Courses include 1-day or weekend courses, short courses over a few weeks, as well as those lasting one or more academic terms. Amongst current providers are:
UNIVERSITY OF BUCKINGHAM in partnership with THE GARDENS TRUST
A new MA in Garden History started in October 2023. The next opportunity to join the course will be September 2026
The course is a research- rather than taught-degree and can be taken over 1 or 2 years.
The course is organised around a series of case study seminars looking at significant sites, which will be led by owners and professionals. These will be complemented by background lectures about the period to give a wider context. There will also be a number of day visits to other important historic gardens.
Seminars will be held at the university’s base in central London while the lectures will be online. To find out more.
OXFORD UNIVERSITY LIFELONG LEARNING
Garden History: An Introduction. An in-person course on Tuesdays 18 May - 15 June 2027 from 16.30 - 18.30 at Ewart House, Oxford.
'This course will take a chronological approach to identify how gardens evolved over time from Roman gardens and their classical influences, through to the early 20th century. This will give you an opportunity to recognise the cyclical nature of garden designs over the centuries as people rebelled against the previous generation’s taste.'
English Landscape Gardens: 1650 to the Present Day - online
September 23 - 4 December 2026
January 18 - 2 April 2027
April 28 - 9 July 2027
This course is the ideal introduction to English garden history. It provides an overview of five centuries of development, from Baroque formalism through the naturalistic landscape style, right up to contemporary cutting-edge planting style. The course was written by Tim Richardson, an independent garden historian and landscape critic. Tim writes regularly for newspapers and magazines, including The Daily Telegraph, Financial Times and Country Life, and is the author of nine books on garden and landscape subjects. He is a trustee of the Garden History Society and a member of the gardens advisory panel of the National Trust.
THE GARDENS TRUST
~ none current ~
See Lectures for details of a range of talks the Trust is currently offering.
CITY LTERARY INSTITUTE
Garden History through London's Parks: Mondays 12.45 -14.45 from 10 May to 14 June 2027
The 5-week course will explore Garden History through iconic London Parks, looking at how politics have influenced Garden Design and how Garden Design trends have influenced our relationship with nature. There will be one onsite session followed by guided walks in Hyde Park, Green Park, Regent’s Park and the King’s Cross Development.
A Short History of ancient Islamic Gardens: Friday 19 February 2027 from 10.30 -16.30
A Study Day during which participants will visit, virtually, explore and analyse a range of Islamic gardens including those in Isfahan, Agra, Marrakech, Istanbul and Spain, locating each in their historical, political, religious and cultural context. There will also be an exploration of the hydraulic systems introduced by Arab and Persian engineers and teh water management practices that ensured plants and fruit trees flourished.
CAMBRIDGE BOTANIC GARDEN
The wild improvers: Price, Payne-Knight and the cult of the Picturesque Monday 14 December 2026 from 18.30 -20.30 Online
'The aesthetic category known as the Picturesque developed in the latter part of the eighteenth century.............. This lecture grapples with the paradoxes inherent in a movement which championed unbridled naturalism through the artificial lens of taste, whilst recognising the early role of the Picturesque writers in championing wilderness preservation.'
THE GARDEN HISTORIANS
Gardens of Empire: Espionage, Exploration & Exotic Plants - Victorian adventures in bloom 1840s -1890s
A 10-week online course on Thursday evenings 8 October - 10 December 2026
.This ten-week course explores the remarkable stories behind the horticultural revolution that took place during the Victorian period.. Through the lives of pioneering botanists, adventurous plant hunters, gardeners, engineers and influential patrons, you will discover how exploration, scientific discovery and empire shaped the gardens of nineteenth-century Britain.
For full details of each session and to book a place click the link above.
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, EDINBURGH
Diploma in Garden History This Diploma course is currently a blend of online learning and study days/weekends. The course consists of five units which are divided over four terms within the two-year duration of the course, If you would like to find out more and to register an interest in the next course go to RBGE Diploma
LEARNING WITH THE EXPERTS
are offering 4-week online course The History of Garden Design. Taught by Dr Toby Musgrave, this course can be taken at any time, with a choice of two available formats.
‘Ornamental gardens are complex, three-dimensional, (albeit overlooked) works of art, and ever since the first garden was made in Ancient Egypt some 4,300 ago they have acted as cultural barometers…………….’ Read more about this online course at The History of Garden Design including how to book
A separate course on offer from the same source is The Conservation of Historic Gardens. This course is taught by Dr Aubrey Gerber, a specialist in garden conservation
'Garden style is defined by a relationship between fashion and function. Influenced by politics, art and socio-economic trends, historic gardens provide us with opportunities for simple recreation or complex education from which we can learn about past cultures, horticultural techniques and patterns of life. Historic gardens are not living museums; they are enriched and challenged by change. Understanding the origin and influence of these changes, and recognising our capacity and responsibility to sensitively manage change, is the essence of conservation.
In this course Audrey will explain why conservation is relevant to you, locally and globally. You will learn how to research a site, using formal and informal sources. This will enable you to write a detailed statement of significance, which is essential to articulating why a site deserves to be conserved.
Follow the links above to learn more detials of each course.
ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION
This course explores the evolution of gardens from Roman times to the present day and how they have evolved to reflect our culture. Course content, delivered through 8 lessons, will cover garden designers, great gardens and gardeners of the world, private and public gardens, globalisation of gardens, scope and nature of modern garden conservation, the roles of organisations in garden conservation and much more.
The course is a self-paced, 100-hour course that is studied by distance learning. It can be started anytime from anywhere in the world, and will be of interest to anyone with an interest in garden history and useful to those working in fields such as Garden Design, Landscaping, Garden Renovation & Restoration, Conservation, History, working for local councils or Heritage Trusts, and staff working on the ground in parks and gardens. For a detailed description of course content and to enrol visit ACS Distance Education