As part of their educational training, students in the landscape horticulture program at DCTC are required to gain industry experience through enrollment in summer internships. Internships also allow students the opportunity to explore various career opportunities within the “Green Industry” while still pursuing their degree in landscape horticulture. The following are just a sampling of some of our students out on internship this summer.

Nate Olsen

Nate is working for Leslie’s Gardens in Cottage Grove, MN as a landscape foreman. On my recent on-site visit, Nate was working on a landscape renovation that included a new paver patio, fire pit and planting beds.

Kathy Gelhaye

Kathy is working for Gerten’s in the design department where she is busy creating landscape designs for residential customers. Kathy has produced close to 100 designs in her two months with Gerten’s thus far and is a welcome addition to the design staff which includes award winning designer Mary Clymer who is also a DCTC alumni.

Pictured: L to R Mary, Kathy and Colleen Moran Director of Design @ Gerten's

Matt Leifeld

Matt is working with Patio Town in Oakdale, MN as sales manager. Matt has combined his previous experience in retail sales with his more recent education in landscape horticulture at DCTC to create the perfect job for himself. Matt enjoys working with people and is leading workshops on paver installation and retaining wall construction for the DIY crowd in addition to his other duties as sales manager at Patio Town.

Students from the landscape Horticulture program at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) recently performed spring clean-up of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) display garden at the Minnesota State Fair Grouunds. This activity provided DCTC students and faculty the opportunity to give back to the MNLA which provides financial support to students through their annual Academic Awards Program. To learn more about the MNLA visit www.mnla.biz 

Photos of student volunteers

DCTC students and instructor Jeff Kleinboehl

10 students and one faculty member from the Landscape Horticulture program at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC), Rosemount, MN, recently participated in PLANET Student Career Days (SCD), held this year at Chattahoochee Technical College in Atlanta, GA from April 7-11. The SCD is an annual national event for landscape students sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). Students had the opportunity to compete in events that are directly related to the skills necessary for a career in the green industry. The event also offers a Career Fair which gave DCTC students the occasion to meet prospective employers in the industry and discuss employment opportunities. This year, 67 two and four-year colleges and universities from around the country took part in the 4-day event, with over 865 student participants. Students spent several months outside of normal class hours preparing for their events with several placing in the top 10% among their peers. The following are photos from some of the competitive events. 

Event Photos 

Joel Mickelson places 56th. out of 865 students for Superstar status!

Landscape Installation Team: Kathy, Brett and Keely

Brea Pool! takes 7th. place out of 120 in Woody Plant I.D. competition

DCTC student Deb Flanders honored as PLANET AEF scholarship winner!

Keely gets ready to do a little pruning

Truck and Trailer Team: Andrew and Joel

DCTC students with garden guru P. Allen Smith (center)

Learn more about P. Allen Smith  at www.pallensmith.com  

In addition to the competitive events students toured the beautiful residence of John and Nancy Williams, one of the premier residential landscapes in Atlanta. With ten acres and over a mile of trails the garden had plenty to “wow” students. The grounds included a world class collection of Japanese Maples, a formal oval garden, a vegetable garden, a rose garden, rock steams and waterfalls that feed several ponds stocked with Koi. Other garden features include an azalea garden, and Asian garden and a rustic pavilion garden dubbed “the ruins”. The gardens were in full bloom and spectacular! 

 Garden Tour Photos 

Azaleas in full bloom with garden ruin in background

Also included on the tour was the Smith-Gilbert Gardens. Situated on over fifteen acres, this garden recently made the transition from private to public garden. With a natural woodland trail, rose garden, conifer garden, rock garden, perennial border, vegetable garden, waterfall and pond, and a collection of thirty pieces of contemporary sculpture, the garden is a must see. The garden is a true botanical wonder with over 3000 varieties of pants, shrubs and trees. 

DCTC students with tour guide on natural stone retaininmg wall

DCTC student contemplates the view from Tea Garden pavillion

DCTC students were also afforded the opportunity to learn about Atlanta’s early history while touring the historic Oakland Cemetery (www.oaklandcemetery.com) which dates back to 1850. Docent Sally Smith was our tour guide for the afternoon and told the story of Atlanta while weaving in a short course in zone 7 plant identification. Thank you Sally! 

DCTC students with docent Sally Smith on far right

A view of part of the greenhouse with Rieger begonias ready to sell

Our students have been busy growing a bedding plant crop in the new DCTC greenhouse.  Beginning in January, students have been seeding, transplanting, watering, fertilizing and doing all the things one does to produce a fine crop of bedding plants.  In the process, they enrich their knowledge of how plants grow, what a quality plant is and how to produce it, and apply information learned in other classes.   For example, students studied the design of large planters, reinforcing lessons learned in landscape design, and produced planters that will adorn the stage at the DCTC graduation in May.

Plants that will be available for sale include annuals in pacs, geraniums, a variety of annuals in 4 1/2″ pots, and hanging baskets.  The sale is open to the general public May 6 and 7 in the DCTC greenhouse, behind the west end of the college building.

New Guinea impatiens

A petunia hanging basket developing nicely

Lantana -- a great plant for the heat of the summer

A bench of recently planted impatiens that should be perfect for the sale

January 6-8, 2010, we were at the Minneapolis Convention Center for the annual Northern Expo, the annual convention and trade show for the green industries of Minnesota. We attended workshops, browsed the trade show, and reconnected with lots of our alumni and industry folks.  This blog features images of some of the graduates we met at the trade fair.

