Horticulture Level 5 NC
What is special about this course?
The NC Horticulture course provides novice gardeners with the essential skills and knowledge required to hit the ground running in the horticulture industry, or to simply improve your own garden at home.
You'll work alongside lecturers and peers who share a passion for horticulture on a number of practical and rewarding projects. You will build hands-on experience working in world renowned public gardens, such as Hermitage Park in Helensburgh, and build your industry knowledge through guest lectures and a variety of different site visits.
The course is led by a team of experienced lecturers who work in, and have links to, local industry. With backgrounds from award-winning garden design to national garden centre management, they bring a breadth of knowledge, support and creativity to the teaching team.
As part of the course, you'll undertake a mixture of theory classes, which you'll attend at your local college centre (Dunoon or Helensburgh) and practical work, which will take place at Hermitage Parkin Helensburgh or in Struan Lodge Community Garden, Dunoon. You will need to make your own arrangements for travel and accommodation (if required) when attending practical days.
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for this course however we recommend that you have a passion for working in the great outdoors. Applicants must be 16 or over at the start date of the course.
Much of your time will be spent outdoors learning practical skills such as:
- The maintenance and care of private and public gardens
- Plant propagation, producing new plants from seeds and cuttings
- Market gardening and growing your own
In the classroom you will:
- Develop your skills in designing and creating aesthetically pleasing gardens
- Learn the scientific principles behind plant growth and how plants interact with soils
- Hear from guest lecturers from a range of Horticultural backgrounds
You'll have the opportunity for personal development too and we'll support you to:
- Collaborate with peers on practical projects and build strong working relationships
- Build confidence in your horticultural skills and knowledge
- Improve your investigative and research skills
The course includes the following topics:
- Plant Identification – including plant morphology, Latin naming and learning identifying characteristics of plants
- Garden Design – design a garden area of your choice, many students choose to design their own gardens
- Planting Design – learn how to combine plants and create beautiful borders
- Plantsmanship – learn how to design interesting plant collections
- Home and Allotment Gardening – how to plan crop rotations and produce beautiful fruit and veg and prune your fruit bushes and trees
- Organic Gardening and Permaculture – learn the basic principles of organics and permaculture and how to have an environmentally friendly garden
- Soils and Growing Media – learn how soils are formed, how to identify what soil type you have and how to improve it for the plants you would like to grow
- Botany and Plant Nutrition – An introduction to the science of how plants grow including water transport, photosynthesis and plant nutrients
- Weeds, Pests and Diseases – Identification and control methods for common garden problems
- Horticultural Machinery – Maintenance and use of lawn mowers, strimmers, hedge trimmers and more
- Plant Propagation – produce plants from seed, cuttings, division, layering and more!
- Planting and Maintenance – Practical maintenance of plants and gardens including pruning, soil preparation, planting out and plant protection
- Working with Others – We encourage our students to enjoy their time working together and supporting each other both in practical classes and when online
Equipment
Your bursary (for full time students) will cover the costs of personal protective clothing including steel toe cap boots, gloves and waterproofs which will be supplied at the start of the course.
No other specialist equipment is required however if you have a favourite pair of secateurs you like to use please bring them with you. A scale ruler and colouring pencils or pens for garden design would also be useful.
How will I study my course?
- Full Time
The practical elements of this course are delivered face-to-face by lecturers Martin Catlin and Andrew Garven at a local location.
Your lectures will be delivered in our Westbay Centre, Dunoon or Kirkmichael Centre in Helensburgh.
You will be expected to attend class for 3 full days per week, with some project work and research outside of class.
How long will my course last?
1 Academic YearWhere can I study my course?
- UHI Argyll
- Dunoon Learning Centre
- Helensburgh Learning Centre
Fees
Most full-time students will automatically have their course fees paid for this course.
If you have recently moved to, or do not normally live in Scotland, you may need to pay £5,970 in course fees, these can be paid in instalments. Families of Armed Services personnel are subject to different fees regulations and may also have to pay course fees. If you think this may apply to you, please contact us and we can advise you.
This course is not available to students who require a Tier 4 Home Office visa to study in Scotland (international or EU).
Part-time FE students who are on low incomes or in receipt of certain benefits may also have their course fees paid for them. Please refer to page 2 of our Fees and Funding Guide to see if you are eligible.
Each single SQA unit costs £90. You may be able to apply for an Individual Training Account (ITA) to cover up to £200 of part time fees.
Funding
Bursary for Living Costs
If you are 18 years of age or over on the start date of your course, and will be studying full-time you may be eligible for bursary funding, depending on your household income. Our bursary fund is finite and is allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis so it’s important to make your application for bursary as soon as the application process opens in July. You will need to have accepted our offer before you apply.
If you are under 18 you may be eligible for EMA. EMA is paid at a rate of £30 per week dependent on your total household income.
Please see page 2 of our Fees and Funding Guide for full details of Bursary and EMA.
You may also be eligible for assistance with travel and childcare, and we have discretionary funds for those students in need. You can find all the information you need in our funding pages.
What can I do on completion of my course?
Most of our students go on to further study with courses such as the HNC Horticulture.
Some of our students have gone on to work on locally as gardeners, designers and landscapers, or have taken positions in garden centres, with conservation and environmental initiatives, or in horticultural therapy.
Is there more information available online?
You can use the above QR code to connect directly to the course details.
Apply for Horticulture Level 5 NC
We are delighted that you are thinking about studying at UHI Argyll. UHI Argyll operates a fair and open admissions system committed to equality of opportunity and non-discrimination. We consider all applications on merit and on the basis of ability to achieve, without discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion and/or belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background. We welcome applications from all prospective students and aim to provide appropriate and efficient services to students with disabilities.