Courses and Careers

Tropical bedding plant definition....?

belindag — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:26:28 GMT

Am doing RHS Level 2 and struggling with definition of "tropical bedding plant". My distance-learning notes don't refer to the term, and nice Mr Google isn't helping!

Does it just mean a tender plant - and would this be one that will be severely damaged at low temperatures, even above freezing?

Or does it mean a tropical-style plant, i.e. one that looks tropical?

Or does it mean one that originates from sub-tropical regions?

Any help would be much appreciated!!!!

books on latin plant names?

Catherine — Sat, 18 May 2013 21:01:11 GMT

Can anyone recommend a book on Latin plant names? I do use the internet to help me learn/memorise names & am putting together my own spreadsheet with names and photos of plants I own or see somewhere, but I am looking for something in old fashioned book form that I can read on trains/take on holiday. The RHS Latin for Gardeners looks (on Amazon) like more of a gift book than a practical book for students. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Possible to get into Horticultural employment with little/no experience in Horticulture????

Stoic_Sage — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:34:47 GMT

Dear all, unemployment is rife given all of this economic instability. Getting any paid job is harder than ever especially if you are inexperienced/unqualified in what you want to do. I was wondering if any of you had any insight into the horticulture paid job market. I realise this is very broad and generalised but I am interested in any information/experience/advice on the topic. -------------- I have a BA degree from a good university in a different background to Horticulture but I have no 'proven' work experience or knowledge in the horticulture field. It seems like there are paid jobs available in horticulture within the country but finding something in ones local area is a lot more challenging. Jobs seem to pop up infrequently relative to office work but it doesn't seem like the horticulture job industry is constrained with mass available workforce, unlike many other fields. This has left me with a hope that I may be able to someday soon get a paid job within horticulture. -------------- Again, the following is going to be variable across all the broad spectrum of horticulture but I was wondering if any of you are employers or if any of you would be willing to contribute your experience of getting a job within horticulture. -------------- Do you think one can get a paid horticulture job without current experience but with a strong desire to learn? -------------- In order to get experience I am of course willing to volunteer for a while but most people can't afford to volunteer for more than 3-6months unpaid. Do you think one could get a job in horticulture without horticulture qualifications in horticulture but with 3-6months volunteering experience and comprehensive horticulture theoretical knowledge? -------------- Is experience and RHS level 2 even enough to obtain a horticulture job? Some job markets need MA's or PHD's to get a job. If there are a load of experienced/qualified horticulturists around competing for any job, its not going to be wise for me to think I can get a job in it any time soon. -------------- Minimum wage is more than adequate for me at this stage. I want to primarily be an organic food grower so any specifics in relation to this market would be most useful, but any general information is helpful. I would rather GROW not purely MOW but I would rather mow than sit at an office desk for the rest of my life. I realise there are probably low paid strictly 'gardening' jobs and I would happily do that for a little while, but ideally I would like to gain experience in 'horticulture'. -------------- There is another useful related thread here: http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/forums/t/33541.aspx -------------- Thanks

RHS Distant learning providers, questions and hopefully a guide for others considering providers