But first, we had some award winners!  One of our graduates won the 2010 Grand Honor Award for Residential Design in the Minnesota Nursery and Lanscape Association Landscape (MNLA) Awards Competion.  This is a juried competition.  Our winner was Mary Clymer, who now designs for Gerten’s in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota:

Mary Clymer, DCTC graduate, who won the 2010 MNLA Grand Honor Award for Residential Design

We also had two current students that were awarded MNLA Foundation scholarships at the Awards Luncheon, Annette Cayard and Paul O’Gara.  The scholarships were sponsored by the MNLA, Bachman’s, Inc., and Hoffman and McNamara, of Hastings, MN.  We thank the sponsors. Read more »

• Design with Nature – Creating healthy communities above and below ground
• Saturday, February 27, 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Radisson Hotel Roseville, 2540 North Cleveland Ave., Roseville

The St. Croix Oak Savanna and Twin Cities chapters of “Wild Ones” are partnering with the Minnesota Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MASLA), and “Blue Thumb-Planting for Clean Water” to present noted speakers Douglas Tallamy, Ed Plaster, Welby Smith, and Evelyn Hadden speaking about creating healthy communities above and below ground. Our experts will share the latest research in designing beneficial habitats using native plants to provide esential support for insects, birds, and wildlife. Also featured are exhibitors from native plant nurseries, natural landscape designers, and environmental organizations. Please join us for an exciting day of ideas in preparation for spring.

Space is limited so sign up early.

• For more information, and to register, visit: http://for-wild.org/chapters/twincities/conference.html
• Register by Feb. 22nd by mail or on-line.
• Cost is $40 for Wild Ones and MASLA members, $45 nonmembers.
• Price includes buffet lunch. For additional information call 612-293-3833 or email: designwithnature.conference@gmail.com.

A group of eleven students recently participated in the PLANET Student Career Days (SCD), held this year at Cal-Poly Pomona in Pomona CA on March 26-30. The SCD is an annual national event for landscape students sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET).  This year, 60 two and four-year colleges and universities from around the country took part in the 4-day event, with over 800 student participants. Events included workshops, career fair, tours, social activities, and 25 competitive events such as plant identification, landscape design, irrigation assembly and business management. Competitive events are sponsored and judged by leading industry professionals.

Joel Mickelson and Jim Reetz participating in the Irrigation Assembly event. In another event Jim Reetz placed 3rd. out of 80 in Construction Cost Estimating.

DCTC students spent several months outside of regular classes preparing for this year’s event and the results reflect their dedicated efforts. Special recognition goes to two of our team members for placing in the top three of their individual events.  Elizabeth Spedaliere placed 2nd. out of 88 in Business management and 2nd. out of 101 in Woody Plant Identification while Jim Reetz placed 3rd. out of 80 in Construction Cost Estimating. Other outstanding results include Valerie Kohorst placing 6th. out of 75 in Maintenance Cost Estimating, Marybeth Jahr placed 6th. out of 48 in the Sales Presentation competition and Brett Hansen, Brea Pool and Racquel Currie placed 9th. out of 54 in the Landscape Plant Installation event. As a whole DCTC did very well with the majority of students placing in the top 25% of their events; a remarkable feat considering DCTC is a two-year program with many first-time students competing in multiple events. Congratulations to you all! Read more »

Suzanne Gappa

Suzanne Gappa, who will be graduating this spring, topped the list of people passing the MNLA Certified Professional examination at the March 6 testing date.  She achieved a score of 87%, considerably higher than even the next best score from the 40 people that took the exam.  Suzanne, while a student, also works as a landscape designer for Bachman’s, Inc.

Suzanne was the only DCTC student to take the test this time; more took it at the January test date.  Congratulations to Suzanne for an outstanding performance.

Three DCTC graduates were selected by a panel of judges to receive 2009 MNLA Landscape Awards.

• Julie King, Sage Landscape Design, Merit Award for Landscape Management
• Sarah Hartung, Landscape Renovations, Merit Award for Landscape Management
• Tim Johnson, Southview Design, Merit Award for Landscape Design

Kristie Malecha, Laura Shippy, Jim Reetz, Valerie Kohorst

The winners will be honored at the MNLA Landscape Awards Banquet 2009 on February 16, 2009, at the University Club of St. Paul.

MNLA Certified Professional Examination

Seven DCTC students recently took the MNLA Certified Professional examination—with four passing the difficult test.

• Valerie Kohorst
• Laura Shippey
• Jim Reetz
• Kristie Malecha

Although the pass rate represents the program’s lowest on record, this round of testing was unusually demanding, resulting in a statewide pass rate of 16 out of 61.  DCTC’s performance brightens in the light that no other student from any other Minnesota and Wisconsin two- and four-year college passed the exam. Read more »

We value our relationship with the state trade organization, the MNLA.  So it was nice to see several of our graduates on the most recent listing on MNLA committee members.  In honor of these grads, here they are:

• Tim Huinker, of Anchor Wall Systems, serves on the Hardscapes Committee;
• Sandy Proshek, of Legends Golf Club, serves on both Landscape Awards and Landscape Management;
• Karen Filloon, Southview Design, and DeAnne Rentfrow, Bachman’s, both serve on Public Relations.
• Sarah Hartung, Landscape Renovations, Inc, serves on the Environmental Concerns committee.

These folks as committee members have also contributed articles to the MNLA’s monthly publication, The Scoop.

Thank you, folks, for your service to the industry.