Course Programme 2024/2025
Choose a course then get in touch to make a booking or for more information. Alternatively, if looking for someone else you could always get them a gift voucher. Class sizes are small to give you the best experience and to optimise any practical elements.
All of our courses and workshops include refreshments and homemade biscuits or cake.
For a full calendar of our upcoming courses and workshops please go to Course Calendar.
QUALIFICATIONS
RBGE Certificate in Practical Horticulture
10 week course once a week £950
The Certificate in Practical Horticulture (CPH) is a unique and very popular course which focuses on the essential skills needed by budding horticulturalists today. As a CPH student you will learn key practical skills, taught by experienced and enthusiastic horticulturalists. The essential theory behind the practice is explained, then most of the time is spent learning practical skills and getting your hands dirty. Subjects covered on the course include Soil Care, Feeding & Watering, Seed & Vegetative Propagation and Growing Media. At the end a certificate is awarded by The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) who developed the course.
Please note that there may be funding available to help with course fees. Contact us for further details.
Friday 13th September for 10 weeks (excl. 1st Nov) 9.30-4.30
2025
Friday 10th January for 10 weeks (exc. 21st February) - 9.30-4.30
Friday 25th April for 10 weeks (exc. 30th May) - 9.30-4.30
Friday 12th September for 10 weeks (excl. 31st Oct) 9.30-4.30
contact us for more info or to book your place
Diploma in Garden Design
32 week course, two days a week £7750
This is the course for anyone wanting to become a professional garden designer, equipping you to set up on your own or join an established garden design practice. Whether you have just finished a horticulture course, are working as a gardener, looking for a career change or have retired and want a new challenge. You will learn to think like a designer and will gain all of the skills and knowledge in design, construction, horticulture and business which you will need to get going. You will be taught by some of the best in the industry including Tom Hoblyn and Tom Stuart-Smith. Your mentors will include other award-winning garden designers and landscapers. A range of inspirational field trips to outstanding public and private gardens as well as growers is included in the programme plus site visits. Students will graduate with a portfolio of work and both the skills and the confidence to work on professional design projects. This course has SGD (Society of Garden Designers) Educator accreditation.
Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th September 2024 for 32 weeks (finishing July 2025) - 9.30-3.30
Term One: 16th September to 3rd December (excluding w/c 28th October)
Term Two: 6th January to 1st April (excluding w/c 17th Feb)
Term Three: 28th April to 8th July (excluding 5th May and w/c 26th May)
2025/26 Diploma starts Monday 15th September, finishes July 2026
Get in touch for the course brochure.
DESIGN
Introduction to Garden Design
8 week course once a week £750
The course gives a basic foundation in the art of garden design, from site survey to final plan. We will look at the principles and processes involved, and discuss how great design is not about being artistic. We will visit an inspiring private garden, looking at design principles and features in practice, as well as at the key importance of right plant, right place. We will create planting plans using many different resources. It will be a collaborative process, with lots of input and support from the tutor.
2025
Thursday 9th January for 8 weeks (exc. 20th February) - 10-3
Thursday 24th April for 8 weeks (exc. 29th May) - 10-3
Thursday 11th September for 8 weeks (exc. 30th October) - 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Border Design
2 day course £200
This two-day course will equip you with skills and ideas to draw up your own border design. You'll learn how to compose a planting scheme by exploring colour theory, plant combinations and styles, layering, seasonality and scale. We'll also look at practical considerations, such as soil type and aspect, and learn how to choose the right plant, for the right place.
Thursday 10th & 17th October 10-3
2025
Wednesday 18th & 25th June 10-3
Wednesday 15th & 22nd October 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
PLANTS AND PLANTING
The Sustainable Cutting Garden
1 day course £100
This course is taught by leading Norfolk cut flower grower and florist, Sarah Hammond, and will show you how to have sustainable, seasonal blooms in your own garden. She will cover the planning and establishment of your cut flower beds, however small or large your space. Sarah will then lead you through the next six months, looking at what you need do, month by month, as well as what you could be cutting now if you had planted it earlier. The focus is on growing perennials for cutting as well as promoting self-seeding and minimising the use of plastic, pesticides and water in your cutting garden.
