Reynolds CC, Lewis Ginter partner on horticulture program

In a groundbreaking partnership aimed at shaping the next generation of horticulture professionals, Reynolds Community College and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden are partnering to move Reynolds’ horticulture program to the Garden's grounds.

Beginning this fall, students enrolled in the program will take their classes at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, using the garden’s conservatory, greenhouses, and outdoor spaces as living classrooms. The agreement, signed in December by Lewis Ginter President and CEO Brian Trader and Reynolds Community College President Paula Pando, marked a major step in enhancing horticulture education in Central Virginia. 

“I think one of the key things is the partnership elevates the horticulture profession, the visibility of it, and provides consideration for people when they’re considering their career path,” said Mary Heather Parch, chief marketing and experience officer of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “It is a good, fulfilling job and is needed in our lives. We need natural spaces to have a healthy existence.” 

The idea for the partnership came together during a ChamberRVA inter-city visit, during which Trader and Pando discussed their shared goals. According to a Reynolds spokesperson, they sketched out the framework on the back of a napkin at a morning meeting.

From there, leadership teams at both institutions worked to evaluate feasibility and develop a memorandum of understanding. 

A spokesperson for Reynolds Community College told the Citizen that the program will address two of the key questions that college officials ask themselves often: 'How do we best meet the needs of the community, and how do we prepare our students for the demands of the current workforce?'

As a result of the agreement, the program will be led by a new full-time faculty member who also will serve as department chair. The new location at Lewis Ginter offers a central and accessible space for students, while also connecting them directly with industry professionals.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden long has been dedicated to horticulture education at all levels, from early childhood programs to professional training. The garden hosts after-school programs and summer camps for young children, as well as work-based learning for high school students. With this new partnership, its educational reach now extends to the community college level.

“Our hope is that we can reach people at different stages of their education as they connect to plants,” Parch said. “It really gives us an opportunity to participate in education of our community from childhood through adulthood.” 

Students in Reynolds’ horticulture program now will benefit from site-based classroom learning, gaining hands on experience in a real-world environment. 

“The students are going to be using our site for their classes,” Parch said. “They will be having a lot of their laboratory instruction and horticulture program classes in the garden, the conservatory, and the greenhouses.”

The partnership also brings new energy and fresh perspectives to Lewis Ginter’s operations.

“We’re always looking for bright, new, fresh ideas,” Parch said. “That energy, that inquisitiveness that comes from students naturally, I think only benefits us because it challenges us to continually improve and do better.”