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Bro Dewey, his Horticulture 201 class, and Bro. Barnes all left for Utah early on the morning of November 2nd to introduce beginning horticulture students to different career paths in the horticulture industry.  They arrived in Provo at BYU where they met Brian Hill, the Baseball field manager who taught the care that goes into the field every day. Once they heard from him the students headed over to the Football field where they met with Richard Clarke who invited them under the blown up tarps and onto the field. After finishing they headed to Intermountain plantings, a design build/maintenance firm, to hear from Seth Reed, (a former BYUI Horticulture Graduate) who manages the commercial design build aspect of the company. He took them to downtown Salt Lake City to look at all the work Intermountain Planting is doing at the City Creek Project.  Next they headed down to Lehi. In Lehi they went to Thanksgiving Point to see Tony Latimir the Head Gardener. They saw all the different garden styles created at Thanksgiving Point. The students really loved the Sculptures of Jesus Christ they had on display. The Students then headed back to the motel to gain some rest for the long day ahead of them. The first stop of the day was at Meadows Brook Design where they met Ginger Belnap, a Residential Designer and a former BYUI Horticulture Graduate, who took them to different landscapes she has designed. Later they headed over to Flower patch to hear from Tom Gordon, the owner. They toured the facilities and saw the different services they offer and the many flowers they provide. The next stop was J&J Nursery, where Bill Doty a manger showed them around and spoke with them about the different plants they grow and different tricks they’ve picked up over the years. Finally they ended up at Willard Bay Gardens where Owners Barney and Della Barnett talked about the in’s and out’s of Retail Nursery’s and each student was given a pansy to take home by the Barnetts. Click here to see more pictures.

 
 
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On November the 7th the Hort. 322 class left, Phoenix bound. They spent the first day mostly in the car only stopping to eat and to play at Zion national park. Students loved hiking up the hill and beside the cliffs to get to that perfect spot to look down the canyon. Once back in the car they finished their first day travel to Marble Canyon, just inside the Arizona border and the starting point for the Grand Canyon. The group was off to an early start with breakfast in their bellies to the Grand Canyon. As they overlooked the Grand Canyon in sheer awe it erupted into a snowball fight. Students laughed along with professors as they joined in on the fun. After lunch on top of the rim they made their way to Phoenix, AZ. You would think they would have slept off their excitement, but not Horticulture students. The group was rearing to go bright and early in the morning. At Mountain States nursery they went to see their operations. Students learned about trademarks and patents on plants as well as irrigation solutions to problems. Some students’ favorite stop of the trip was AAA landscaping. After a tour of their office they heard some valuable advice from the owner as well as employees. With hard hats and orange vests they drove to Sky Harbor International Airport where AAA landscaping was working to put in an extensive landscape.  After a long day they settled for some grub and sleep. In the morning they headed over to the University of Phoenix Stadium where they got to play on the field and hear about how the whole field retracts out of the stadium. Later they traveled over to, Berridge nursery to see the many different plants the Phoenix area can paint with in their landscapes. Next they went to see Mayesh Florsist Wholesale. Not only were the floral students ecstatic about the many bundles of flowers, but all the students were excited to see and handle them. Before heading to Las Vegas, NV they stopped to see the Desert Botanical gardens. The next day students and faculty met with Plantworks to see their botanical replications. This company has grown to service many hotels in Las Vegas with their products. It’s hard to tell the difference between the their artificial plants and others live plants. That evening students and faculty toured downtown Las Vegas to see the many creative designs inside and out of the buildings. Click here to see more pictures.

 
What Women Want 12/10/2011
 
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The conference for What Women Want was the 14th and 15th of October. Our Floral department was invited to participate in a floral fashion show. There were six dresses for students to make accessories like bracelets, rings, shawl, scepters, and handbags out of plant material. Floral fashion is like making a bouquet that you wear. The students participating were in a portfolio building class as well as other advanced students. Sister Infanger said that the students did a great job at thinking outside the normal box and brought new trends to the show. Three students were able to actually attend the show which included Nick Adams, Lauren Smith, and Hayley Sheppard. When asked what his favorite part was Nick Adams said “to make creations and have [models] showcase them in front of hundreds of people”

 
Presidents Club 12/10/2011
 
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Every Fall donators from all over, who have made a contribution of $1000 dollars or more, are invited to a lunch hosted by the campus. Each department is invited to answer questions and show the talents that they are acquiring while attending here at Brigham Young University of Idaho. Our own Floral students participate every year and have been for 20 years, it has become a tradition. Every year they work hard at making beautiful center pieces, corsages for the ladies, and boutonnieres for the men. Jaime Garret a Floral student loved seeing people’s faces light up as she pinned Boutonnieres on them. Presidents club is great experience for the floral students and they are also Flower Center best customers.