Back to Our Roots: Students Have Opportunity to Experience Horticulture in Scotland and England

American horticulture has roots in Great Britain, so what better place to travel and learn than back to the beginning? U of A students have the opportunity to travel abroad and learn through the study abroad class, Great Gardens and Horticulture of Scotland and England. 

Students will join horticulture university professor Curt Rom and instructor Michelle Wisdom to experience international travel, horticulture, culture and customs in the study abroad program May 10-25.  

According to Wisdom, "This is a chance for students to experience our horticulture roots in the UK and see horticulture in a different context."  

"It's international travel with content, it's content in context," said Rom. 

The faculty leaders are partnering with WorldStrides for this international experience, but the true backstory comes from a more personal connection to the department. U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences Department of Horticulture has about a 25-year association with the Scottish Rural College and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh.  

"We have had a long-standing relationship in Scotland, the program was created in the mid to late '90s" said Rom. "One of our Bumpers College alums is the director of undergraduate education and outreach at the Edinburgh Royal Botanical Garden."   

Will Ritchie, who earned his master's degree in horticulture at the U of A and then returned to Scotland, is still connected to the university. That connection played an important role in creating this international programs trip. 

While abroad, students will spend five class days in Edinburgh, five days in London and wrap it up with the Chelsea Garden Show. This show draws the best growers and nurseries from around the world to exhibit in the most prestigious event in horticulture. The group will travel from Edinburgh to London via train.

Other activities include visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and Kew, the Old Course-St. Andrews Links (the world's oldest golf course), other historic gardens and botanical gardens, horticultural production operations and urban horticulture. Although the focus of the trip is horticulture and gardens, students will visit multiple important cultural sites, including Edinburgh Castle, Palace at Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral and much more.  

"We have flexibility built in, when we meet with the students and we find out what their horticultural, landscape and garden interests are, we plan to do some customization of the content to meet the class interests," says Rom. 

Prior to departure there will be a class orientation, meetings, trainings and more to prepare the students for overseas travel.  

"We just wanted to give them a chance to experience international travel and horticulture in a different culture," says Wisdom.  

While this is a trip and class with learning objectives and assignments, the students will also be given free time on the weekends to do some of their own exploration of Edinburgh and London.   

The trip is cross-listed to a variety of courses (HORT 4010V, HORT 510V, AFLS 401HV, LARC 4020V & LARC402VH). It is open to students of any degree level who have an interest in horticulture, plants, gardens and landscapes. Scholarships are available to help support students participating. Applications are due by Feb. 1.  

Anyone interested in more details can reach Rom at crom@uark.edu or Wisdom at mmwisdom@uark.edu, and can also find information and the application at HogsAbroad.uark.edu or BumpersInternational.Uark.edu. 

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at Bumpers College. 

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.