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RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and MaintenanceApply Now »
Location: Broomfield Hall
Years: 1
Weeks: 36
Hours: 3.00
Start: 10/09/2019
Days / Times: Tuesday 13:15 to 16:30
Concessions: 600.00***
Interview: Y
Course Summary
This qualification provides a route to employment in professional horticulture by assessing knowledge of the principles underpinning horticultural practices, and it supports career development for those already working in the profession. It also provides a foundation for further learning or training in the field of horticulture.
Entry requirements
You need to have a keen interest in horticulture and garden design.
You should also have a Level 1 qualification in English and Maths.
Course Content
- Understanding garden features, plant selection and planning
- Understanding the choice, establishment and maintenance of garden plants and lawns
- Understanding the production of outdoor vegetables and fruit
- Understanding protected environments and their use in plant cultivation
How will I be assessed?
The course will be assessed throughout the duration to meet RHS criteria.
Are there any additional costs or specialist equipment required?
You will need to provide:
- Steel toe-capped boots
- A drawing board, set squares, scale ruler and ink pens for drafting
What can I do after this course?
You could go on to the following qualifications:
- RHS Garden Planning Level 3
- RHS Practical Certificate Level 2 or Level 3
Did you find the course information on this page useful?
*** Co-Tuition - This figure is the fee to be paid if you are entitled to any partial concessions.
Stuart Thom
Stuart shelves the bookshop for a high level gardening career
Former mature horticulture student Stuart Thom has reinvented his entire career through hard work and the support of Derby College. Just over ten years ago, Stuart was unhappy in his work at bookshops in Ashbourne and Derby. He decided he needed a change – to find a career where he could see the seasons change and work outside.
Stuart attended an open evening at Broomfield Hall, where tutors pointed him towards Level 2 National Certificate in Horticulture. He liked the course and enrolled. Nervous about "going back to school", Stuart said the environment was welcoming and encouraging. The course provided "tasters" of the sector and helped him decide which areas he wanted to pursue.
At an early stage he found the "plant side" of horticulture really appealed, as opposed to other areas such as hard landscaping. His tutors encouraged him to go on to take the two year Level 3 Diploma. And seeing his potential, they supported his application to study for the Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious Wisley Diploma in Practical Horticulture at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey.
He was one of just ten people accepted on the course in his year. Now aged 41, Stuart has worked for the Crown Estate as a fulltime gardener at the Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park. He and his gardener wife Nadine are now working in Scotland, where Stuart is RHS co-ordinator at the National Trust for Scotland-run Threave Garden in Dumfries and Galloway.
Derby College was invaluable, and I wouldn't be where I am now without it. Being a mature student, I was quite nervous because you are going back to school, effectively 10 years or something after leaving for the first time. But everybody was so welcoming, and so encouraging. If you put in the effort you get it returned.
I can't thank the tutors enough: I'm so happy with my career now. It was a bit of gamble to change career but I worked hard and college really supported me and it paid off.
