Last weekend, students from seven high schools, four community colleges, and one university joined a group of horticulture industry professionals for a new event. The inaugural North Carolina High School Landscape Competition (NCHSLC) was modeled on the annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC) held each March. In addition to being a student landscaping competition, this North Carolina-based event included a series of workshops, industry discussions, and student networking events.
The event kicked off on a Friday night with a BBQ dinner, followed by a panel discussion featuring industry professionals. Representatives from seven different companies—from landscape contractors to horticultural equipment manufacturers—wowed the audience. Each panelist told the students how this industry welcomed them and why it’s a wonderful place to start a career. They also explained how they got started in their business and about the wide range of jobs available in horticulture.
Hoffman Nursery, together with Plantworks Nursery and N.C. State’s Dept. of Horticultural Science, coordinated the Plant Identification competition. It’s one of the many events that took place throughout the day. There were three rounds of students—the first were college students preparing and practicing for the NCLC held at Michigan State later this month. The second and third groups were high school students from local horticulture programs. For them, the emphasis throughout the day was on education. Their identification event turned into a workshop, led by Kata Wallace from Hoffman Nursery and Dana Massey from Plantworks Nursery. Dana and Kata shared tips to help students understand the plants and what features to use in identifying them.
The NCHSLC was a rewarding experience for everyone, and we had a great time meeting and chatting with the students. All of the panels, workshops, and competitions helped prepare the college students for Michigan. The high school students were engaged by the activities and were eager to learn more about the horticulture industry. Meeting a range of industry professionals and spending time with students from the college horticultural programs was a big boost.
The NCHSLC connects us with the next generation of horticulture professionals and gives us a new way to support them. We are proud to have taken part in this inaugural event. A big thank-you to everyone who participated!
We hope you’ll take a minute to check out more photos from the event below.
For more information:
Hoffman Nursery
5520 Bahama Road
Rougemont, NC 27572
Phone (919) 479-6620
Toll-Free 1 (800) 203-8590
Fax (919) 471–3100
sales@hoffmannnursery.com
hoffmannursery.com