PirateQ 
Tyra Henderson, PSC dual enrollment coordinator, and Dallas Brooks, UF/IFAS
academic recruiter at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Milton.
“We had beautiful weather and welcomed record crowds throughout the three-day festival,” said Robin Vickers, UF/IFAS events coordinator. “We’re incredibly grateful to our vendors and the community for their continued support in making the Spring Festival of Flowers such a huge success.”
“This event draws from 15,000 to 18,000 people in a weekend each year,” said Dallas Brooks, UF/IFAS academic recruiter, who reported that this year’s festival featured more than 100 local plant nurseries and rare plant, craft and food vendors who enjoyed engaging with the large audience of home gardeners.
“It’s wonderful, just fantastic! It’s one of the highlights of my entire year,” said Debra Casey, owner of Deb’s Plants in Milton. “I meet lots of people and sell a lot of plants. I’ve been coming for five or six years, and I really enjoy it.”
In addition to a wide variety of green industry businesses, the festival exposes plant enthusiasts to the various educational opportunities offered at the PSC Milton campus.
Debra Casey, owner of Deb’s Plants in Milton, was one of more than 100 vendors participating in this year’s Festival.
Combining the study of landscape and nursery horticultural sciences with the study of business, management and communications, the Plant Science A.A. program at PSC prepares students for transfer to a four-year institution after two years of study, and they can earn their baccalaureate degree from the University of Florida without leaving the Milton campus.
The UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center offers the Plant Science B.S. and the Natural Resource Conservation B.S. programs of study at the PSC Milton campus, leading to careers in biological technology, landscape and greenhouse management, forestry and park management, environmental compliance, fish and wildlife technology, education and more.
The Agricultural Science A.A. program at PSC also provides the first two years of a four-year baccalaureate degree with an articulation agreement for university transfer between PSC and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), leading to careers in animal science, food technology, soil and plant science, and education.
The Spring Festival of Flowers draws thousands of plant enthusiasts to the PSC Milton Campus each year.
“The campus itself offers a rich plant diversity — including the endangered pitcher plant — for students to study during hands-on lab experiences,” said Lizzy Anderson, PSC student services advisor in Milton, “and our Outdoor Club is in the process of becoming active again for PSC students who want to explore nature and enjoy wilderness adventures.”
Two-plus-two scholarships between PSC and UF are available each year to graduating high school seniors.
For more information, contact the PSC Physical Sciences Department at (850) 484-1106 or the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center at (850) 983-7138.