Horticulture

View our range of courses

Set in a 1600-acre Wiltshire estate, our Lackham campus is a registered RHS teaching centre with an unparalleled range of industry-leading facilities for learning horticulture and landscape gardening.

At Lackham the outdoors is your classroom.

Our facilities include a 200-year-old Walled Garden, modern glasshouses including a tropical hothouse, manicured lawns and gardens as well as sports pitches, ornamental walkways, woodlands and wetlands. Supported by our experienced lecturers, assessors and Gardens team, your learning will be hands-on, underpinned by detailed theoretical knowledge. Lackham offers horticultural courses for school leavers, industry professionals and amateur enthusiasts alike, with popular part-time RHS courses and apprenticeships running alongside our full-time study options.

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Full time

Part time

Apprenticeships

Horticulture (Landscape Gardening) (Level 2)

Available at

Lackham

RHS Certificate in Practical Horticulture (Level 2)

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Lackham

NPTC Level 2 Award to Climb Trees and Perform Aerial Rescue

Available at

Lackham

NPTC Level 3 Award in Felling and Processing Trees Over 380mm

Available at

Bowood House

NPTC Award in Cutting of Trees with a Chainsaw Using Free-fall Techniques

Available at

Lackham

NPTC Principles of Safe Handling and Application of Pesticides (PA1) (Non-regulated)

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Lackham

NPTC Award in Safe Application of Pesticides Using Self Propelled, Mounted or Trailed Horizontal Boom Sprayers (QCF) (PA2)

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Lackham

LANTRA Award in Chainsaw Maintenance and Cross-cutting

Available at

Lackham

NPTC Level 2 Award in Chainsaw Maintenance and Crosscutting

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Lackham

City & Guilds Award in The Safe Application of Pesticides Using Pedestrian Hand Held Equipment (QCF) (PA6)

Available at

Lackham

LANTRA Award in Basic Felling Techniques

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Lackham

NPTC Level 2 Award in Felling and Processing Small Trees up to 380mm

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Longleat, Warminster

RHS Level 2 Certificate in The Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation and Development

Available at

Lackham

RHS Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance (Level 2)

Available at

Lackham

C&G Level 2 Award In The Safe Application Of Pelleted Or Granular Pesticides Using Mounted Or Trailed Applicators (PA4)

Available at

Lackham

Horticulture and Landscape Supervisor Apprenticeship (Level 3)

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Flexible

Horticulture and Landscape Operative Apprenticeship (Level 2)

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Flexible

Meet your lecturer

Helen Roberts, Lecturer in Horticulture, Land and Wildlife, Horticulture

Helen has a BSc. (Hons) Applied Plant Sciences from the University of Manchester, a Master of Research (MRes) in Biological Sciences from the University of Manchester and a Master of Arts in Landscape Design at the University of Sheffield.

Helen has taught within FE colleges since January 2017; prior to this she worked as a landscape architect in the northwest of England. She has been self employed as a garden designer/manager working on projects and gardens within Somerset. Helen has additionally been a self-employed gardens writer, producing articles for the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens and is a probationary member of the Garden Media Guild, and continues to pursue writing and attending horticultural seminars with the University of Bath Gardening Club and at Hillier Headquarters, Hampshire.

Helen has a keen interest in garden history and visits many gardens within the UK as well as overseas. She also enjoys open water swimming and skiing in her own time.

Take a tour of facilities and our images

The Walled Garden

These 200-year-old gardens provide a dedicated space for horticulture students to build their practical knowledge.

Glasshouses

Our glasshouses are fitted with automated irrigation systems to assist with propagating and growing a wide variety of plants.

Manorhouse Lawns

The lawns in front of Lackham House provide the perfect environment for learning about ornamental horticulture.

Tropical Hothouse

Our tropical hothouse is the home of our Guinness world-record breaking Citron plant. The warm temperature inside the hothouse allows us to grow a wide variety of exotic plants including chillis, cacti, succulents and more.

Wetlands

The stretch of the River Avon which runs through the Lackham estate provides an environment for studying wetland wildlife and plant species.

Woodlands

The woods at Lackham allow students to learn about and practise arboriculture and forest management, including coppicing, surveys, felling trees and providing environments for game.