The Horticulture Gardening Institute has joined forces with the American Horticultural Society to provide an online learning environment for gardening devotees. Since 2002, the institute has matched experts in the field with gardeners through the online experience.

The institute is a collaborative effort among MSU Extension's Master Gardener Program, the MSU Gardens, MSU Global Institute and the Department of Horticulture.

The new program allows the society to undertake online education opportunities as well as certification.

The society is one of the oldest member-based gardening organization in the nation, which offers gardening resources through its self-published magazine The American Gardener, a book program and Web site, www.ahs.org.

The first project formed by the collaboration is "The Art and Science of Container Gardening." The project will play host to the society's experts, a checklist of activities, potential resources, a review of the project and a co-branded certification of the project.

For more information on the container project visit www.gardeninginstitute.com

Stephanie Korneffel