Barnes Horticulture Certificate Program

Year 1

Mondays, September 11, 2023 through May 6, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

$3,300; Barnes Foundation Members and SJU Alumni: $3,000

Areas of study include:

• Herbaceous Plants and Bulbs
• Ecology 
• Elements of Art
• Soil Science
• Botany
• Landscape Analysis: Field Study and Observation

Year 2

Tuesdays, September 12, 2023 through May 7, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. 

$3,300; Barnes Foundation Members and SJU Alumni: $3,000

Areas of study include:

• Cultivated Trees and Shrubs
• History of Gardens and Landscape Architecture
• Introduction to Plant Taxonomy
• Landscape Management: A Garden Practicum
• Landscape Design I
• Landscape Design II

Year 3

Wednesdays, September 6, 2023 through May 8, 2024

8:30 a.m. to 4 .pm. first semester; 8:30 a.m.to  3:30 p.m. second semester
$3,300; Barnes Foundation Members and SJU Alumni: $3,000

Areas of study include:

• Plant Propagation & Physiology of Landscape Plants
• Landscape Design III
• Woody Plant Diseases
• Conifers
• Weed Science
• Entomology

Year 1

Herbaceous Plants and Bulbs
 

Discover over 200 herbaceous plants and bulbs. Learn the history, growth habits, cultural requirements, care and landscape value of a range of ornamental grasses, ferns, culinary and medicinal herbs, native and tender perennials, and long-blooming and unusual annuals. In lectures, in the arboretum, and on field trips, learn to identify, select and integrate herbaceous plants and bulbs into a variety of garden settings.

Instructor: Harriet Cramer, garden designer and lecturer, and Charles Cresson, horticulturist

Ecology

This course introduces the major topics of ecology: the interactions of species with their physical environment and with other living things, including predation, herbivory, competition and mutualisms. Explore ecology’s relation to human health, agriculture and horticulture, with a focus on local plants and animals.

Instructor: Clint Springer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, SJU

Elements of Art

Art is more enjoyable when you understand its visual language and more meaningful when you appreciate its relationship to everyday experiences. Explore the intersection of art and horticulture, discussing the ways painters interpret landscapes in terms of color while learning to look at gardens with a painter’s eye. Consider the principles that underlie all art and discover art’s communicative power. The class culminates with a tour of the galleries at the Barnes Foundation’s Parkway campus. 

Instructor: Christine Stoughton, MFA

Soil Science

Good soils are the foundation of plant health and sustainable horticulture. Learn about the physical, chemical and biological properties that create a dynamic relationship between plants, soils and water. Explore the role of soil amendments, fertilizers and compost, and perform an analysis of a soil sample.

Instructor: Scott Guiser, M.S. in horticulture

Botany

Discover the general structure and function of higher plants through the study of typical morphology and physiology at the cell, tissue, organ and plant levels. Topics include cell division; the structure of basic food chains and webs; organisms both classified as plants and historically grouped with plants; the relevance of plants to humans; and the evolutionary advances of seed plants.

Instructor: Louise Clarke, M.B.A., horticulturist, Morris Arboretum of UPenn

Garden Appreciation: A Landscape Analysis
 

In the arboretum and on private garden tours, learn to identify and assess the use of plants in the landscape by observing textures, colors, shapes, scents, growth habits and ornamental features. Become familiar with technical nomenclature, learn to select the best plant for the site and purpose, and identify plants by their family traits and Latin names. Maintain a blog that tracks the growth, seasonal changes and landscape value of plants. In the second semester, use the Barnes archives to conduct group research projects to be archived in the horticulture library.

Instructor: Louise Clarke, M.B.A., horticulturist, Morris Arboretum of UPenn

Year 2

Cultivated Trees and Shrubs

Learn basic diagnostic tools to identify and compare woody trees, shrubs and vines in the Barnes Arboretum and on field trips to local botanical gardens. Become familiar with the cultural needs and landscape uses of trees, shrubs and vines. This course also includes an introduction to the identification of common plant families, plant taxonomy and nomenclature.

Instructor: Joe Marano, Horticulturist and Nursery Owner

History of Gardens and Landscape Architecture

Study gardens throughout history to gain a comprehensive understanding of landscape design and horticulture. Focus on major developments in the history of gardens, from their Eastern and Western origins to contemporary design. Students take field trips to exemplary local gardens to discuss historical influences, special developments, design principles and horticulture.

