Oct 17, 2013
Floral Plant Giveaway Attracts StudentsSource: AFE

The American Floral Endowment and Altman Plants supplied plants to the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University for a Floral Plant Give-Away Project intending to recruit new horticulture students.

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) and Altman Plants supplied plants to the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University for a Floral Plant Give-Away Project (FPGAP) intending to recruit new horticulture students.

During the fall semester of 2012, Lee Ivy and Lis Meyer, lecturers, Julieta Sherk, assistant professor, and John Dole, Ph.D., professor and department head, began the FPGAP to increase student interest in plants and raise awareness of horticulture as a viable career option.

They distributed 715 plants, and although the tracking of the students was still in progress as the FPGAPs report was written, Dole said the results were promising enough for the FPGAP to be repeated in fall 2013.

At least 60 students developed an interest in taking a horticulture class, 50 visited the Horticulture Department website and 44 visited a garden center. Additionally, 11 more students signed up for horticulture classes in the semester following the giveaway than in the semester of the giveaway.

To view the full report from the FPGAP, click here.