GREEN THUMB | Horticulture competition provides stiff challenge

It’s a matter of opinion, of course, but my personal opinion is that the natural world is far more interesting and complex than anything going on in the electronic world.

For example, the carnivorous plants and ferns of the Croatan National Forest are far more deserving of your time and study than what’s currently on your BlackBerry or your Facebook page. (And don’t get me started on Twitter. Does the entire planet really need to know you just finished off a cup of hot tea?)

This past spring and summer, four Craven County 4-H participants and rising seventh-graders — Nathaniel Glasgow, David Lynch, Seth Schneider and Zane Zechman — invested a great deal of time and effort preparing for a state-level horticulture competition. In the process of studying hundreds of flowers, seeds, leaves and other plant parts, they developed new plant ID skills and hopefully gained a deeper appreciation for the natural world around them. And as a bonus, on July 19 in Raleigh, their Junior Division team took first place in the state.

The competition is a project of the National Junior Horticulture Association, and is held in Raleigh each year in collaboration with the N.C. Cooperative Extension’s 4-H & horticulture specialist, Liz Driscoll. This is the second year that Craven County 4-H has been represented. In 2009, Nathaniel Glasgow (son of Tom and Pat Leigh Glasgow) participated, taking first place in the Novice Division. A couple of his friends expressed interest afterward, and the next thing we knew, we had a team.

For parents who like to provide intellectual challenges for their kids, let me affirm that this competition is a 900-pound gorilla of a challenge. The study list currently includes180 plant species divided into the general horticultural categories of flowers and indoor plants; landscape ornamentals; fruits, nuts and berries; and vegetables. But for each plant species, the participant needs to be familiar with as many as four different plant parts, such as seeds, flowers, fruit or foliage.

Then there is the knowledge test, taken from a rather extensive horticulture manual.

The third portion is a horticulture judging exercise, which is fairly subjective and doesn’t create too much difficulty for most of the participants.

But the plant ID and knowledge portions definitely separate the tourists from the serious students.

Special recognition goes out to David Lynch, who had the highest individual plant ID score for the Junior Division, and actually outscored most of the seniors as well. This should create some healthy competition as one or more of our other team members work to close the gap and unseat the ID expert in 2011.

We will begin preparing for next year’s competition later this month. Parents who are interested in the horticulture contest or any of a myriad of other 4-H opportunities should contact our 4-H agent, Wendy Paschal at 252-633-1477.

And yes, if you’re really fascinated with the electronic world, there are plenty of projects and activities in that realm as well. We look forward to hearing from you. 

Tom Glasgow is Craven County extension director for the N.C. Cooperative Extension. He can be reached at tom_glasgow@ncsu.edu.