Instructor: Harriet A. Henderson, RLA, principal, Cushing & Henderson

Introduction to Plant Taxonomy

Acquire skills for plant identification by studying the botanical characteristics that distinguish plant families. This course will enable students to understand the relationships between plants and their nomenclature. More than 50 common plant families will be covered, giving students the tools to identify most of the plants that they’ll come across.

Instructor: Karen Snetselaar, Ph.D. professor emerita, biology, SJU

Landscape Management: A Garden Practicum 

Learn hands-on sustainable gardening skills in planning, planting, propagating and maintaining various plants, landscape features, gardens, containers and garden tools. Learn how to write landscape management plans. Additionally, experience an introduction to a range of professional opportunities in the field.

Instructor: Jennifer Walker, ASLA, Principal at Poiesis Design and Planning. Masters in Landscape Architecture, ISA Certified Arborist and TRAQ qualified. Horticultural and landscape management consultant

Landscape Design I

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of landscape design. Students learn to use graphic communication skills to study space and express design intent. Students develop skills through hands-on exercises that illustrate specific design principles.

Instructor: Karen Steenhoudt, M.S. in landscape architecture

Landscape Design II

The course builds on the skills developed in Landscape Design I. Students perform site analysis, research relevant case studies, and identify opportunities and constraints for a specific design site. The results of the analysis will be used to develop a landscape plan for the site. The course will include field trips and discussions with practitioners.
(Prerequisite: Landscape Design I)

Instructor: Karen Steenhoudt, M.S. in landscape architecture

Year 3

Plant Propagation and Physiology of Landscape Plants

This is a two-part course with the practical aspects of plant propagation coupled with a more in-depth look at the physiology of landscape plants. The two subjects are closely related and each will accentuate the other through mutual interaction. Since environmental parameters are a significant component of both subjects, particular emphasis will be given to urban environments, localized and commercial pruning practices, climate change and global warming.

Instructor: Samara Gray, M.S.

Landscape Design III

Develop a style through the study of landscape design. Refine the knowledge and skills acquired in the beginning and intermediate design courses to take site analysis, planting design and graphic communications to a higher level. With an emphasis on problem solving, landscape design-specific challenges are explored through a small project and an individual landscape plan. In this advanced course, students gain a basic understanding of landscape construction and cost estimating.
(Prerequisites: Landscape Design I and II)

Instructor: Michael J. De Vos, ecological landscape designer and public speaker

Woody Plant Diseases

Learn to identify signs and symptoms of woody plant diseases, including the most common biotic and abiotic diseases in the Delaware Valley. This course emphasizes the diagnostic process, the importance of performing systematic assessment and the concepts of abiotic disorder and predisposing stresses. The most commonly observed and serious plant disorders, diseases, insect pests and more will be discussed and observed in the field. 

Instructor: Kathryn Belville, master arborist and educator

Conifers

Learn to identify and classify a range of ornamental conifers, including the best species and cultivars for our region. This profusely illustrated course focuses on the major coniferous genera, highlighting identification, growth patterns and landscape uses, from dwarf specimens for containers to large trees for screening. The instructor's Pocket Guide to Conifers is a required text. 

Instructor: William Rein, M.Sc., Assitant Director of The Barnes Arboretum at SJU

Weed Science

Weeds exist wherever plants are cultivated. This course addresses the biology and classification of these unwanted plants and covers management options using an integrated pest management approach. Learn about common weeds like crabgrass, poison ivy and ragweed, and recent invasive species like mile-a-minute, Japanese stiltgrass and giant knotweed.

Instructor: Scott Guiser, M.S. in horticulture

Entomology

Learn to identify and manage common arthropod pests of woody plants in the Delaware Valley. Investigate important facts regarding their life cycles, biology, habitat and preferred hosts. Pest population management will be presented using integrated pest management (IPM) protocols that utilize all suitable techniques: bio rational, chemical, cultural, monitoring with sex pheromone traps, resistant plant varieties, etc. Some of the beneficial insects along with their roles in agriculture, horticulture and ecosystem will also be introduced.

Instructor: Robert Conrow, PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, Drexel University