in plant, health, and retired jobs described them as relaxing, easy, and physical. Military in rural locations also had lower MCS in comparison to those living in urban centers. The findings from this research suggest that plant-related jobs could offer military members an opportunity to improve their mental and physical health, while helping with job retention and community reintegration.

Climate change is expected to lead to the increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters, which will adversely affect urban tree populations. As a result of rising surface temperatures, USDA Hardiness Zones are projected to shift northward. Healthy urban trees can offer benefits which may offset some of the effects of warming. Therefore, species adaptability to urban conditions needs to be considered, and we need to understand the predicted impacts of warming better in order to design and plant more resilient urban forests. Thus, in the Fall of 2022, protocols began developing to evaluate the following areas of concern: 1: Identify underutilized tree species that might perform well in future climates. A state-wide survey was distributed to green industry professionals to guide species selection for field trials across three hardiness zones in Florida (8b, 9a, and 10b). 2: Analyze the variability of commonly used irrigation technologies on tree establishment. The project compares two commonly used irrigation bags (i.e., TreeDiaper and Treegator) to hand watering to determine labor inputs, time to establishment, and overall tree performance. 3: Determine the effects of increased temperatures on tree species commonly planted in Florida. Temperature-controlled greenhouse experiments will be used to determine the heat tolerance of 6 tree species based on future climates. 4: Analyze parking lot plantings and evaluate the impact of the mitigation of the urban heat island effect. Several randomly selected parking lots in Florida will be looked at to determine their suitability for planting based on the adverse growing conditions associated with urban heat islands. The above studies offer a proactive approach to better understanding the potential effects of warming and provide practical solutions to minimize the impact.

Herbicide drift from the site of application into non-target areas can be devastating to the environment and to neighbor operations. Crop injury will occur from drift and improper management of herbicides within an operation. Environmental conditions, applicator off-label usage and accidents are often the cause of herbicide drift. Prevention and communication are the most important strategies in managing off target application of herbicides. Two workshops were held in Louisiana. Vegetable producers, Department of Agriculture inspectors, county agents, and crop producers were invited to both workshops. Pre and post tests were given to all participants to measure general herbicide application and rule knowledge. The workshops consisted of fields showcasing tomatoes and squash with 4 herbicides sprayed on them to showcase what drift looks like. Control (non-sprayed plants) were also in the field. All plots were replicated but only half labeled. The participants learned what the symptoms looked like, then worked in teams to identify the non-labeled plots. Participants also learned how to properly clean tanks and nozzles, as well as listened to speakers about the economic loss from off target herbicide drift, and rules and regulations from Louisiana Department of Ag and Forestry specialists. 77% of the participants could identify round up damage by the end of the workshop, whereas only 40% could identify 2, 4D damage. All participants increased knowledge in tank cleaning and cross contamination prevention by the end of the workshop. and All participants gained knowledge in the documentation of crop loss economic questions at the end of the workshops.

Changing climate patterns challenge the long-term health and survivability of common mid-Atlantic U.S. tree species, including climax species such as oaks, elms, and beeches. Evidence of tree loss in natural and managed ecosystems and residential areas demonstrates the need for public gardens to consider alternative species that will adapt to changing conditions, maximize carbon sequestration, and provide aesthetic value. University-affiliated Rutgers Gardens has long served to demonstrate landscape best practices and species selection for students, industry professionals, and homeowners; additionally, carbon sequestration has become a primary function. Continuing a tradition of education, Rutgers Gardens is creating a Native Trees teaching collection including over one hundred native species selected for their ecosystem functions, ecological niche, and landscape aesthetics, on an approximately four-acre site with the goal of maximizing carbon sequestration and educational value. Selected specimens include those native to New Jersey and the wider mid-Atlantic region and/or southeastern United States. This allows for a comprehensive collection that supports larger ecosystem functions, especially as tree species composition in the broader region is likely to shift with time. As major tree species are lost due to climate-influenced changes in pest, disease, and environmental pressures, preparing for continuous carbon sequestration by including species likely to thrive in our changing climate will maximize the environmental benefit. By including a mix of small, medium, and large (at maturity) trees, the design maximizes ecosystem niches occupied throughout the planting area and provides a comprehensive demonstration for students, homeowners, and industry professionals, modeling native trees for consideration in landscape plantings throughout the state. Specimens include straight species, as well as cultivars within the genera to demonstrate variability in true native trees and “nativars,” or cultivars of native trees. A density of approximately 25 trees per acre planted allows for the integration of new trees with existing specimens, including trees and shrubs that represent historical iterations of present-day Rutgers Gardens, and accommodates the design of accessible paths and gathering spaces between plantings to maximize educational opportunities. Public gardens present many opportunities for education and demonstration, especially within a university setting. Yet, challenges exist when considering complex land use history, student and faculty needs, visitor expectations, and the interests of diverse stakeholders such as members, volunteers, and staff of public gardens. Lessons learned include the importance of positive and clear communication among stakeholders to ensure project benefits are recognized and shared for educational and ecological success in public spaces.

Botanical gardens and arboreta maintain globally important collections for conservation and education with efforts to constantly strive for excellence in propagation, cultivation, and collection preservation. Methods of cultivating plants, learning from successes and challenges, with the ability to disseminate that knowledge is paramount for improving techniques and outcomes. However, the underlying field of horticultural research is not well defined, and results of plant cultivation techniques are often only shared informally rather than published. We explored how horticultural research practitioners perceive the field of horticulture research and excellence, how they are involved, and the most urgent needs of future horticultural research among gardens and arboreta. We conducted an internet-based survey of the status of horticultural research amongst the United States members of the American Society for Horticultural Research (ASHS), American Public Garden Association (APGA), Botanical Garden Conservation International (BGCI), and the Interactive Community of Arboreta (ArbNet), Level II, III, and IV members. 128 respondents from 116 institutions across 34 of the United States completed the survey. As conservation needs, changing agricultural paradigms, and climate change impacts continue to increase, we find future research needs are increasingly holistic and focus on species and variety conservation, ecology, and mitigating pests and diseases. The respondents were variously involved in horticulture research and the main challenges were funding, time, and personnel resources. Horticultural knowledge is largely practical and shared informally and there is a need for recognition and means of sharing practical research as well as technical research. This study presents a new framework for horticultural research supporting the horticulture community with the conceptualization, communication, and implementation of horticultural research.