Learning curve: gardens are extending the courses they offer the public

摘要

Offering educational opportunities is part of the remit of organisations such as the royal botanic gardens, the Royal Horticultural Society and the National Trust, which use their gardens as a living resource to provide courses to the public. Current favourites are botanical art and garden design courses, but there is a huge range of choice to the potential student. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh runs events ranging from short courses on propagation, to the RHS's general certificate in horticulture, to an MSc in biodiversity and taxonomy of plants in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh. RBGE adult and community education officer Suzanne Harris says part of the gardens' mission statement is to explore and explain the world of plants. "It is our job to provide people with an understanding of how gardens work. "We usually run between 30 to 40 courses a year and have about 600 students through each year, plus up to 10,000 children participating in our schools programme. The courses generate enough money to cover the running costs of the courses but it is not a moneymaking exercise,' explains Harris.