RHS Practical Horticulture

RHS Certificate Level 2

Study mode Part time

Location Moulton

Level Level 2

Start date 16 September 2025 / 18 September 2025 / 19 September 2025

Duration 1 year

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Our RHS Level 2 Practical Horticulture is a practical-based qualification which will equip you with essential, hands-on skills, perfect for anyone wanting to start a professional horticulture career or develop personal interest.

It is also a valuable qualification for those who are already employed within horticulture to gain recognition for skills and enhance career prospects.

Our Horticulture students have access to an exciting range of specialist resources at College including our fully equipped glasshouse, small scale gardens and an extensive estate.

Please note that if the course is already at full capacity when submitting your application, you may be placed on a waiting list for future openings.

Horticulture contains certain strenuous tasks, which you will need to be fit and able to undertake safely.

Qualification structure consists of eight mandatory topics:

Plant Identification: Provides the skills and knowledge to enable you to identify a wide range of plants.

Plant Establishment: Provides you with the skills involved in the establishment of plants in containers and the open ground.

Plant Propagation: Provides you with the skills and underpinning knowledge to propagate plants professionally.

Plant Health: Provides the skills to be able to identify and prevent a range of threats to plant health.

Plant Care: Equips you with the skills and knowledge to be able to implement garden maintenance plans.

Plant Pruning: Equips you with the horticultural skills and knowledge to be able to prune a range of plants.

Garden Features: Provides you with the skills and underpinning knowledge to be able care for and maintain a wide range of garden features.

Grassed Areas: Provides you with the skills required to establish and maintain grassed areas in private and public garden settings.

The fees for this course are as follows:

The total fees for this course are £1,500

To secure your place on this course a non-refundable deposit must be paid. For further information including price and how to pay please contact our student services team on 01604 491 131.

In addition you will need to wear work trousers, a plain polo shirt, work boots and garden gloves. You will also need a sun hat for the summer months and a warm waterproof coat for winter.

This course will take place on a Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, starting at 09:30am and finishing at 3:00pm.

When applying for your course please choose the date which correlates to the day you would like to attend the course:

Tuesday 16 September 2025
Thursday 18 September 2025
Friday 19 September 2025

A range of methods will be used to assess this qualification. They include formative assessment of skills by your tutor at Moulton College, and a range of summative short answer tests as well as direct observation by RHS Assessors.

All assessments will be conducted in accordance with the RHS requirements (see rhs.org.uk/qualifications for more details).

Please note that there is a college expectation of a minimum of 90% attendance on this course.

You will have gained a range of horticultural knowledge relevant to employment in various roles in commercial plant production and the horticultural sector, such as a garden operative in private, public, or botanic gardens or parks and urban green spaces.

Progression onto the RHS level 3 practical and theory courses, which develop skills required in supervisory and management roles in the Horticulture sectors.

There are no formal entry requirements for this course, however, you must be aged 19 and over. You will have a keen interest in horticulture and be able to undertake a reasonable level of exercise including digging soil trenches and use of hedge trimmers and lawn mowers safely.

This course is a stand-alone qualification, which can be achieved and certified separately. However, it also forms one half of the RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles and Practices of Horticulture.

For more information about the Royal Horticultural Society please visit their website.

Please note that if the course is already at full capacity when submitting your application, you may be placed on a waiting list for future openings.

Horticulture contains certain strenuous tasks, which you will need to be fit and able to undertake safely.