Photos: Garden Greens Farmingdale

The recently-unveiled "Sustainable Garden" at is the work of the Department of Ornamental Horticulture. It is the newest of the teaching gardens, which are spread across four acres of campus and include a rose garden, the Loretta Chiarenza Memorial Garden, a perennial garden and a tropical garden. Classes are held in the outdoor classrooms and educate students on ways to sustain flush, green landscape, in addition to other lessons on the environment and sustainability.

“The Sustainable Garden will ensure that students have access to progressive ideas and strategies that will influence Long Island’s large horticulture and landscape design sector  while ensuring that industry practices respect the environment of Long Island,” said Michael Veracka, project creator and chairman of the Department of Ornamental Horticulture. “It can also influence how the average citizen uses dwindling resources in a finite world as well as promote sound environmental stewardship within the region.”

Take a walk through the gardens in this week's Viewfinder column.