Public Horticulture Students Gain Real World Experience at a Special Retreat.
(Knoxville, Tenn.) When one practices the art of horticulture, they bring beauty to our
world. They leave their touch on beautiful landscapes and colorful gardens. It’s a talent
that truly transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. Recently, two students from the
College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee
Institute of Agriculture had an opportunity to share these talents with a group of very
special people.
Public horticulture students Ariel Tester and Katheryne Nix participated in the Koinonia
Retreat, a program for adults with multiple disabilities. Over a weekend, Tester and Nix
showed the participants how to use horticulture to increase independent decision-making
and increase leisure awareness, two primary goals of the retreat.
The retreat was started by UT professor Dr. Gene A. Hayes and is organized by students,
who do volunteer work and can also gain course credit. Many of the retreat’s participants
may face physical and mental challenges. Tester, a senior from Bristol, TN., aspires to be
a horticulture therapist. She found that working with the group at Koinonia helped her
toward her career goals. “This was a great learning experience that allowed for a lot of
insight on how to adapt horticulture learning to different groups of people,” she said.
One of the unique ways horticulture was used to boost independent thought among the
participants was in the preparation for a social dance that evening. Each participant was
provided with a flower of their choice to turn into a corsage, which in turn, they would
exchange with their date for the night. “The participants took pride in their corsages and
showed excitement to give their corsage to their date. They all picked flowers with bright
colors and made sure it was pinned correctly on their outfits. I saw how the corsages
played a critical role in enhancing the quality of a social situation,” said Nix, a senior
from Knoxville.
In another opportunity for creativity and decision-making, the participants decorated a
pot that would later be used for a houseplant. A staff member then helped them transplant
a plant into their newly decorated pot. Nix says that unlike the other activities, caring for
the plant after they get home with be continued therapy for the participants.
Andy Pulte, a lecturer with UT’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources,
says student participation in activities such as the Koinonia Retreat not only benefit the
participant but provide a fresh perspective for students. “Giving students an opportunity
for hands-on, real world experience in the area they are interested in, is one of the most
important thing we can do as educators,” he said.
As a public horticulture major, Nix became involved in the retreat through the Recreation
and Leisure Studies 201 course offered at UT. “ It was an elective and seemed like it
would overlap with my major,” she said. The class is required to participate in a weekend
retreat and this offered her a chance to share her horticulture talents with a group of
people who may have had little exposure to plants. “Through the horticulture activity, I
saw how plants can change people’s emotions and get excited about life. Individuals who
normally have a hard time speaking were able to use flowers instead of words to express
their emotions,” said Nix.
For Ariel Tester, the experience at Koinonia is one that she will be able to use in her
career as a horticultural therapist. “I will be using plants and gardening on a daily basis to
increase motor skills, memory recall, or just provide general enjoyment to people whose
health circumstances may not be up to par. I was so excited to test out different ways of
doing this and meet so many new friends who shared my passion to help people,” she
said.
As for Katheryne Nix, she will always remember the experience. “I would not trade this
for anything. It was life changing,” she said. The Koinonia Retreat also provided Nix an
insight into how horticulture can be more than just beautiful plants. “This experience has
made me step back and realize how my career in public horticulture can change lives,”
said Nix.
As many already know, the practice of horticulture can transform a landscape into a place
of beauty. As Tester and Nix learned from their weekend experience, horticulture can
also bring an extraordinary transformation to the human spirit for both volunteer and
participant.
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Contact: Andrew Pulte, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, (865) 974-8820
Doug Edlund, UTIA Marketing & Communication, (865) 974-7141