Portal = door, entrance; especially a grand or imposing one
These pages are meant to provide an entrance and a map into the world of Landscape Horticulture through the learning medium that is the Worl Wide Web. Landscape Horticulture encompasses many areas that can be subdivided in different ways (see, for example, the Overview of Landscape Horticutlure table). Our purpose is to guide the individual through relevant content areas in order to gain insight about this field. It is a starting point. As one explores the Web for self-education, one may find many other sources of relevant information not included here. We welcome your feedback and suggestions! (Just contact Jourdan.1@osu.edu with your comments).
Please note that we do not intend to become neither a search engine nor just a catalog of sites. We want this portal to provide you with easy access to content, substantive material that may be useful. There is no escaping lists of sites at the begining, but you should soon find yourself immersed in factual information.
The portal begins by organizing concepts relevant to Landscape Horticulture into the following fields; linking into each one launches explorations in that area:
This area will begin to explore the concept of landscapes as they relate to Landscape Horticutlure (landscpe can mean differnt things to different people) by providing a context landscapes and then examining different dimensions of our landscapes such as: historical elements, types of uses, styles, etc. Our main thesis is that Landscape Horticulture deals with the constructed landscape as opposed to (but not in exclusion from) the landscape that develops without direct human intervention (the so-called 'natural' landscape).
Landscape Horticulture is associated with the principles and practices of horticulture in general. In this section we link botanical knowledge to the application of horticultural practices.
A common element in all of Landscape Horticulture is the use of plants to create some kind of 'environment' or 'statement.' In this section we'll explore the conceptualization of plant use (that is, designing landscapes) and how these concepts are made into reality (that is, constructing landscapes).
While our approach to Landscape Horticulture is comprehensive, our bias is toward the professional landscape horticulturist; that is, one who is making a living from working with landscapes. Being a professional means that one is either in a business or in an organization where general business principles apply. We'd like to focus this section on the issues most directly associated with professional landscape activities.