Thursday 21st November 10-3
2025
Wednesday 26th February 10-3
Thursday 27th March 10-3
Thursday 10th April 10-3
Wednesday 21st May 10-3
Wednesday 5th November 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
**NEW**
Advanced Practical Gardening
10 one day courses over 10 months, £120 each
This is a practical, gardening through the seasons series for experienced gardeners, both professional and amateur. Each course will be an in-depth, seasonal, hands on session covering what needs doing through the garden year, with the opportunity to prune, lift and divide, renovate, take cuttings, create plant supports and so much more. There will be demonstrations and the opportunity to practice all of the skills the gardener needs, in both the garden and greenhouse. Each month will also include a walk around the gardens looking at what is looking good. This is a great follow on course for those who have already done the Certificate in Practical Horticulture and for those wanting to improve their skills. You can book as many or as few sessions as you like.
Wednesday 18th September 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 30th October 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 13th November 9.30-3.30
2025
Wednesday 22nd January 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 12th February 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 5th March 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 9th April 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 7th May 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 11th June 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 2nd July 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 17th September 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 29th October 9.30-3.30
Wednesday 12th November 9.30-3.30
contact us for more info or to book your place
Planting for Year-Round Colour and Interest
1 day course £100
We will look at how to plan and plant for year-round colour and interest, using shrub stems and a range of leaf colours as well as flowering bulbs, perennials and annuals. The course will also cover techniques to extend summer flowering and create winter interest. There will always be a high and a low season in the garden but with some careful planting you can have colour and interest in your garden all year.
Wednesday 9th October 10-3
2025
Thursday 13th March 10-3
Wednesday 8th October 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Willow & Hazel Plant Supports
1 day course £120 inc. materials
This popular course looks at the very important spring gardening job, creating supports for your precious plants before they need them. We will cover why, when and how to stake and support different plants and we will spend some time showing you how to create your own supports, including ones made from willow and hazel prunings. You will get the chance to make some simple supports yourself and go home inspired to make more.
2025
Wednesday 19th March 10-3
contact us to find out more info or to book your place
Border Renovation
1 day course £100
You may have taken on a new garden or have a mature border which needs some attention. We will look at how to lift and divide perennials, prune and renovate shrubs, refresh the planting plan and increase the season of interest. We will look at how using colour, height and shape, as well as successional planting can provide year round interest. We will also talk about improving the soil structure with a range of organic mulches.
Wednesday 16th October 10-3
2025
Wednesday 2nd April 10-3
Wednesday 15th October 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Plants For Free – Propagation and Seed Saving
1 day course £100
This highly practical course shows you how to propagate many of your favourite plants and shrubs and create new plants for free. We will collect material for cuttings or you can bring your own. We will also look at why and how to save and store seed. There is a strong seasonal aspect to this course as we take the take the right type of cuttings for the time of year, collect ripe seed and sow seeds in their season. Expect to leave the course with newly propagated plants and some envelopes of seeds. Includes growing medium, containers and all plant material.
Wednesday 25th September 10-3
2025
Friday 28th March 10-3
Wednesday 24th September 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Gardening Under Glass
1 day course £100
You may have recently acquired a greenhouse or inherited one and you may be wondering how best to use it. The things you can grow under glass are endless: flowers, tropical plants, vines, vegetables. You can also use your greenhouse to get going early with seeds and to protect tender plants through the winter. You can have things growing and looking good all year round if you’d like to. This course will look at all these options and cover the key tips for what to grow and how to get the most out of your greenhouse, including watching out for potential pests and diseases.
2025
Wednesday 14th May 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Developing An Annual Maintenance Plan
1 day course £100
Whether you look after your garden yourself or have some help it is really useful to create your own maintenance plan to make sure you know what needs doing each month. There are things which need doing at particular times of year, but much of the plan will be specific to your own garden. We will cover the whole gardening year and how to make sure you do all of the key jobs at the right time. This is a useful exercise for any gardener, including professional gardeners who can use this to create a work plan for each garden they look after. This is a particularly good follow up course to the Introduction to Garden Design or the Certificate in Practical Horticulture, but anyone wanting to plan their gardening year will find it useful.
Wednesday 20th November 10-3
2025
Thursday 20th March 10-3
Wednesday 26th November 10-3
contact us to find out more or to book a place
Dahlia Workshop
3 hour workshop £70
This workshop will look at how to propagate, grow and get the best from these beautiful plants. This will include overwintering, planting, cultivating and protecting from pests. We will look at the cultivars which are most suitable for cut flowers.