Stoic_Sage — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:08:28 GMT

I am another candidate wishing to study the Certificate in Principles of Horticulture(level 2+3) via long distance learning course. -------------- I have read various threads on this site and have investigated further, but have not fully found answers to my questions therefore I am making another post with my findings and my questions in hope that you may be able to help. -------------- As far as I am concerned. I do not care about tutoring at this stage of my learning. I have a BA in Economics and Finance and I have never valued tutoring/classroom lessons. I realise horticulture is a practical application and therefore there have been opinions in other threads stating that you need practical experience to pass. But my stance is this; I hope the RHS practical level courses alongside work experience will provide me with the practical skills. It may just be my learning style, but in regards to the theoretical, I don't think tutoring is necessary if the course material is detailed and well explained. You SHOULD be able to pass a theoretical exam solely with theoretical course material IMO... -------------- Therefore I come to you asking 2 questions in regards to distant learning providers; 1) What distant learning provider has the most detailed comprehensive course material? (Because I have learned that each distant learning provider write their own course material). 2) Can you pass the RHS exam purely from course material at each/every distant learning provider? -------------- It is hard to compare providers, because no one person pays and completes all of the courses in order to compare them. So one gets many different persons opinions of one specific course. Given peoples opinions vary wildly/irrationally, its difficult to make any informed decision. -------------- COST IS NOT NECESSARILY AN INDICATION OF QUALITY: In general it may be true that you get what you pay for, as cost is usually a value of service provided, but this isn't true always. Often, bad providers have high costs just because other providers do too and therefore they can get away with charging extortionate amounts. Also, just because one provider is cheaper doesn't mean it provides a bad service. This provider might be more efficient and the other providers might be a rip off. -------------- (UN)APPROVED CENTRES: In my search for answers I emailed the rhs qualifications contact, and it seems to me from their reply that unapproved centres are unregulated by the RHS. These unapproved centres may be regulated by some distant learning regulatory body BUT often these bodies are private companies, so they can't necessarily be trusted either. So potentially an unapproved centre has the option to provide whatever crappy course material they wish while still charging whatever they wish, whilst still being advertised on the RHS internet site. If accurate, this is pretty ridiculous! I have sent RHS a follow up email questioning this further. -------------- In regards to the approved centres, it seems RHS have a fairly comprehensive system for checking in on them and making sure they can provide a decent service. There is a massive PDF on details of what an approved centre needs to achieve. But it seems that this doesn't necessarily mean their course material is any better. Although one would probably assume it would be more detailed on average given they are what I would call 'regulated by RHS'. -------------- CHEAPEST COURSE I'VE FOUND AND INVESTIGATION INTO THE COURSE: If quality was assured across providers, it makes sense to go with the cheapest course and this is how I started my investigation and realisation that all courses seem to have varying quality. I looked through all of RHS's advertised distant learning providers and tried to find the cheapest one: The Edinburgh school of gardening is advertised on RHS's distant learning providers and consequently I thought quality would be assured. The testimonials on their site are exemplary, which always makes me question the genuineness of the testimonials. I know from experience that no matter how good your service is, people will have at least something to moan about, so a site providing 4 positive testimonials is fishy already. So I do a bit more research and discover the review centre: http://www.reviewcentre.com/reviews239860.html#Reviews As you can see from their site; very mixed reviews. Some more fishy positive ones and some very negative ones. Just reading through them all, the terrible ones complaints seem to be consistent, which makes me think they are more reliable. The reviews are usually, 'the tutoring was incredibly slow and had poor spelling' but one negative review did say the course material was good. Therefore, as I only care about course material, I haven't decided against them yet. -------------- I decided to investigate further and went about googling their company number and google mapping their address. It seems they are situated in the same place as http://www.learning-curve.org/ which has recently changed its name to Borders connect. So, the ED garden centre is either a scam centre or some kind of affiliate of Borders connect, which also provides RHS level2 courses along with many many other distant learning courses completely unrelated to horticulture. Given both centres are providing courses at the same price, they are likely related somehow. Maybe borders connect is the Distant learning provider that some small gardening expert uses etc, which would explain the poor service. Poor service doesn't mean bad knowledge though, so again, if the course material is detailed AND I can get it ALL on the day of purchase, I do not care. -------------- I haven't yet emailed Borders connect for confirmation of whether they are part of edinburgh garden centre website but that would be my next step before considering them further. First I wanted to ask your opinions on alternatives. I would of course prefer to pay nothing and learn/pass. -------------- GOING IT ALONE: I realise one can go it alone and pay no money by using books/free online material but that its going to add a lot of self search time when I quite frankly want to be learning intensively asap. If there was a short book list (less than 5 books) providing the necessary information, then I would happily purchase the books as it would be cheaper than a course and course material. Can anyone suggest a list of books/free material? Have you or do you know of anyone who passed the exam using this method? I would be interested in their approach. -------------- The other problem with going it alone is that I am basically a beginner in horticulture. Books in general will be either overly detailed and assume I know more than I do OR repetitive/under detailed when I need to find something specific that I need to learn. Therefore reading a massive book list is just unpractical. Course material will always be more introductory, which is probably what I need. But maybe there are books out there filling similar holes. I used 5 books as an arbitrary number, but this figure could be 10 or 20 if the books are smaller and less costly than a course. -------------- I'd appreciate any information and if possible please be specific on courses. Leave opinion on learning to a minimum. Everyone learns differently and I don't want my thread to descend into some trolling about how someone should learn just because another individual learns best that way. -------------- Thanks in advance. Apologies for no paragraphs. It seems the chrome browser doesn't support such things.

RHS level 2 exam centres for external candidates?

belindag — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:21:09 GMT

I'm hoping someone can help with this! I'm trying to find an exam centre which will accept external candidates for the June 2013 theory exams. I'm based in central Scotland. The Edinburgh Botanics used to accept external candidates and I was intending to sit the papers there, but I've just gone to register online with them to find they no longer do it.

