PLEASE NOTE THAT THE APPLICANTS' HANDBOOK HAS BEEN UPDATED. IF YOU DOWNLOADED THE HANDBOOK BEFORE MONDAY 8th JUNE 2009, PLEASE CHECK THE NEW HANDBOOK.
This programme provides students with all the fundamental horticultural skills for a large botanic or amenity garden. It is ideal for continuing professional development for early career horticulturists, or for keen amateurs.
The RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture is also a great complement to the theory-based RHS level 2 Certificate in Horticulture, or for those studying the RHS Advanced Certificate. It is currently available to the public as a series of eight day Saturday workshops which can be booked as a whole or individually.
This course forms a core part of the first year of our HND/BSc degree, and we can also deliver it as an overseas development package to botanic gardens, conservation nurseries or similar organisations across the globe.
Course outline
The RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture consists of eight full-day taught units plus an assessment. This format ensures that students gain the core practical horticultural skills. The course can be booked as a whole or units can be booked individually.
Units:
- CPH-01 Understanding Plants
- CPH-02 Soils and Composting
- CPH-03 Seed Propagation
- CPH-04 Vegetative Propagation
- CPH-05 Potting and Growing Media
- CPH-06 Plant Care
- CPH-07 Plant Maintenance
- CPH-08 Plant Health Problems
Additional units can be developed for specific groups depending on specialised horticultural requirements for the institution or local climate.
Assessment
Assessment consists of two parts:
- Course notebook: in which students must record what they learn on the day, as written notes, sketches or diagrams.
- Practical exam: students are expected to carry out a significant amount of practice after the taught section of the course is completed, before they take a Practical Test to gain certification.
Total time to complete the course is a minimum of 60 hours, and includes eight taught sessions (c. six hours each), plus time for specimen preparation.
How to apply
You can download the Course Handbook from the 'Downloads' box on the right. We are taking bookings for September 09 and March 10 from 17 June (advance booking for RBGE Members from 15 June). For further details or to find out how we can tailor this course to your institution, contact the Education office via our enquiry form (select 'Education') or direct at:
Education Department
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
20A Inverleith Row
Edinburgh
EH3 5LR
Telephone: 0131 248 2937