Tuesday 8th April 10-1
contact us for more info or to book your place
Peony and Dahlia Masterclasses at English Peonies
Please contact englishpeonies@btinternet.com for more information and for dates
VEGETABLES AND FRUIT
Your Veg Patch
1 day course £100
Have you started growing vegetables for the first time recently or have you just taken on an allotment? If you are new to growing edibles this covers all you need to know about establishing and maintaining a vegetable garden. We will cover crop rotation and successional sowing to ensure you eat your own vegetables for most of the year. We will look at what you could be eating now and what you should be sowing now to eat later in the year. We have our own veg patch which where we can show you our set up and what we are growing now.
Wednesday 23rd October 10-3 FULLY BOOKED
2025
Wednesday 26th March 10-3
Wednesday 22nd October 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Fruit Tree Care
1 day course £100
This course will cover everything from selecting fruit trees to planting and staking them, and from training fruit trees (espalier, cordon, fan) to annual pruning and protection from pests and diseases. We have examples of plum, apple and pear trees trained on posts and wires in our garden which we will look at, as well as some of the original orchard on the estate.
Wednesday 6th November 10-3
2025
Thursday 20th November 10-3
contact us to find out more or to book a place
PRUNING
Pruning Shrubs and Roses
1 day course £100
Do you want to know what to prune at this time of year and how to do it?
This is the introduction you need to what and how to prune each season. Different shrubs (including roses) need different techniques and we will teach you how, with a practical seasonal session, pruning a range of shrubs, using various tools and methods.
Wednesday 27th November 10-3
2025
Wednesday 12th March 10-3
Wednesday 19th November 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Summer Pruning
1 day course £100
This is an introduction to what and why to prune in summer as well as to the different pruning methods required for a range of shrubs. There will also be a hands-on, practical session where we will use various tools and methods to carry out seasonal pruning including spring flowering and tender shrubs, fruit trees, hedges, climbers, evergreens and specifically rambling roses and Wisteria.
2025
Thursday 26th June 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Renovation Pruning
1 day course £100
This is an introduction to pruning, combining essential theory with a practical session on renovating shrubs and small trees. This will cover how to restore overgrown shrubs which may not have been pruned for some years, when to prune fruit trees and bushes, when to prune evergreen and deciduous shrubs.
Thursday 14th November 10-3
2025
Thursday 13th November 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Advanced Pruning & Training Techniques
1 day course £100
We will cover formative training of fruit trees (including fan training and cordons as well as espalier), crown lifting, cloud pruning of evergreens and pleaching of trees such as crab apples, limes, beech, hornbeam. This will be a largely practical day. Come with well sharpened secateurs!
2025
Wednesday 30th April 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Christmas Wreath Workshops
Morning workshop £70 (including all materials and refreshments)
We will show you how to make your own gorgeous and unique festive wreath from scratch using locally gathered seasonal foliage and berries as well as sustainably grown moss (no foam at all). We will start with coffee and homemade biscuits to get you in the mood and finish with a festive glass of fizz and a homemade mince pie. Classes are small and if you book early you may be able to arrange a private workshop for you and your friends.
Thursday 28th November 10-1
Friday 29th November 10-1
Thursday 5th December 10-1
Friday 6th December 10-1 FULLY BOOKED
contact us for more info or to book your place
HARD LANDSCAPING
We keep these classes very small to ensure a highly practical, hands-on experience. All materials are included.
Basic Bricklaying
1 day course £140
You may be wanting to create a small retaining wall, a raised bed or some steps. This course will cover all of the basics. We will look at what tools, equipment and materials to use and why, how to quantify materials, different foundation types and mortar mixes and how to set out correctly. Most of the day will be spent doing the practical bit: laying several courses of brick and building a brick corner.
Wednesday 2nd October 10-3
2025
Wednesday 5th February 10-3
Wednesday 16th April 10-3
Wednesday 1st October 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place
Basic Slab Laying
1 day course £140
This course will teach the basics of the patio laying process from measuring up and quantifying through excavation and levelling to slab laying to a fall and final pointing up. Aimed at gardeners who want to add construction techniques to their repertoire.
2025
Wednesday 29th January 10-3
contact us for more info or to book your place