Plant Varieties Courses

Books by our principal, John Mason

Considered by many to be the very best plants a garden can offer, azaleas and rhododendrons are some of the most popular plants grown anywhere. The course shows how to grow them to perfection, and builds your knowledge of varieties available, to give you a long lasting display of colour in the garden. Soils, weed control, feeding, pest and disease control, watering, landscape design and lots more are included over eight lessons.

Learn the many aspects of Bonsai with our recently updated course.

Join the many who have learned the ancient oriental art of bonsai through this practical and comprehensive course. Eight lessons cover the selection of plants suited to bonsai, understanding the history and classic shapes which form the basis of the art, techniques of planting, training, pruning, watering & feeding and ways of using bonsai both indoors and outdoors. You will create several bonsai of your own during the course and receive constructive criticism from your tutor as they help you develop your own personal bonsai style and techniques.

Its been said that people either love cacti or hate them. This course studies major cacti & succulent varieties and the differences in how to treat plants from each; in terms of soils, feeding, watering, pruning, pest control, planting procedures and more. It will stimulate your interest, and set you on the path to becoming an expert with these unique plants.

Study Carnivorous Plants at home

These fascinating plants provide entertainment and stimulation to the enthusiast. Nine lessons cover a range of cultivated carnivorous plants, paying particular attention to the Pitcher Plants (Nepenthes) and Sundews (Drosera).

Eight lessons provide you with a systematic understanding of the way conifers are classified, show you how to identify the differences between types and develop your understanding of cultural requirements common to the whole group and differences in cultural techniques needed for specific types of conifers. Sections of this course look in detail at trees (e.g. Pines, Cedrus, Spruce), small shrubs, medium shrubs, native conifers and rarer varieties.

A detailed look at the identification and culture of ferns

Learn to propagate ferns (spores, division, tissue culture), different groupings (e.g. epiphytes, ground ferns, tree ferns) and both common & uncommon species. Growing techniques (baskets, indoor/outdoor containers, terrariums) and cultural methods (soils, watering, pest & disease control) are also examined.

Become a Fuchsia Specialist

Discover everything you ever wanted to know about fuchsias, from soil management and feeding to pruning and propagation. Learn how fuchsias are classified into several major groups, the characteristics of those groups and how/where to grow different types to achieve the best results.

Become an annuals expert.

Annuals are a valuable horticultural crop grown commercially as cut flowers, as seedlings or as advanced pots of colour. With careful choice, versatile annuals can deliver year round colour in the home garden. They work to fill gaps between perennials, they can be used to disguise the messy foliage of bulbs as they seasonally die-off, and they can help to keep gardens or parks in the peak of perfection. This eight lesson course reveals the secrets of how to identify annual species, what to grow and when to grow each variety. It covers soil improvement, pest control, irrigation, propagation, greenhouse growing, hydroponics and much more. It is equally as useful to the home gardener and to the professional gardener as to those intending to grow annuals commercially.

 

 This course is a wonderful way of learning about the different groups of camellias (eg. japonicas, sasanquas, reticulatas), their special characteristics, and their culture. Develops your understanding of soils, feeding, watering, pruning, planting methods, pest & disease control, propagation, & more. Improve your ability to identify different varieties (both common and uncommon), and how to use camellias to achieve desired landscape effects.

Beautiful camellias require little attention, once established, and yet there is so much to know about them.

A serious course equally valuable to the home enthusiast or the commercial cut flower grower. You learn about growing quality carnations (planting, watering, pest & disease control, fertilizing), different ways of growing them (e.g. as row crops in soil, in hydroponics, in a greenhouse); and harvesting, post-harvest treatments, and quality control.

Gain an in-depth appreciation of the iris, how to grow them to achieve optimum results and the identification of different varieties of irises. Significant sections are included on landscaping with irises, hybridisation and propagation, harvest, post-harvest treatments, achieving and assessing quality, and exhibiting the flowers.

This is a valuable course for anyone with a serious interest in irises either as a commercial grower or an enthusiastic home collector.

