Horticulture Forum Logo

Horticulture Forum

The Horticulture Forum Club has been a chartered club since 1971 at New Mexico State University. We welcome all majors from all departments across campus. Our mission is to help members and guests become familiar with horticulture procedures and materials, including the ID of common ornamentals and house plants, learn different propagation techniques and proper greenhouse sanitation measures, all while creating everlasting memories and relationships! As a group, we gather new species and grow a wide variety of succulents, edibles, and flowering plants for indoor and outdoor purposes. The plants we work with are taken home with members but also sold at holiday-themed sales on campus. We hope to share our knowledge with the community of Las Cruces and strive to implement sustainable landscapes utilizing native plant species and promoting pollinators within our diverse regional microclimate (s).


Meeting Information

Come and join us, we are always looking forward to having new members come by! The Horticulture Forum meets weekly at the Fabian Garcia Science Center located at 113 W University Avenue, Greenhouse 584.

Please see our Crimson Connection Webpage for the semester's meeting dates and times.

Map to Horticulture Greenhouse with directions

For more information or to be added to our e-mail list, please contact our advisors gpicchio@nmsu.edu or rachelgi@nmsu.edu.

Follow us on Instagram and Crimson Connection to see our awesome work, plants, and members! Crimson Connection.

Students handling plants at plant saleStudents in front of greenhouse


Plant Sales

Varies from semester to semester and are usually around holidays such as Valentine's and Halloween. We regularly update our sales on Crimson Connection for those interested in helping sell or buying plants!

Students at horticulture forum salePlant with halloween decorations


Partner Programs

The Horticulture Forum is always open to doing partner programs with Housing & Residential Life and other on and off-campus organizations. To negotiate all the logistics, please contact one of our advisors listed below!

Two students holding plant seedlingsStudents under canopy representing the horticulture forum


Spring Break Trips

The plants we work with are taken home with members but also sold at holiday-themed sales on campus. Those proceeds are then put towards an educational Spring Break trip each spring semester for the most involved members within the club. Student board members create and implement a 3-4 day plan for the trip. Membership is given to individuals by simply showing up and participating!

Students posing in front of desertIMG_6631-opt.jpg

Left: Spring '23 Phoenix, AZ.                                Right: Spring '22 Tucson, AZ


Contact Us

Horticulture Forum
New Mexico State University
Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences
P.O.Box 30003 MSC 3Q
Las Cruces, N.M. 88003

Forum Members by Name, Email, and Position
Name Email Position
Geno Picchioni gpicchio@nmsu.edu Advisor
Rachel Gioannini rachelgi@nmsu.edu Advisor
Tato Escalera-Diaz jescaler@nmsu.edu Secretary
Mireya Ferran gamma36@nmsu.edu Treasurer
Elizabeth Gamez egamez43@nmsu.edu Historian
Maximo Smith felement@nmsu.edu Vice President
Elora Roberts erober15@nmsu.edu President




Image of plants in a green house

Website and photos by Tyra Trumble, March 2023