Spring arrives with a sense of garden: Horticulure and florist programs showcase students' year-long achievements

By Amy Allen

alle0193@algonquincollege.com

Amy Allen Photo Students are given the opportunity to design, grow then display a years worth of their efforts. Funds from the sale of of the plants at this show will be put towards next year's plants and study materials.

Second-year horticulture and florist students decorated the showhouse of the horticulture building with a myriad of colourful flowers for their annual flower show, A Sense of Garden.

The public was invited to attend the opening night reception on March 25. Friends and relatives of the students lined the narrow corridor leading to the showhouse to hear speeches from faculty members and Algonquin president Bob Gillett.

“This is the event for the college that says spring is here,” Gillett told the crowd.

The aroma of spring was in the air as the spectators milled around the showhouse. The garden was blooming with pink, yellow, blue, purple and orange flowers—a marked contrast to the melting snow and muddy ground outside.

The project began in November, when the showhouse was divided into four parts and students were assigned to each corner of the space. They were then instructed to use the limited flower selection at their disposal to design a garden.

The limited selection, said student Mick Barrett, forced them to think hard about a colour scheme. That was where their studies in design came in handy, because instructors left them to their own devices. Instructors were there to supervise, but the organization of the show was left entirely to the students.

“Everything is coming together,” said greenhouse technician Tommy Wingreen. “It’s a showcase show. The students have a chance to use what they have learned in design.”

A plant sale was scheduled to follow the flower show on April 4 and 5. Funds from the sale will go towards supplying next year’s students with new plants and study materials.

Wingreen was confident in the success of this year’s show. A Sense of Garden gives Ottawa residents the opportunity to go out and buy plants for their own gardens long before the opening of garden centres at major retail stores.

“We are a bit ahead, and that is part of the draw,” Wingreen said. “People are longing for outdoor activity."