Study plant taxonomy. This essential course will help you to recognise a greater number of plants and know when and how to use them. It will also increase your knowledge of plant families. The course will help you to understand the advantages of accurate plant identification; but also appreciate the limitations, and occasional contradictions in plant naming.
Taxonomy is the scientific system of naming and classifying living things. Plant taxonomy helps us identify and name plants correctly, but it can also be applied in many useful ways. It helps with appropriate plant selection for landscaping, it helps us to identify weeds, and it helps us to spot rare plants in the wild. It can also be used to identify new hybrids and varieties of plants and note subtle changes in plant morphology in response to changing environmental conditions.
Identifying plants from the same family or genus also helps to reveal clues about typical growth characteristics, likely flower and seed types, preferred growing conditions, and possible chemical constituents. Plant identification is therefore useful in all avenues of horticulture as well as related fields like environmental sciences, ecology, agriculture, and floristry.

Study wine making by distance learning. A detailed and thorough course looking at wine making for amateurs and professionals. Requires around 100 hours of study. Includes tutor support.

Predicting the weather can be useful for anyone involved in permaculture, agriculture, horticulture, sailing and more. This 100 hour intensive course is studied by distance learning and looks at how we predict the weather.

Learn About Garden Tourism!

Learn how to plan, develop, manage and market:

Garden tourism destinations
Gardening events
Garden tours
Gardening activities in the context of garden tourism

Garden tourism is a form of niche tourism which makes up a significant and large part of the global tourism industry.

Learn about the significance of garden tourism and how to successfully plan, develop and manage garden tourism destinations, gardening events and garden tours.

Ever wondered where your milk comes from? Well, the good news is there is probably an agribusiness nearby that will show you exactly how it’s done, and maybe give you a taste along the way! Agritourism is the combination of tourism and agribusiness, where people can experience, learn, taste, and see how products are grown and manufactured. Tourism itself is tricky business, but so is agriculture. By combining the two into experiential opportunities, farmers and rural communities can benefit from diversified income while visitors can enjoy all the sights and sounds that visiting rural and farming communities offers. This 100-hour course explores all the aspects of agritourism you might need to consider to start your own venture, or just appreciate the technical side of business like marketing, promotion, planning, customer care and facilities considerations.

Learn to Grow Oil Crops:

For Arable Farming
On Small holdings
or anywhere else

This course is substantial - unlike some where you might learn, pass an exam, then forget.

This course is a carefully designed learning journey, fashioned to take you through a series of encounters with oil producing plants, gradually building, then reinforcing and deepening your understanding and awareness of the subject so that you will eventually appreciate and remember how to grow and manage oil crops for many years beyond completing these studies.

Learn to grow, harvest and process wood on a farm, woodland or for a native forest. Learn the key principles and practical management of trees in agroforestry and urban forestry.

Improve commercial output from tree production with this course focusing on suitable timber types, growing conditions for specific species, safe and efficient workplace practices and more. Discover the most suitable species for your environment, report on your local area, and discuss possibilities with experts in the field.
100 hour course. Distance Learning. Start at any time. Tutor Support

Ecotherapy Practices Course. Requires around 100 hours of study. Tutor support throughout. Start at any time to suit you. The course has ten lessons covering -
Nature and Scope of Ecotherapy
Theory of Ecotherapy
Ecotherapy Clients
Intake Assessment & Ecotherapy Resources
Plant-Based Ecotherapy
Animal-Based Ecotherapy
Indoor Ecotherapy
Creativity based Ecotherapy
Holistic Wellness incorporating Ecotherapy

Ecotherapy Short Course. Self study by distance learning. 20 hours of study. Ecotherapy, also known as nature therapy, is a very real treatment which is gaining increasing use in mainstream health care.
Modern research has shown that health can be enhanced, and healing hastened through engagement with nature. Examples of ecotherapy can include structured activities such as horticultural therapy, pet therapy, forest bathing, swimming with dolphins or outdoor painting or yoga classes.

Academic research from around the world has revealed some remarkable facts about how simply being in a natural setting can have a huge impact on health. We know for a fact that hospital stays can be shortened, and recovery from illness hastened by providing views from a bed into a park or garden.

This course helps you to understand how interacting with nature can benefit human health and wellbeing; and gives you a wide range of different types of ecotherapeutic activities you can draw upon in order to respond to a person’s therapeutic needs. You will develop a fundamental understanding of ecotherapy and forge a foundation to continue developing your knowledge and understanding of the subject post study.
Lessons on - Nature & Scope of Ecotherapy Applications, Theoretical Perspectives, Clients in Ecotherapy, Outdoor Ecotherapy with Plants, Outdoor Ecotherapy with Animals, Indoor Ecotherapy Activities, Creative Arts Ecotherapy Activities, Complimentary Therapies and Activities.

Interested to learn about fruit tree grafting?
Have fruit trees that need pruning?

Come to a Grafting & Pruning Workshop by Chris Evans. You will learn about grafting and winter pruning, and take home 2 trees you’ve grafted yourself.

If you have a favorite apple tree in your garden you want to propagate, you can bring along a branch (scion) for grafting – contact Emma for details. Chris is also looking for scion of named varieties for grafting in his fruit nursery so if you need a tree pruning he is happy to exchange this work for some of the branches !