Modern Horticulture
A new way to study horticulture
Understand plants. Understand gardens differently.
For many years, LCGD Australia has been known for design-led education delivered by practising professionals.
Now, we are bringing that same approach to horticulture.
Modern Horticulture is a 15-week live online program created for anyone who wants to understand plants more deeply and the role they play in the gardens around us.
From plant science, soils and propagation to biodiversity, sustainability and urban horticulture, the course brings together the knowledge that underpins contemporary horticulture in one comprehensive program.
No previous horticultural experience is required. Just curiosity about plants and a desire to understand them better.
Why Modern Horticulture?
There is knowing plants. And then there is understanding them.
For something so fundamental to our gardens, cities and landscapes, horticulture can be surprisingly difficult to study in a way that feels relevant to the world we live in today.
Traditional horticultural training can be highly technical. At the other end of the spectrum, short courses and workshops often explore just one small part of an enormous subject.
Modern Horticulture was created to sit between the two.
Over 15 weeks, students build a strong horticultural foundation while exploring the bigger environmental and ecological questions influencing the way we grow, select, manage and think about plants today.
Plant science meets real gardens. Soil science meets sustainability. Plant health meets biodiversity. Horticultural knowledge is connected to the places where it is actually applied.
It is horticulture for the way we live, work and grow now.
Who is this course
for?
You don't need to work with plants to want to know more about them.
Modern Horticulture is open to everyone.
You might already work with plants or horticulture and want to deepen your knowledge. You might be a gardener, landscaper, nursery professional, architect or someone whose work increasingly intersects with plants and gardens.
You may be considering a future working with plants.
Or you may simply be the person who notices trees, loves gardens, buys books about plants, wants to understand their own garden better and has always wished they knew more.
There are no prerequisites and no previous horticultural study is required.
What students share is curiosity.
Early Bird Discount!
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Early Bird Discount! —
Learn from people who work with plants
Practising horticulturalists. Industry specialists. Leaders in their fields.
One of the things that makes Modern Horticulture different is who you will learn from.
Rather than being taught from a single perspective, the program brings together leading practising horticulturalists, plant specialists and industry professionals.
Each teaches within their own area of expertise, bringing current knowledge, professional experience and real-world examples into the classroom.
Students aren't simply learning what the textbook says.
They're learning from people actively working with plants, soils, gardens and landscapes today.
The program draws together LCGD's course directors, international guest specialists and leading Australian practitioners. Those below are a selection of who you’ll be learning from.
HORTICULTRAL LEADER | GARDEN DESIGNER | PASSIONATE PLANTSWOMAN
Award-winning horticulturist with experience spanning garden design, landscape construction and the management of significant private gardens. Swinburne’s Horticulture Apprentice of the Year and recipient of a Gold Medal and Best Balcony Garden at the Australian Garden Show Sydney. Currently Horticultural Coordinator for a diverse private garden portfolio, leading landscape strategy, sustainability initiatives and workforce development.
Kim Reid
FORMER DIRECTOR OF GARDENS, ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW
Over 40 years in horticulture — from Director of Melbourne Gardens at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria to Director of Horticulture, then Director of Gardens, at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Awarded an MBE in 2023 for services to horticulture.
Richard Barley MBE
DIRECTOR, LCGD AUSTRALIA & LCGD UK, DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Chartered Horticulturist and Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers. Founder of Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer, with award-winning gardens across the UK, Australia, the USA and New Zealand. Bestselling author or The Modern Professional Planting Designer.
Andrew Fisher Tomlin
Brent Reid
DIRECTOR, LCGD AUSTRALIA & CANDEO DESIGN
Multi-award-winning landscape designer and horticulturist with over 28 years in the Australian landscape industry. Founder of Candeo Design, with award-winning gardens across Australia and internationally, and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
Paul Hervey-Brookes
INTERNATIONAL GARDEN DESIGNER & RHS JUDGE
Internationally known designer, plantsman and RHS judge with 13 RHS Gold Medals, including three at Chelsea. His work has won awards from Melbourne to Tokyo, and he hosts the television series Gardens of the World.
Teena Crawford
HORTICULTURIST, AUTHOR & PLANTING SPECIALIST
A horticulturist and consultant with more than 30 years' experience across nursery, design and education. Co-author of Plantology: The Essential Guide to Better Gardens, and an established member of the LCGD Australia teaching team.
What you’ll learn
From how a plant works to how gardens work.
Modern Horticulture builds from the fundamentals of plant science into the wider ecological, environmental and practical considerations shaping horticulture today.
Part 1:
Foundations of Plant Science & Horticulture
Develop an understanding of:
Plant biology and botany
Plant nomenclature and classification
Plant identification
Soil science and healthy soils
Plant health
Plant nutrition
Plant growth and propagation
Pests and diseases
Weeds and biosecurity
Horticultural products and chemicals
Part 2:
Sustainable Landscapes & Modern Horticulture
Expand that knowledge into:
Ecology and environmental systems
Climate and sustainability
Biodiversity
Regenerative approaches to soil
Urban horticulture
Green roofs, green walls and rain gardens
Permaculture and edible landscapes
Pruning and plant maintenance
Turf management
Irrigation and water management
Horticultural equipment and tools
Plants, people and wellbeing
The future and importance of horticulture
Designed to fit around life
Two evenings a week. Live online. 15 weeks.
Learning something substantial doesn't necessarily mean putting the rest of your life on hold. Modern Horticulture has deliberately been designed to be undertaken alongside work, family and other commitments. Classes are delivered live online on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, giving students direct access to lecturers while making the program accessible from home.
Across the 15 weeks, teaching includes:
Live lectures and presentations
Plant identification
Practical horticultural demonstrations
Group discussion and collaborative learning
Independent observation and applied learning between sessions
You don't need your own garden to participate. Access to gardens and public landscapes will simply give you more opportunities to observe what you're learning in the world around you.