On November 17, Vicki Stirm delivered a presentation to a local chapter of the PEO Sorority on the topic of Poinsettias. She began by sharing the history of Cuetlaxochitl (pronounced kwet-la-sho-she), the original Nahuatl name for the poinsettia, which is native to Mexico. Vicki then discussed Joel Poinsett, explaining how the plant came to be[Read More…]
This week marked the second session of Grandparents University, where 44 enthusiastic grandparents and grandchildren joined Karen Mitchell and Vicki Stirm for a hands-on floral experience. The session began with an introduction to the HLA, highlighting exciting career paths and programs like Consumer Horticulture and the Master Gardener initiative. Participants then dove into the ever-popular[Read More…]
On July 15th, Vicki Stirm and Karen Mitchell hosted 29 folks of Caleb’s Kin group from Faith East Ministries of Lafayette for a garden tour of the Jules Janick Hort Gardens. We talked about different plants in the landscape, as well as talking about the Bioswale on the corner of the Pao lot and the[Read More…]
On July 17, 2025, Karen Mitchell, Karen Sullivan, and Vicki Stirm led a fun and engaging session as part of Grandparents University. They welcomed about 35 grandparents and their grandchildren, ages 7 to 14, for a special experience on campus. As part of the Grandparents University program, families come to campus, select a “major,” attend[Read More…]
On Friday, June 27th, the College of Agriculture’s Office of Academic Programming partnered with Vicki Stirm to host an exciting hands-on experience for 42 Juntos 4-H students from across Indiana. These junior high and middle school students rotated through 40-minute sessions designed to introduce them to the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture (HLA) and[Read More…]
The HLA department kicked off the new semester with their annual Welcome Back Taco Thursday celebration August 22. Students, faculty, and staff came together to enjoy tacos, trivia, cornhole, and a fun photobooth. A big thank you to Gloribel Rosales-Burdin and Brandy Pinkard for organizing this fantastic event. We also appreciate Pam Fisher, the HLA[Read More…]
On Friday, July 12, Vicki Stirm and Karen Mitchell hosted the C-PASA (Cargill- Purdue Agribusiness and Science Academy) High School students. Participants toured the student farm, led by two summer interns. After that, they returned to campus and learned how an orchardist knows when to harvest apples, as well as did a blind taste test[Read More…]
