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It is my hope that over the course of these articles, you will learn Interior plant science, which will ultimately improve
your projects from the design phase through the maintenance phase. You will know how to bid this work, plan for
lead time, choose the plants based on the presented light levels, and maintain them based on Physiology among all
the variables you will encounter. Next time,

I will give you a bit of history as to: how and why Interior Plantscaping came to be. This industry has gone through
many ups and downs. What was the economic impact, who were the competitors, where we are today, and why Certi-
fication is even more valuable today. Until then, stay well, stay safe and stay PROFESSIONAL!

Synopsis:
What does Certification do for Interior Plantscapers? Since this industry was in its infancy, a need for describing the difference
between the well, known, Landscaping division and the lessor known Interior division, became evident. How to do it and what to
do was the focus of a newly formed organization called The National Council for the Certification of Interior Horticulturists or NC-
CIH.This group was determined to find a means of Professionalizing the newly developing division of Interior Plant Science. They
published material which concentrated on the “whys and wherefores” of the business, and also the techniques needed to bring an
indoor garden to fruition. More importantly, they established a series of training manuals with emphasis on maintaining indoor
plantings. Richard Gaines’s book: Interior Plantscaping, Building Design for Interior Foliage Plants, was required reading. They de-
vised a Professional designation of Certified Interior Horticulturist or CIH. The reasoning behind this designation was to promote
a Specialty Area by which Interior Plantscapers could market, advertise and sell their area of specialization to the public. Because
Acclimatization was a very new research, the Science behind the techniques was not emphasized. Once the Science emerged, the
Certification took on new meaning. The struggle to promote the industry as a separate and distinct science, was both arduous
and frustrating.

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MAKING THE NEW NORMAL BETTER