Bryan Cole/Collegian File Photo
The month of February and spirit for Valentine’s Day often reminds us of our love and fascination for flowers.
In grade school, Valentine’s Day always presented the opportunity to buy valentine cards for all of your classmates with your favorite new character on it. As we outgrew the messages on a simple card, the interest in flowers has become more prominent, especially around this time of year.
When preparing a gift for a special valentine, you might consider the original red rose or possibly be interested in something different. When deliberating what flowers could be desirable, it’s often nice to see flowers in your surroundings.
The Fresno State campus displays several types of gardens and a beautiful array of plants and flowers. One exclusive feature on campus is the rose garden, located in a high-traffic area of campus near the Kennel Bookstore and the University Student Union.
Mike Frick, an employee with the grounds department in plant operations for Fresno State said that there are 114 different varieties of roses in the rose garden. These varieties include hybrid tea roses, floribunda roses, miniature roses, old fashioned and shrub roses.
The rose garden is well maintained and displays a beautiful mixture of these varieties. It draws much attraction from passers by, and for students interested in this type of plant production there are ways to get involved.
The Floral Laboratory at Fresno State is a student-run operation, which creates flower arrangements for special occasions. There is one full-time manager with the remaining employees being student assistants.
Fresno State student Lynn Trentham works at the floral lab and said that the lab creates a lot of arrangements for campus organizations and events. As an agriculture education major, Trentham is developing skills she will need to teach floral classes in a high school agriculture program.
“In high school I competed in floral contests, so I had some experience,” Trentham said.
The experience that she is receiving at the floral lab will also prepare her to coach a floral judging team, if the opportunity arises in her future position.
Trentham said that the floral lab orders all floral products so they work with a large variety of flowers, including roses. The lab generally utilizes the flowers that are in season at the time. Working as a student assistant at the lab presents a large amount of exposure to different floral products to gain experience.
If a student would rather learn about flowers in a class setting, there is an introductory ornamental horticulture class offered through the plant science department in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology taught by Dr. John Bushoven.
According to the general catalog, the introductory ornamental horticulture course includes: planting and maintenance of the home landscape selection, planting, fertilization and pruning of plants, and lawn planting and care.
People have generally had a special preference of flowers and appreciate a good-looking plant while we familiarizing a great deal with flowers such as colors, scents and names.
Although this time of year expresses a stronger appreciation for flowers, at Fresno State they play a consistent role on display, in production and in the classroom.