Courses in London and Paris
The aim of The Plant School is to nurture and develop a deep understanding of plants
Welcome to The Plant School
The Plant School continues to specialise in what it does best - combining students who love their plants with knowledgeable enthusiasts who are keen to share their interest in plants. Students on all courses are able to broaden their understanding of how plants prefer to grow and how they interact with their surroundings. Specialists this year on the courses have included Mark Flanagan, Tony Kirkham, Roy Lancaster, Martin Rix, John Grimshaw, Timothy Walker, Simon Charlesworth, Marina Christopher, Caroline Boisset, Christopher Ireland Jones and Susyn Andrews. Many head gardeners with a vast knowledge of the plants they grow have also contributed greatly to the courses at The Plant School.
Courses run once a month in all subjects and this fits in well with students following other activities or who may live further afield. This year students have come from all parts of Great Britain and also flown in from France and The Channel Islands.
The Plant School Students
A large number of students are garden designers wishing to extend their ‘palette’ of plants while others are aiming at becoming professional photographers, writers for gardening magazines or gardeners wanting to know more about the plants they are working with. Some students have already set up their own businesses and come to The Plant School to extend their contacts and knowledge on sourcing interesting and specialist plants. This year the drawing and writing days were extremely popular with students learning about close plant observation and article preparation, editing and the work of the Garden Media Guild. A photographic day is proposed for the coming academic year.
Students do not require any previous qualifications to enrol but they must have a love of plants. Previous knowledge may be at beginner level or be more extensive.
Director of Courses
Rosemary Campbell-Preston, B.Sc.(Hons.)
Rosemary comes from a keen gardening family, Waterers, who were involved in finding and breeding plants, notably Rhododendron. She has a degree in Plant Sciences from Wye College (University of London) and with her husband set up Capital Gardens, a London based group of garden centres, over 30 years ago. She has been actively involved in the plant world since then.
Rosemary has lectured widely, including in the USA. She also organises and leads all the plant tours abroad.
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.