Every year floral students from BYU-Idaho have the opportunity to go to Portland Oregon to work on the parade floats for the Portland Rose Parade. The girls got to work on 14 to 15 different parade floats using only natural mediums such as flowers, seeds, leaves and even vegetables. While there were there they also visited a Japanese garden as well as a Chinese and a couple rose gardens. They had lots of fun and worked hard to get the floats ready for the parade. One of the great things about our Horticulture Department is the trips. For the woody plant identification class this semester the students traveled up to the Portland Oregon area from June 6th to the 11th. They got to visit different companies, see plants in a different climate, and enjoy some of the great sights of Oregon. Students saw the many waterfalls in the Portland area, hiking the paths and climbing down to be as close as possible to the beautiful water. In Newport the students visited a couple different beaches, looking for crabs, anemones and other sea life. While there they went for a boat ride and did some crabbing and whale watching. Seven Dees Landscaping was next, the students toured the facility and learned about the different jobs available for them in the future. Visiting Iseli’s Nursery and Baily’s Nursery was exciting as well, students collected cones and saw many new cultivars as well as learned how the production world works. The Chinese and Japanese Gardens and the Portland Rose Gardens were saved for the last day, there the students relaxed and learned in the natural but well-kept gardens before heading home. If you ever have the chance to travel in your classes, be sure to take advantage of the great experiences you will have and friendships you will make on these trips. “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous |
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