Make 2024 the year you develop your existing skills or try something new, with something to suit every level of experience in our guide to garden courses
We’re at the beginning of a new year, and thoughts around this time turn frequently to improvements – for the garden and for ourselves. This is where a well-timed gardening course can pay dividends, conveniently giving both a boost.
Most short courses and workshops tend to run all year round. But for those longer courses and diplomas that you might consider if you are thinking about a change in career, it pays to plan ahead – especially since many are taking applications now for a term that starts in September 2024.
We’ve rounded up 30 great courses to consider signing up to this year, starting with those that will help you master the basics. Then there are those that will take your day-to-day gardening to the next level. And finally, those that could transform your career.
MASTER THE BASICS
1 Just starting out? Try Gardening for Beginners, a four-day course led by Ben Pope at The English Gardening School, which teaches the course from London’s Chelsea Physic Garden and in two private gardens on 17, 18, 24 and 25 April. englishgardeningschool.co.uk
2 In Scotland you could try the Introduction to Horticulture course at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, held on Thursday evenings for ten weeks between April and June. This overview for beginners is a nice stepping stone to a more advanced RHS qualification. rbgeshop.org
3 Sign up to West Dean’s Finding Your Garden Style with Annie Guilfoyle who, on 27 April, will take you through designing your garden and show you how to turn your ideas into a plan on paper. westdean.ac.uk
4 From 23 April, London’s City Lit college runs a short course on Garden Design for Small Spaces. It’s held online on six evenings over six weeks, and is tailored to small gardens and the common issues that need addressing in them. citylit.ac.uk
5 Try the one-day Planning and Planting Borders at the Cotswold Gardening School on 13 April, 20 July or 5 October. You can attend in person or online and discover how the professionals design their planting. cotswoldgardeningschool.co.uk
6 On 29 February, Chelsea medal winner Lottie Delamain will share the secrets of successful planting design with you on her course, Planting Design for Beginners. It takes place at Meadow Stockbridge, the café and gallery in Hampshire. meadowstockbridge.com
7 Take your understanding of planting design further at the Yorkshire
