Sustainable Ornamentals and Turf Management

This capstone unit focuses on organic care and long‑term stewardship of ornamental plants, roses, landscape trees and shrubs, and lawns, emphasizing practical maintenance techniques and eco‑friendly practices. Students synthesize prior units to create season‑long, site‑specific maintenance plans that reduce inputs, protect habitat, and prepare them for advanced horticulture study or workplace tasks.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze cultivar selection, pruning schedules, and integrated pest and disease management approaches for roses to develop a seasonally timed care plan
• Demonstrate safe, proper pruning, staking, and maintenance techniques for landscape trees and shrubs to promote plant health and reduce safety hazards
• Apply organic lawn care principles—including mowing, aeration, soil amendment, irrigation efficiency, and low‑input alternatives—to design a sustainable turf management strategy
• Evaluate and implement ten best organic gardening practices and ten eco‑friendly strategies to produce a site‑specific sustainability plan that minimizes inputs and enhances ecosystem services