Gardening Certificate

Garden shovels and a metal watering canlaying on the ground next to a garden bed.

Announcing Our New Gardening Certificate

Whether you’re ready to start your gardening journey or you’re hoping to take your gardening skills to the next level, our new Gardening Certificate is the perfect program for you.

Our new Gardening Certificate, designed for everyone from backyard to container and balcony gardeners, is an engaging program filled with hands-on opportunities in one of the great gardens of the world.

Through coursework designed and taught by Longwood professionals and other industry experts, learn everything you need to know, from the basics of planning your garden, to soil science, to planting, pruning, mulching, and more.

Over the course of the program, students participate in classroom learning and enjoy ample opportunity to get hands-on with everything from propagation to division. Delve into best practices, key landscape plants, and more, all to help you take your next gardening step with confidence.

Certificate Requirements

In order to complete the Gardening Certificate, students must complete a total of 154 hours of coursework (124 hours of core courses, 30 hours of elective learning). Please see below for additional information.

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A 10% discount on classes will be applied automatically at the time of checkout. 

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Core Courses

(124 Hours)
Course Name and DescriptionHoursCostPrerequisite(s)

Gardening Foundations

With a focus on practical knowledge, enjoy an introduction to the joys of growing your own plants. Learn essential gardening skills, including garden planning, safety practices, fundamental tools, and key gardening techniques. 

10$189 

Common Pests and Diseases

Learn to identify common garden pests and diseases, and discover tools and methods for their control, improving the health of your plants and increasing your odds of positive garden outcomes.

12$219Gardening Foundations

Garden Design

In order to be truly successful, gardens should be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Learn the fundamental principles and best practices of garden design and discover how to take your garden planning to the next level.

12$219Gardening Foundations

Garden Maintenance

Planting a garden is only the first step; maintaining your garden is just as, if not more, important than placing your plants in the ground. From watering to mulching to debris management and more, learn the essentials skills and annual schedules for keeping your garden in peak form.

10$189Gardening Foundations

Introduction to Landscape Plants

The selection of potential plants for your garden is enormous and constantly growing. As a new gardener, it is easy to get overwhelmed. In this course we introduce some key landscape plants and give you the tools you need to read plant labels and choose the right plant for the right place in your garden.

18$299Gardening Foundations

Plant Propagation

From saving and starting seeds to taking cuttings to dividing perennials, there is a wide variety of different ways to propagate plants. During this course, we take the mystery out of plant propagation and learn top tricks for starting your own plants at home. Learn how different plants reproduce and then engage in hands-on practice with a variety of different methods.

10$189Gardening Foundations

Plant Science for Gardeners

In order to successfully grow plants, it is critical to understand the basics of how they work. This course introduces the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, and physiology that are essential to every gardener’s success.

14$239Gardening Foundations

Pruning Fundamentals

Pruning is both an art and a science, and something that beginning gardeners often find daunting. During this course, we take the mystery out of pruning, discussing how and when to prune a variety of common landscape plants before going hands-on for practical pruning experience.

6$99Gardening Foundations

Soils and Media

Well-balanced soil or growing medium is the foundation from which healthy plants are grown. This course explores the components of soil, what makes a soil appropriate for a given plant, and how to amend your soil or growing medium to improve your gardening success.

10$189Gardening Foundations

Sustainable Garden Practices

Whenever we garden, we are working with the earth. However, there are tools, principles, and practices that can help us minimize our environmental impact while gardening and, perhaps, even leave our gardens better off than before we started working with them. Explore some of these sustainable practices and discuss how to garden with sustainability in mind.

10$189Gardening Foundations

Vegetables and Herbs

Vegetables and herbs are a gateway for many new gardeners but growing them with success can also be a challenge. Learn top tips for getting from seedling to harvest, including when to start seeds, best varieties, and how to care for your edible garden throughout the season.

12$219Gardening Foundations

Electives (30 hours required)

A selection of elective courses will be offered every year and are subject to change from year to year. Examples of Gardening Certificate elective courses include Deciduous Trees, Spring Perennials, and Hardy Bulbs. 

Current Core Courses

An outdoor garden bed with a large bucket and gardening tools laying on the grass beside the bed.
Gardening Foundations

Learn essential gardening skills, including garden planning, safety practices, understanding fundamental tools, and mastering key gardening techniques. Sold out. Join the waitlist.

First Required Core Course for Gardening Certificate

Wednesdays, April 2-30, 2025
Two people squatting down examining a plant.
Plant Science for Gardeners

Get an introduction to the fundamentals of plant science—from leaf and leaf arrangement to flower and flower structure, basic plant anatomy, and basic taxonomy. 

Core Course for Gardening Certificate

May 5-June 9, 2025
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Current Elective Courses

a bed of spring flowers in oranges, purples and greens
Spring Perennials

Learn the identification, culture, ornamental characteristics, and landscape use of a group of perennial plants—herbaceous plants that live three or more years—that serve as highlights in the garden from late winter through early summer.

Elective Class for Gardening Certificate

April 22-May 10, 2025
several tree trunks in a bed of ground cover
Deciduous Trees

Through a series of lectures and plant walks, this course covers the identification and many landscape uses—and benefits—of deciduous trees found in this region. 

Elective Class for Gardening Certificate

May 7–May 31, 2025
An outdoor luch garden in summertime, with vibrant blooms and a wooden bench.
Annuals

Nothing beats annuals if you’re looking for a big splash of summer color to add to your garden. 

Elective Class for Gardening Certificate

May 29-June 19, 2025
A vine featuring green foliage and a cluster of red flowers.
Vines and Groundcovers

Get a detailed look into plants with exceptional ornamental attributes and resiliency in the garden; native groundcovers and vine varieties.

Elective Class for Gardening Certificate

July 1-22, 2025
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Completing Your Gardening Certificate

To monitor your progress through the Certificate curriculum, please use the Gardening Certificate Student Tracking Sheet or call 610.388.5454 for assistance. If you have completed all required coursework and believe you are eligible to graduate, please send your completed tracking sheet to the Continuing Education team at continuingeducation@longwoodgardens.org.

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