The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Certificate in Practical Horticulture (CPH) is a unique course that focuses on the essential skills needed by budding horticulturists today.
Building on over 100 years of professional horticulture training at the garden, this compact course has been designed to give students a solid grounding in horticultural techniques.
As a CPH student you will learn key practical skills, taught by experienced and enthusiastic horticulturists. The essential theory behind the practice is explained, then most of the time is spent learning practical skills and getting 'your hands dirty'.
The RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture (CPH) is a unique course that focuses on the essential skills needed by budding horticulturists today. The course is organised into individual modules that cover this broad range of knowledge, skills and techniques:
Looking at Plants - An Introduction
Soil Care
Feeding & Watering
Seed Propagation
Vegetative Propagation
Growing Media & Potting
Planting
Pruning & Training
Further information on these modules can be found within the course handbook.
Please note this is the RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture, completion of this course does not count towards the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 2 Diploma.
There are three intakes of the RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture this year.
Option 1 Our summer school programme which runs as a two-week block in July 2025. Applications now closed
Option 2 Our weekend courses which runs over 10 Saturdays or Sundays from August 2025 - June 2026.
Option 3 Our weekly Friday course which runs in two five week-blocks, the first from February - March 2026 and the second from April - May 2026.
Students who attend all 10 days and pass the assessment are awarded the RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture. The course is assessed through a practical exam (80% of grade) and online quizzes (20% of grade).
You do not need prior knowledge or experience to apply for this course. Enthusiasm and motivation is all that is required! This course is the perfect complement to the RHS Level 2 Qualifications and can be completed before, alongside or after studying the RHS course.
*Please note this course does not count towards the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Level 2 Diploma.
The cost for the course is £895. Full payment for the course is required on acceptance of a place.
This is a practical course so each module will involve indoor and physical outdoor work. Each week you will need to bring:
Appropriate outdoor clothes (even indoor workstations can be cold)
Steel toe-capped work boots
Bypass Secateurs
Packed lunch
After you are accepted on the course we can advise you about what to buy and where to buy these items.
Applications will open at 9.00am on the first day and close at 11.00pm on the last day. These times are UK times, please take this into account if applying from outside the UK.
Applicants will be notified if their application has been successful or not within 2 weeks of the application deadline date.
As well as being delivered at RBGE, the course is being taught in partner organisations in the UK: Glasgow Botanic Gardens and Norfolk School of Gardening
This is possible through the use of concise and flexible course materials that are easily translated and can be tailored to the needs of different organisations.
To ensure that quality and standards are maintained worldwide, RBGE administers the assessment, qualification and verification guidelines.