I've tried all the colleges listed as course providers in Scotland with no success. I'm looking into colleges in NW Enland but not getting anywhere there, either! Anyone have any tips?

distance learning provider

Nick — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:08:08 GMT

I know this has possibly been discussed hundreds of times, but I am looking to do the RHS Level 3 as a distance learning course. I have looked at many online providers and keep coming back to learning curve, HCC, and B.e.s.t. in Horticulture. I have spoken with a tutor from BEST, and they sounded like they know what they are on about, but for the cost of these courses I would like to get quite comprehensive notes from them and good tutor support. Does anyone have any experience with any of these providers,or suggestions of any others that would be recommended. I have looked at this forum on the subject and asked the question on the RHS exam face book page, it just seems to be a bit of a minefield though. Thanks, Nick

RHS Level 2 Providers for distance learning from another continent.

Maitri — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:17:15 GMT

HI! I am looking to do the RHS Level 2 distance learning course from India. I went through a lot of threads on this forum but I am still not clear on who the best provider is in terms of online course content and tutor support. Anyone who has done this course in the recent past and can help me?

RHS principles of Horticulture. level 2 - botanical names

creeping jenny — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:39:40 GMT

Hi there I am studying level 2 in principles in horticulture, as a distance learning course. When I first started, my tutor informed me that I did not have to know the botanical names for plants, and that the common names would do. I was looking through some past papers on line, and it seemed that the RHS do require the use of botanical names. At the time, I was really surprised at my tutors comments as there is after all, a section on why the Linnaeus system should be used. Can anyone confirm for me, whether or not I need to know the botanical names.

Free Study Material

mikeaschofield — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:32:22 GMT

Hi there,

I have been considering undertaking a level 2 and 3 combined course (distance learning). I found that the cheapest combined course was £475 with HCC but its cheaper without tuition. This got me thinking I could probably do the course with just the study material if I could find it as I know good experienced horticulturists. I would just require the framework of what is required to pass the exam. I hope somebody can help. It goes without saying once finished I would 'pay it forward' and give somebody else the opportunity to get qualified.

Hope somebody can help :)

where to find gardening jobs?

marie k — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:27:50 GMT

hi!

i´ve recently moved to london (from sweden) and i´m looking for gardening jobs,

and hope that you´ll have some advice to give me. which web pages to look at, personal experience etc.

i´ve an education as a gardener and have been working as a seasonal gardener for 4 years in a botanical park, i can imagine to work somewhere similair here, in a botanic park, museum garden, other kind of parks.. or with growing vegetables in some way- something i´ve become more and more interested in during the last years (have been doing that on my spare time. i´m not so keen to work with commercial gardening, like gardening centers.

one consurne, when i´ve been looking around a bit on the net is that there´s not that many jobs advertised. in sweden in this time there´s a lot of seasonal gardening(from around april-november) job ads out, but maybe you don´t have that here so much? or do you have volonteers instead of seasonal workers? are most jobs here for the whole year around?

thanks for any thoughts!

INTERNSHIP or sth similar for NON-EU citizen

cupkaaa — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:46:11 GMT

Hii !

I am Lucija from Croatia, and I'm interested in any kind of travelling combined with some kind of work.. volunteering, internships.. unfortunately, Croatia is still not in EU, so my maximum of staying is 3 months. :/

does anybody has some idea where should I search for an internship?

(I have Bs in Horticulture and Ms in Viticulture and Enology, but would like to work lots of other stuff as well)

Thank you very much in advance,

byeeee

If the forums disappear.....

Faraway — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:46:32 GMT

Just in case the RHS does not give us another forum, please have a look here - http://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/courses-and-studying.625/

Horticultural Business Development Manager

Plants&Trees — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:25:22 GMT

We are currently looking for an experienced Business Development Manager to join our team on a permanent basis. If you are interested in this role or know anybody that is looking for a job in management and horticulture please feel free to get in contact with us. This role will be involved in a fast growing plants and trees online project, so previous experience and knowledge of plants and trees and horticulture nature is essential. The main duties will be: Daily project coordination duties, Business evaluations and assessment of results, Liaising with suppliers, Creating purchase orders and confirming orders, Arranging product deliveries, Dealing with customers enquiries, Researching alternative suppliers, packaging, couriers etc, Working on website improvements with IT developers, Working with SEO on marketing strategies and campaigns. The ideal candidate will have: Previous experience in Management and have some horticultural understanding, Be self-motivated and manages time effectively, Have a confident telephone manner, Able to follow procedures with accuracy and efficiency. Our phone number is 02030511214 or you can contact us via email on info@plantsandtreesonline.co.uk

RHS level 2 Pershore, BEST or RBGE distance learning courses?

