Horticulture II 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 10 lessons:

1 Introduction - The Groups of Plants

• Plant Names
• Botanical Keys
• Principle of Priority
• Colour Charts
• Plant Breeders Rights
• Plant Classification
• The Lower Plants
• Amenity Horticulture
• Classification According to the Way Plants Dispose of Excess Leaves
• Classification of Plants According to the Type of Leaf

2 Use of Plants

• Plants in the Landscape
• Choosing Your Plants
• Planting Techniques
• Plant Selection
• Soil Restrictions on Plant Selection

3 Indigenous (Native) and Naturalised Plants

• What Conditions Does a Particular Plant Species Need?
• What Plants Should be Used to Create a Particular Garden Style?
• Native Plants
• What are Idigenous Plants?
• What are Naturalised Plants?
• Some Native Trees for Planting
• Tree Report Example
• Quick Reference Plant Directory

4 Ornamental Plants

• Rhododendrons and Azaleas
• Roses
• Conifers
• Trees in the Landscape
• Guide to Shrubs in the Landscape
• Shrubs for the Garden
• Environmental Influences on Plant Selection
• Shrubs Which Withstand Wet Soils
• Shrubs Which Withstand Very Wet Soils
• Shrubs Which Grow in Shaded Areas
• Shrubs Suited to Coastal Areas
• Shrubs Suited to Cold Areas (Resisting frost and cold winters)
• Shrubs suited to Warm Climates
• List of Ornamental Plants

5 Indoor and Tropical Plants

• Indoor Plants
• Potting
• Ferns
• Classification
• Landscaping With Ferns
• Recommended Ferns

6 Bedding Plants

• Bulbs
• Chrysanthemums
• Cut Flowers

7 Vegetables

• What Can Be Grown?
• Where to Get Helpful Information
• Statistics
• Vegetables
• Crop Rotation
• Varieties and Seed
• Soils
• Tomatoes
• Mushrooms

8 Fruits, Berries and Nuts

• Fruit
• Berry Fruit
• Nuts

9 Herbs

• Introduction
• Insect Controls and Companion Plants
• Herb Teas
• Herb Cultivation
• Harvesting Herbs
• Poisonous Plants
• Making Pot Pourri
• Quick Reference Herb Chart
• The Mints
• Propagating Herbs
• Landscape Design With Herbs

10 Alternative Growing Techniques

• Containers
• Comparing Materials
• Aesthetics
• When You Go Away
• Preventing Moss and Algae in Pots
• Potting up Plants
• Potting Mixes
• Hydroponics
• Bonsai
• Greenhouses and Shade Houses
• Other Growing Techniques

The quality of this course is second to none, from the in-depth learning you will get to the expert individual mentoring you will receive throughout your studies. The mentors for this course are:

Susan Stephenson

BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.

City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)

Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

In 2010, Susan authored a complete module for a Foundation degree (FDSC) in Arboriculture.

Susan holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

Steven Whitaker

Diploma in Garden Design (Distinction) – The Blackford Centre, Gold Certificate of Achievement in Horticulture, Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture, Level 1 NOCN Introduction to Gardening, – Joseph Priestly College, BTEC Diploma in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations (Merit), Trainer Skills 1, & 2, Group trainer, Interview and Selection Skills – Kirby College of Further Education

Steven has a wealth of Horticultural knowledge, having ran his own Design and Build service, Landscaping company, and been a Head Gardener. His awards include five Gold awards at Leeds in Bloom, two Gold awards at Yorkshire in Bloom and The Yorkshire Rose Award for Permanent Landscaping. Steven has worked with TV’s Phil Spencer as his garden advisor on the Channel 4 TV Programme, “Secret Agent”.

He is qualified to Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture and has a Diploma in Garden Design which he passed with Distinction. Steven’s Tutor and Mentor was the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award-winning Garden Designer, Tracy Foster. He also works for a major Horticultural Commercial Grower in the field of Propagation and Craft Gardening. Steven lives in Leeds where he is a Freelance Garden Designer and Garden Advice Consultant.