Return to Course Descriptions| Instructor: | Dr. Susan Hamilton Room 257 Ellington Plant Science Building Phone: 974-7324 e-mail: sueham@utk.edu Office Hours: Open door policy (recommend calling for appointment) |
| Lecture: | Monday & Wednesday, 3:35 - 5:30 |
| Location: | Ellington Plant Sciences Building, Room 113 |
| Text: | Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants, 4th Edition by Steven Still 1994, Stipes Publishers |
| Purpose: | The purpose of this course is to have students learn the identification and landscape use of 120-140 herbaceous ornamental plants comprised of spring and early summer bulbs, annuals, perennials, herbs, and ornamental grasses. Gardening practices and design elements will be discussed to teach successful and effective use of these plant materials in the garden. |
| Lecture Topics: | * Shade gardening * Gardening calendar * Meadow and prairie gardening * Gardening and irrigation * Herbaceous plant career opportunities * Garden compost and mulch * Plant sources * Garden labels * Garden styles * Attracting wildlife to the garden * Garden pests and their control * Garden weed control * Herbaceous groundcovers * The cutting garden * Foliage accents * Wildflower gardening |
| Expected Student Outcome: |
After completing this course, the student can expect to be
able to do the following: * Identify the common and scientific name of 120-140 spring and early summer herbaceous ornamental plants * Explain the cultural requirements and appropriate use of 120-140 spring and early summer herbaceous ornamental plants. * Recommend the ideal soil for flowering herbaceous plants and how to develop the ideal soil * Explain the benefit of using compost in the garden and how to make compost * Suggest ideal plant sources for others to use * Discuss the fundamentals of wildflower gardening * Identify common garden pests and recommend a control * Explain the different methods of garden weed control and name common pre and post emergent herbicides for flower gardens * Suggest ways to attract butterflies and birds to the garden * List plants suitable for a cutting garden, for foliage accents, and for groundcovers * Outline a year long garden calendar * Understand the different gardening styles * Recommend plants suitable for the shade garden |
| Student Evaluation: | |
| I.D quizzes: | A total of 7 plant identification quizzes will be given each worth 150 pts. Each quiz will contain 20 plants which have been covered in class along with lecture material. The quizzes will be cumulative. ** No make-up quizzes will be given. |
| Final Exam: | A final comprehensive exam on everything but plant i.d. will be given during the final exam period at the end of the semester. It will be worth 200 points towards the total class grade. |
| Project: | Two design projects worth 75 pts. will be assigned which will give each student the opportunity to integrate the different plant materials studied into a garden design. Each student will present 1 of their designs to the class. |
| Oral Presentation: | Each member of the class will be assigned a herbaceous plant to investigate its history, characteristics, and use in the garden and then present their findings in a 5 minute oral presentation. This assignment is worth 50 pts. |
| Readings: | Each student will be required to read and summarize 4 articles from various gardening publications. Each summation is worth 25 points. |
| Grades: | 7 plant i.d/gardening quizzes at 150 pts. each | 1050 pts. (67%) | 1 lecture exam at 200 pts. | 200 pts.(13%) | 1 design project at 75 pts. | 75 pts.(5%) | 1 design project at 75 pts. | 75 pts.(5%) | 4 gardening article summations at 25 pts.each | 100 pts.( 6%) | 1 oral presentation worth 50 pts. | 50 pts.( 3%) | Total | 1550 pts |
| No makeup assignments, id quizzes or exams will be given. Excused absences must be prearranged with the instructor. Without an excused absence, a score of zero may be given for exams and/or assignments. Assignments handed in late will be penalized. |
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