Catherine — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:46:07 GMT

Just wondering if anyone has experience of doing the RHS level 2 distance learning courses with Pershore, Best in Horticulture or RBGE? I've looked at all the different providers and have narrowed it down to these 3.

I'd like to know how much support & contact you have with tutors, how much work you send them and, with Pershore and Best, how does the virtual classroom work? I've had experience of a virtual classroom with another college (completely different area of study) and found it really frustrating, website always down, hard to get tech support when there were problems...so because that wasn't such a good experience I am leaning towards RBGE which I don't think has that facility but gives CD Roms, printed copies of notes and email support. But it's quite a bit more expensive than the other two..so I'm wondering whether it's worth the extra.

Does anyone have any positive or negative experience of any of these three colleges to help me decide?

Thanks.

I would love a career in Horticulture...

SparkleRity — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 23:10:27 GMT

I really don;t know where to start, there are so many courses. Should I do a little work experience first? I already have 2 degrees in history, but over the past year have really started to enjoy gardening on my little porch and reading and doing as much as possible. I have a lot to learn and have come on here for advice and mutual interest. Will certainly be coming on here more and I have already read some really good posts! :-)

Garden Design Courses by Distance Learning

Dee — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:25:06 GMT

Hi - I'm looking to make a career change into garden design & as I'm in NW England will probably need to do this by distance learning. I'm mainly interested in getting the right skills to run my own business but do want to make sure I choose a good/recognised course. Prices vary so much - KLC (£1600) looks like the best bet but Oxford College of Garden Design (£7000!) also looks good. I would prefer to study as part of a group, share ideas, etc. and build a network of contacts but guess it might be tricky. Any comments?

Help with Course Choice

Ojo — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 23:53:37 GMT

Hi -(edit: sorry I don't know why the post isnt paragraphing ?) I am currently in a dilemma and am searching for peoples advice as to the best way forward into Horticulture. I am 19 and have been working as a builder/roofing for two years now. I originally came out of A-Levels, with reasonably good grades, yet not wanting university and as such so went straight into employment as a builder. I have always enjoyed the subject or horticulture and I guess the last six months I have very much decided that this is what I wanted to pursue career wise however I am unsure as to which the best option is to take ? I am considering doing a foundation degree at duchy in horticulture, and then hopefully the Bsc, and obviously attempt to find employment afterwards. However I know that practical skills are far more valued then theoretical ones, and so it would take time after my degree to find a job. The other option is to undertake the RHS level 2, then 3 and so on (which seem more practical based) and hopefully find employment as an apprentice or such. I am just wondering which of the two pathways stand me in better stead carrear/employability wise. Ideally I would like to see myself as a garden designer/landscaper (also some general garden maintenance aswell) Also I know they take apprentices at places such as Rosemoor, (a garden close to where I live) – I prefer the idea of apprenticeship, but I know spaces are very limited and they like practical experience, something in which I am lacking at the moment. Thankyou

Landscaping Estimator Position Available

Kings — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:30:08 GMT

Hi We are currently recruiting for a Landscaping Estimator within our company. The position is open to Junior to Senior level and salary would dependant upon the level of experience you have. You would be required to price up hard and soft landscaping tenders. Liaise with clients and carry out site visits when required. An eye for detail, accuracy and focus is required. This is a full time position, based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. We are looking for someone enthusiastic about landscaping and horticulture. If you are interested please send your CV to debra@kingsls.com

Gardener/Driver/Handyman Position Sunningdale, Surrey

Savannah — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:19:35 GMT

We are looking for a person who has proven experience of planning and maintaining lawns, flower beds and vegetable garden. An experienced driver and to also help in the house when busy. Past experience in a similar position would be a distinct advantage. We offer secure employment, a furnished detached two bedroom bungalow & use of a car. No bills. Summer work for partner if required. Sorry no children. Start February 2013 Situated in Surrey. Checkable references and clear CRB a necessity. Please email with CV and references to jobvacsurrey@hotmail.co.uk

RHS level 2 is Self Study an option?

