June 19, 2006
Story and landscape design photo by Jan Dehner
 When Dr. Jane Hey, pictured to the right, was considering the type of coursework she wanted to offer for this year’s May Term, the college’s mission statement played a key role—especially the part about life-long learning.
“As we get older, we become more interested in our surroundings and improving the way we live. We are more interested in our homes and our yards,” said Hey, professor and chair of biology.
Hey’s May Term course “Gardening: From Hosta to Zucchini” was designed to educate students on the fundamentals of gardening, from learning the basic difference between an annual or perennial plant to designing their own flower, vegetable, or even butterfly garden. To prepare for the class, Hey completed the master gardening course through the Iowa State University Extension office.
 Students did their own germination project and took field trips to area greenhouses and nurseries including Mosher’s Greenhouse and Landscaping in Sioux City as well as garden centers located at local home improvement centers. Hey said the visits provided an opportunity for students to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into running a nursery business. Pictured to the left is a landscape design by Morningside student Amanda Cades.
“The students had a chance to compare plants from ‘big box stores’ versus those that were locally grown,” she said.
The class also toured Latham Park, the Sioux City Rose Garden, and spent a day at Reiman Gardens on the campus of Iowa State University in Ames. Reiman Gardens, the largest public garden in the state of Iowa, sits on a 14-acre site and contains 11 distinct gardens, an indoor conservatory, 2,500 square-foot indoor butterfly wing, five supporting greenhouses, and more.
The class also volunteered at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, where they had a chance to identify and plant various species of native plants and do a good deal of weeding. The day’s project was facilitated by Herman Schultz, director of Sodexho Campus Services and a master gardener.
Hey said the 20 students who took the course had varying degrees of knowledge on the subject, from those who came from families where gardening was a routine part of their everyday lives to students who couldn’t differentiate a hosta from a hydrangea.
 “I learned more about fertilizer, how to read the bags, and how each number means something different,” said James Mowrey, a junior biology major from Lincoln, Neb., pictured to the left. “I’ll definitely have my own vegetable garden someday.”
 Anthony Rezac, a sophomore from Brainard, Neb., pictured to the right, took the class because of his interest in plant and animal science.
“Now I understand why the college plants the flowers where they do,” he said. “I definitely appreciate all the campus landscaping more.”
|