This is a course equally applicable to the professional interior plantscaper or the home owner (or interior decorator) who aspires to achieve the very best results with their indoor plants. You will learn about the main family groups indoor plants fall into, the cultural requirements and general characteristics of each of those groups, and from there develop the ability to select the right plant for the right situation. Many types of growing methods are covered (in pots, baskets, hydroponics, terrariums, greenhouses), as well as soil mixes, propagation, pest control, feeding and lots more.

Get the broad picture of what orchids are all about and learn how to improve your results and grow flowers which will be the envy of all who see them.

Study many of the major orchid genera in depth including Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Cattleya, Vanda and others.Orchids are a popular hobby plant often providing a challenging occupation, but the unusual flowers reward your effort well. The number of orchid species is incredible (there are some 30,000 species, at least 100,000 hybrids and apparently many more not yet named).

Get involved with this life long passion!

Palms are extremely important horticultural plants, not only in the tropics (where they are widely used out doors), but in all climates as indoor plants. While the range of species is more limited, there are palms that will grow outside in temperate climates to temperatures around zero Celsius) Through this course you will learn to the following, and more.

Throughout this course you will learn to distinguish between the characteristics of different types of palms and cycads.

• Learn the general cultural practices required to grow palms and cycads including propagation and appropriate pest and disease treatments.
• Discover how to choose palms and cycads to suit different climatic situation; how to use them in the landscape and their various commercial applications.

Perennials are versatile, beautiful and important to the landscaping industry as well as the nurseries that grow and supply them. 

Perennials come in all forms, from herbaceous plants that die down in the winter and re-emerge in spring (year after year), to plants that retain their soft-stemmed leafy growth year round. Although beautiful, many perennials are also tough and very much adapted to a variety of climates - ranging from very dry to wet. Some have colourful foliage as well as beautiful flowers, others add architectural interest - but all add excitement and diversity to the landscape or garden as they burst into flower each year. Discover what perennials are, which perennial plants are most popular today, their cultural requirements (ie. feeding, watering, soil requirements, pruning, pest control), and learn how to use them to create beautiful landscapes. A course equally valuable to landscapers, nurserymen, cut flower growers and garden enthusiasts.

Learn about Proteas and other Protaceae plants (eg. Leucodendron, Leucospermum, Telopea); including their identification, selection, planting, establishment, culture, flower harvest etc.

With the right cultural techniques (e.g. proper drainage, soil treatments, irrigation methods, feeding, pruning, weed control), you can achieve top quality, large blooms in what might otherwise be considered poor horticultural conditions.

This rose course is suited to the professional as well as the amateur grower.

 

The value of  rose blooms extends beyond the ornamental garden; roses are grown for many reasons including: the cut flower trade, for perfume extraction, to harvest the hips and for rose oil. This course covers all these aspects and much more. Learn the history of the rose, the confusing rose classification system, how to identify the different species, their general cultural needs (soils, pests and disease management and pruning), how to use roses in garden design and how to produce a commercial rose crop.

 

Roses, often referred to as 'The Queen of the Garden', are one of the most popular and prized ornamental plants. They are included in the greatest gardens in the world and many claim roses to be the most beautiful flower in existence.

Learn where and how to grow tropical plants through this versatile and comprehensive course.

Some people would think a tropical is a plant that comes from the tropics. Others might consider tropical to also include plants from sub tropical places. This course is concentrating on plants which originate from tropical or sub tropical climates; but there may be some plants covered which fit a looser definition of "tropical".

This course provides a valuable instruction for both growing plants in warm places or in protected places such as greenhouses and inside homes or offices.

Study many of the significant tropical plants including: Heliconias, Alpinia, Hedychium, Zingiber, Musa, Costus, Cordylines, palms and cycads, climbers, shrubs, trees, orchids, ferns, Aroids and Bromeliads, herbs, vegetables and fruit bearing plants, etc.

This course also covers: plant names/classification (scientific and common), climatic conditions, plants suited to your locality; cultural practices: understanding soils, naming a soil, propagation, watering, feeding, pruning etc. Growing tropical plants outside the tropics and indoors - in different climates and conditions.

Discover: how to landscape with tropical plants and how to use colour and texture; how to select appropriate plants; how to plant a courtyard and prepare sketch plans.

A great course for the beginner or the professional.