Horticulture Technology

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, Horticulture Technology will not be hosting a plant sale this year. Please check back with us next year!

When you enroll in the Horticulture program, you will attend classes at our horticulture location adjacent to the Idaho Botanical Gardens off Warm Springs Avenue in Boise. The facility includes classrooms in a restored early 1900s home with two state-of-the-art greenhouses and over 20 acres of growing fields. There are also over 1,000 plant species growing in the Botanical Gardens next door.

The American Association of Horticulture Professionals, predicts that its industry will continue to have attractive openings for graduates. After completing this program, you will be in position to pursue careers working for retail and wholesale nurseries, land and park management, government agencies, landscape contractors, turf and golf industries, greenhouses, floral shops, and more. Potential jobs include working as a grower, propagator, nursery supervisor, arborist, landscape manager, landscape maintenance supervisor and urban farmer, among others.

Your horticulture training at CWI involves classroom learning, as well as field trips to local growers and practical outdoor and plant-growing experience in the student greenhouses, and nurseries. Internships with area nurseries, landscape installation and maintenance companies, or greenhouses are also offered.

Opportunities

Horticulture students gain experience by working on real-world projects with community members who submit projects for students, hire students as interns or full employees, and take advantage of student work by participating in the annual plant sale.

Community Involvement & Opportunity

The community is encouraged to engage with Horticulture students in their learning through the following opportunities:

Have questions? Please contact us, by email - andreaschumaker@cwi.edu or by phone - 208.562.2598.

Why This Program

We prepare our horticulture graduates to work for retail and wholesale nurseries, public and private landscape maintenance and installation/construction companies and governmental agencies, greenhouses, urban farms, and community supported agriculture cooperatives. Graduates often start their own small businesses in various horticulture fields.

What You Will Learn to Do

  • Identify and classify soils and plants, including flowers, shrubs, and trees
  • Design, construct, and maintain landscapes
  • Grow, care for, and arrange flowers
  • Prune trees and shrubs properly
  • Identify and manage plant pests and disease
  • Propagate plants
  • Manage greenhouses and nurseries
  • Market horticulture goods and services
  • Use pesticides and fertilizers safely and legally
  • Communicate professionally, both in person and in writing
  • Use business computer applications
  • Conduct effective job searches

Respectful Community

College of Western Idaho is committed to maintaining a Respectful Community by providing equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate in services, benefits, or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, age, or any other legally protected status.  More on Title IX

News and Blogs

CWI Agriculture Industry Panel Q&A

The panel will provide a unique opportunity for students to engage directly with professionals in agriculture and gain a better understanding of the industry.

Andrea Schumaker touring the CWI Campus Garden

Tickets for Farm to Fork, a dinner hosted by College of Western Idaho Agriculture Science faculty and students, are on sale now!

Students and faculty recieving award

College of Western Idaho has officially been designated as Idaho’s newest Tree Campus Higher Education recipient.

Elizabeth Serocki working on trails

Horticulture Technology student, Elizabeth Serocki, spent the weekend organizing a volunteer event to help restore sections of trails at Diane Moore Nature Center in Boise.

Faculty, staff, and students planting a tree

Horticulture Technology students, staff, and faculty held a tree planting event as part of the process to earn the designation of a Tree Campus for Higher Education by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Student planting at Restoration Week

College of Western Idaho students and instructors have begun work to help restore acres of land along the Boise River.