Qualifications
I am currently studying a part-time Garden Design course at Inchbald School of Design, London. The course is set to finish in July 2026 and it's been a great decision to embark on this journey. I wasn't sure whether the design style would suit me, but it turns out that we aren't taught a style, but rigorous design thinking, methods and craft. Thoroughly recommend studying there!
Interesting detail: It almost doesn't matter to me, what grades I will receive in the end - I have no plans for formal further studies at a University. The real question is, if I learned how to make beautiful spaces, and I am confident that I will have achieved that. - But sure, results will be posted here!
The start of my gardening career
After arriving in the UK in summer 2013, following my husband's change of workplace, I started with taking up volunteering at Sir Harold Hillier Arboretum in Romsey. I always loved gardening and I needed to learn some English, while my 3 children had the chance to do that at school. Later in 2014 I took over a school garden as a part-time job and got roped in as a gardener by my first private client. From speaking to staff at Hilliers I learned that many of those gardeners are career-changers. The gardens also had a healthy group of students from all over the world, who attended an intriguing plant-ID session once a week and I managed to be accepted into this. (Thank you Fran and Barry!) So it happened that I learned botanical Latin alongside English.
RHS level 2 and 3 qualifications
The new found knowledge in an old love of gardening led me to enrol into Sparsholt College for the level 2 course. All this was only feasible because it was part-time learning. I gained ever more private clients for my small gardening business and also wanted to keep volunteering for Hilliers Arboretum. While studying at Sparsholt I was allowed to move into the propagation unit at Hilliers, where I volunteered until 2025, with a forced gap during covid. Speaking of covid: I took Level 3 Theory courses online to finish this qualification during a time where I was booked out as a gardener.
Certificates
Instead of the certificates, I'm adding screenshots from my RHS candidate account here. That's the easiest way for me to show my qualifications and it says exactly, what subjects were covored as part of my qualification.
Level 3 theory results, the Level 3 practical and Level 2 theory classes. If you like to know more about the RHS' qualifications, here are all levels explained.
