PROGRAMS | PERSONAL SERVICES

HORTICULTURE

Horticulture is the process of growing and working with plants. At RMCTC, our program is divided into three separate areas: floral arranging, greenhouse management and landscaping. Floral arranging centers on arranging live and artificial flowers in a flower shop setting. Special attention is paid to developing a creative eye from the basic corsage to the most elaborate wedding order. Greenhouse management concentrates on the daily tasks of growing and selling various greenhouse plants. The basics of watering, fertilization, transplanting, and monitoring the plants well-being is the core of this area. Landscaping duties include maintaining our outside property by using hand or power tools, designing garden areas, and installing a range of landscape products including brick walkways, and stone retaining walls. The students in this last area will be subject to the challenges of an operating landscape “company” by maintaining some of the 57-acre campus, which the school owns. Program graduates are prepared to enter the workforce or pursue post-secondary education at numerous technical schools and colleges.

Click the image to view the Horticulture Program video clip.* * requires Adobe Flash Player

Entry-level earnings
Floral designer $7.15-$8.50/hr.
Greenhouse worker/manager $7.15-$9.00/hr.
Landscape designer/worker/manager $7.15-$10.00/hr.

Career potential earnings
Floral designer $14.78 per hour
Greenhouse worker/manager $39.65 per hour
Landscape designer/worker/manager $39.65 per hour

Student certifications

NOCTI - National Occupational Competency Testing Institute Certifcation
Certified Landscape Technician*
*Must be 18 years old working for a company full time in order to take these certifications.

INSTRUCTOR

Mr. Mark A. Vrabic

Biography
I am a happily married father of two girls. We also have two dogs.

Date of hire: August 1993

Education
Bachelor's degree in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College
Completing master's degree in education from Gratz College

Certifications
Vocational Education II Teaching Certification – Temple University

Experience
Landscape designer

Community service
FFA advisor

Interests
Fishing, gardening, bird watching, spending time with my family

Awards
Honor fraternity while in college

Message
Learning a valuable career, especially one that beautifies the world is very rewarding. Whether specializing in floral design, greenhouse management, or landscape design you will be exposed to plants and have the ability to grow, nurture, and create unique designs. So, if you don’t mind getting a little dirty, and working with plants, this is the career for you.