Courses in London and Paris
The aim of The Plant School is to nurture and develop a deep understanding of plants
The Tree Course
The unique course
Metasequoia glyptostroboides ‘Gold Rush’
The Tree Course is now firmly established as the second core educational course for The Plant School. Mark Flanagan, Keeper of the Savill and Valley Gardens, Tony Kirkham, Head of The Arboretum, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Susyn Andrews, who has 30 years experience working at the Herbarium, Kew lecture on the course.
This unique course introduces the student to a deeper understanding of trees. It runs one day a month and is aimed at enthusiasts who although they have other interests are committed to learn more about trees.
The Tree Course from The Plant School is based in Central London with lectures and exclusive visits at the Savill and Valley Gardens and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The Syllabus
The course covers the following subjects over a total of 10 days.
- Tree definition, biology, forest communities, taxonomy and classification
- Native and non-native trees, species distribution and veteran trees
- Tree introductions, arboreta, champion trees and national collections
- Garden and landscape use of trees
- Propagation methods, growing on, training and formative pruning
- Tree planting, establishment and aftercare, labeling and databases
- Care and maintenance of mature trees, tree inspection and risk assessment
- Pests and diseases, trees in the future
There is a project set to run during the course. This is on a specific topic related to trees and should take up one further day per month. It is assessed and marked.
Course Dates
Lecture session, The Tree Course
The course runs on the following Wednesdays:-
- 21st September 2011
- 19th October 2011
- 23rd November 2011
- 14th December 2011
- 18th January 2012
- 22nd February 2012
- 21st March 2012
- 25th April 2012
- 16th May 2012
- 20th June
Certificate
This is one of two certificate courses run by the The Plant School. Students who complete the course work to a satisfactory standard will be considered for the certificate at the end of the course.
Course Fees
The fees for the course are £1595.00 and are payable in full before the beginning of the autumn term. A place is confirmed on the course by sending a non-refundable deposit for £100.00 together with the completed Plant School course application form.
Brochure
The latest Plant School brochure is available to download in PDF format. Adobe Reader is required.
Download the 2011-2012 Plant School Brochure.
Application Form
Application forms can be completed online or by post. Adobe Reader is required for the download version.