Devira77 — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:14:32 GMT

Hello, I'm intending to start up a small gardening business next year (starting part time when my youngest begins nursery) and in the mean time want to take the RHS level 2 exams. I'd love to do the practical certificate, but there is no-where close that offers it as a part-time option. Whittle College in Essex is an hour away, so perhaps I could consider it when I have some child-free time in future. I have some reasonable general gardening knowledge from my own garden and allotment, though nothing commercial. While waiting for the nursery place to start, I've been debating between the various correspondence course providers. I had almost decided on HCC, especially after phoning and talking with their Director of Studies who was very positive and very knowledgeable and encouraging. However, I then ordered Peter Dawson's study book (and a few second-hand but recent edition other books on the reading list - from Ebay, nice and cheaply) and am now considering purely self-study with no college involvement. It would save me at least £185 which is no insignificant amount (single mum with 2 small kids). I have done many correspondence courses in the past for my previous insurance career, so am not unfamiliar with studying from home. My question really is whether I am being overly ambitious, and whether current/previous students place a huge amount of importance on the correspondence part of their course, and the study materials their college provided. Is the Peter Dawson book enough, supplemented with many of the 'Expert' range of books (from Ebay and the library)? I would love to be able to do the whole thing for £50 plus exam fees! What was the main benefit for you of using the college and tutors? I look forward to hearing. Christine.

Career in Horticulture (not gardening?)

hunter93 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:12:37 GMT

Hey all, I recently left my course majoring in Geography at Dundee University after first year. I've found myself pretty lost when it comes to finding a career that really appeals to me...saying that I'm barely 19 so it comes with the age I suppose. Anyway, horticulture appeals to me somewhat. I've always loved connecting with nature and cultivating (growing edible plants has always been a big thing in our household, and my mother owns a garden landscaping company). The thing is, I'm not sure if I want to be a 'gardener'. The design element doesn't at all grip me, nor does the thought of hard labour for a low wage (no disrespect people!). The idea of going into retail (for example, working in and eventually managing a plant nursery) or viticulture (working on and eventually helping run a vineyard - this appeals particularly, I have a keen interest in hobby brewing and fermenting) or even working in an orchard appeals to me much more. The idea of being self-employed definitely interests me, although I realise that this isn't very easy or stable, and that a large amount of experience is needed in any field before you can pursue self-employment. I currently live in Scotland (which I know isn't ideal) but I'm happy to move where jobs are. The course I'm looking at is Horticulture run by the Scottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh (Royal Botanic Garden campus). I'm just basically asking if anyone has any advice...is what I'm thinking of daft? Please be honest, I need to hear the truth! Thanks, Tobie

Questions about RHS level 2

SparkleRity — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:06:20 GMT

Hi everyone, I am a newbie on here so may ramble a little, but I have a few questions on distance learning RHS level 2. Do you think it is a good course to do at a distance, is it as effective as going to a college? What are your experiences with this? There are so many horticultural courses, it's very overwhelming! But I feel this would be a good one to do to really kick start my knowledge and techniques. I am a novice! Also where would be a good provider to do the distance course with? Again there are many places doing it! If I did it with the distance course at Edinbrough for example does that mean I would have to sit the exam up there too? I am in Wales at the moment. I am only beginning to research really, but would really appreciate some help and advice. Thank you!

Useful extra study information

Faraway — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:49:11 GMT

Although an American site, there is stacks of very useful study info here - http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes.shtml

Distance Learning

vickyv — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:01:38 GMT

Good afternoon to you all, I`m new to this forum but have spent the last 2 days reading posts regarding distance learning providers.

My name is Vicky and I am a full time Housewife/Mother and have been so now for 10 years and now wish to start a new career in Garden Design and Maintenance.

I have a love of gardening and understand the basics of planst, trees and shrubs but to enhance others areas I need to complete a all rounder couse and have chosen Level 2 to start at, covering both modules. Due to cost of courses I have narrowed it down to HCC and Learning Curve. As mentioned earlier I have looked at all the posts regarding this topic and found that many of the posts are now out of date. I would like some advice from anyone who is currently on distance courses with these providers or have studied with them in the last year.

Many Thanks and I look forward to hearing your comments

Vicky

Newbie! RHS level 1

ForknSpade — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:50:42 GMT

Hello all Im a newbie today!

Im looking at RHS qualification and starting ground up (!) with RHS 1 but can't find anything apart from RHS details but nowhere to get certified. Colleges offer level 2 .. Is RHS1 a myth, I'd be grateful for help! many thanks