Longwood Gardens, Hidcote Manor Garden and The Alliance of Hyogo announce Great Gardens of The World TRIAD Fellowship. Six horticulturists selected for international training experience.

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa., May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Longwood Gardens is proud to announce the inaugural year of The Great Gardens of The World TRIAD Fellowship. This first-of-its-kind Fellowship is in partnership with Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire, UK; The Alliance of Hyogo in Awaji Island, Japan; and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, USA. Horticulture is both science and art, and is expressed in different ways around the world. The TRIAD Fellowship is designed to expose young horticulturists to both the culture and horticulture of three unique countries and gardens of the world, thus equipping them with the foundational knowledge and global experience upon which to build their careers as professional horticulturists.

"The World TRIAD Fellowship further expands our leading horticultural education programs and enables us to share our knowledge and best practices on a global scale," said Longwood Gardens Director Paul B. Redman.  "We are honored to partner with the Hidcote Manor Garden and The Alliance of Hyogo to offer these aspiring professionals an international, hands-on experience that will be invaluable throughout their careers," said Redman.

Two horticulturists from each institution will participate in the inaugural year of the Fellowship. Over the period of one year, the TRIAD Fellows will spend four months living, working, and learning in each of the three world-class public gardens. In order to be considered for the Fellowship, students must have held a degree, certificate or higher education diploma in horticulture. They also must have previous hands-on working experience in horticulture as well as a passion for plants and a sincere desire to pursue a career in public horticulture.

This extraordinary experience exposes the young horticulturist to the field on a globally immersive level. They can connect historical gardens with current design and display trends while working in some of the greatest gardens of today. The Fellows are paid, and their housing is provided, allowing them to focus on their training while learning horticulture alongside some of the most knowledgeable staff in the world. The horticulturists will learn about greenhouse technologies, crop scheduling, integrated pest management, plant identification and culture for three distinct regions of the world, plant records management, conservatory management, landscape design and implementation, heritage management, exhibit design, and more.

The Fellowship begins in May 2014, and Longwood's two Fellows are Christina Olivieri, from Levittown, PA, and Nicholas Giaquinto from Commack, NY.  Misho Okawa, from Kobe, Hyogo, and Hitomi Kawasaki, from Iwakura Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, are the Fellows from The Alliance of Hyogo.  Philip Brown, from Harvington, Evesham, Worcestershire, and Rhiannon Harris, from Sevenoaks, Kent, are the Fellows from Hidcote Manor Garden. Longwood Fellows Olivieri and Giaquinto will spend their first four months at Hidcote Manor Garden. Following their experience in the UK, the duo moves on to the Miracle Planet Museum of Plants on Awaji Island, Japan. Their Fellowship concludes at Longwood Gardens, where they will focus on innovation in horticultural display. Okawa and Kawasaki also begin their Fellowship in May hosted by the Alliance of Hyogo, then will travel to Longwood Gardens and end their experience at Hidcote Manor Garden. Brown and Harris begin at Hidcote Manor Garden in September, then travel to Japan, and complete their Fellowship at Longwood Gardens.

Throughout their international travels, the horticulturists will be sharing their experiences in each country via the blog, Triadfellowship.wordpress.com.

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SOURCE Longwood Gardens