Grow your skills
Improve your gardening skills with a course in person or online, writes Hannah Stephenson
Fancy learning a new gardening skill this year? Whether you are a budding beginner or want to perfect your growing techniques, there are plenty of courses to help you achieve your goals.
It doesn’t matter if you can’t attend in person because many courses are held online, leaving you to practice in your garden what you’ve learned in the comfort of your own home.
Getting to grips with your allotment (in person, RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon)
This course is ideal for those who want to make their allotment or garden plot more productive. An expert will guide you through the growing season during six half-day sessions, which cover preparing your plot, planning your planting, protecting plants and keeping your fruit and veg healthy, along with harvesting and guidance for winter. Feb 3-Mar 2 (six sessions), 10:30am-1pm, RHS member, £150, non-member, £245.10
A year full of flowers (in person, Perch Hill Farm, East Sussex)
Join author, TV gardener and plantswoman Sarah Raven at her home in Perch Hill Farm, East Sussex, for this new one-day course based on her latest book, tracing the year from January to December at her home, and offering general gardeners a complete account of a garden crafted over decades. Sharing the lessons learned from years of plant trials, she explains the methods that have worked for her, and shows you how to achieve a space that’s full of life and colour.
Wednesday, April 10 or Wednesday, Sep 18, £250
Growing herbs (in person, RHS Garden Bridgewater, Worsley,
Salford, Greater Manchester)
If you want to grow your own herbs to use in your cooking or to make teas and home remedies, this workshop may be for you. You’ll learn how to cultivate a range of herbs in the garden or in containers and about the different growing conditions needed for the healthiest herbs.
Saturday, Mar 23: 10am-12:30pm or 1:30pm-4pm, RHS member, £45, nonmember, £58.85
Design your own garden (online, Inchbald School of Design)
This course is aimed at anyone who wants to learn the skills needed to design their own garden or outdoor living space. During the 13-week part-time online course (four hours per week), you will learn how to transform a visual brief into a usable garden design and create a workable scale drawing. Pupils will learn how to consider the garden’s attributes, working with hard and soft landscaping, creating a master plan with a mood board and plant list. Apr 29-Jul 29 or Sep 9-Dec 9 (13-week online course, teaching ratio 8:1), £1,260
Design the interior with houseplants (in person, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, North Yorkshire)
With interest in houseplants continuing to rise, beginners who want to make the most of their indoor greenery should learn much from this new workshop, which focuses on how houseplants are instrumental in interior design.
Friday, Mar 15: One day workshop, 10am-4pm, RHS member, £61, nonmember, £76.85
Container gardening (online, Learning with experts)
RHS Gold Medal winner and expert plantsman Chris Beardshaw reveals the secrets of container gardening, planters and gardening from pots in this online course. Over four lessons, he discusses the range of containers which can be used stylistically, plants which best suit containers, composts, fertilisers and pests and disease control.
Any time: Course takes around 14 hours 20 minutes to complete, £125 (for expert option)
Gardening for wildlife (online, Learning with experts)
Anyone who wants to turn their garden into a haven for wildlife should welcome this online course with help from expert plantsman and Chelsea Gold medal-winner Andy Mcindoe, who will go through the plants that attract bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife into the garden. It doesn’t matter whether you live in the town or the country, there will be something for you to inspire you to create a garden you enjoy which can also be a magnet for birds and wildlife. The course suggests what to plant, from trees, annuals and perennials to shrubs and grasses, suitable habitats and places for your garden critters to breed.
Any time: Course takes around 14 hours to complete, £125 (for expert option)