Alice’s story: Studying at Winterbourne

Every September, we welcome a new cohort of students to the Winterbourne Centre for Horticulture as they embark on one of our Royal Horticultural Society- accredited (RHS) horticulture courses. Each learner comes from a different background and has their own unique reason for taking the course.

Some are looking to develop their skills as a hobbyist, keen to apply what they learn in their gardens at home, whilst others are looking to retrain and build a new career in horticulture. We’ve seen many pivot from a range of backgrounds, from teaching to marketing to finance.

As applications are now open for our 2024-25 RHS courses, we took the opportunity to sit down with one of our recent graduates, Alice, to find out how studying with us has supported her in retraining as a horticulturist.

She completed the RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth and Development, and the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture earlier this year. Here’s her story.

What did you know about horticulture prior to starting your studies?

Before doing these courses, I had only really worked in my own garden, which I’ve had for the last 15 years. A few months before starting my studies, I began volunteering with the Lickey Hills Park Rangers, working on habitat conservation, which does involve some elements of horticulture.

All the science content of my RHS theory course was totally new to me, as I hadn’t even done GCSE biology, but some of the practical elements I had just picked up from gardening books and programmes. When I started my studies, I started working for a local gardener in a range of clients’ gardens to build my experience as I learnt.

Why did you apply for an RHS course?

I left my previous job to retrain in horticulture. I applied for these courses to learn about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of horticulture, plus I hope that having a recognised qualification will help me when I come to look for jobs in the sector. 

Do you feel like you achieved your goal?

Definitely. Having a deeper understanding of why certain things happen, especially the implications of climate change on horticulture – whether that be in a domestic garden or a commercial setting, a historic garden or a botanic one – has equipped me to have better conversations and make more informed decisions. This knowledge is already helping my volunteering and should feed into my future career.

There’s also another benefit I hadn’t thought of as a goal at the start of the course, but very much do now: meeting new people. We bonded as a group through doing every element of the course’s practical tasks and assessments together, so much so that we’re all staying in touch and meeting up regularly to visit different gardens. Just by studying today, we’ve begun growing our support network of fellow horticulturalists.

Do you have a favourite memory that you would like to share?

There are loads – pretty much every practical task was a good memory! One of the best was digging a soil profile pit in the pouring rain in October with the rest of my group. We were wet and cold and muddy, and as the pit got deeper, we had to help pull each other out of the pit after each of our turns. But we were all enjoying ourselves hugely whilst learning loads; for me it summed up how good it was learning new things with fantastic people.

Would you recommend studying at Winterbourne?

Yes, definitely. 

Why not create some new memories and cultivate your skills like Alice? Applications for our RHS-accredited horticulture courses are now open. You can find out more about what we offer and how to apply on our website.