At the start of the year I was honoured to be asked by Bristol Botanic Garden to write a case study of my path into horticulture.
As autumn is upon us, now is a great time to consider booking a course. Whether to simply expand your gardening knowledge for home use or to formalise it for a future career in horticulture, I look at what the RHS Level 2 certificate involves and answer questions that I had before I embarked on this journey.
The RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture consists of two separate certificates, the RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation and Development and the RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance.
The course has helped me understand the scientific processes behind why I am doing tasks for example picking up rose leaves plagued with black spot from the soil to break the fungal life cycle or rescuing waterlogged plants from pots; there is only so long a plant can anaerobically respire before it gives up the ghost.
Whether self-employed or employed, the qualification adds weight to your credentials as a gardener. If you have your own business then you can be confident that you are practicing correctly and to the high RHS standards. Horticulture has certainly changed my life.
See Bristol Botanic Garden RHS Courses, scroll page and click 'Debi Holland Case Study PDF.' I hope you find the information useful.
For further information see the Royal Horticultural Society Qualifications web page.
All photos © Debi Holland 2017