Horticulture Classes

Develop the vital skills needed to protect and manage landscapes, maintain healthy trees, design attractive gardens, and produce landscape plants. Our horticulture classes cater to anyone—from beginners to advanced horticulturists—with an emphasis on real world skill-building. Enroll in a single class or pursue a Horticulture Certificate.

Click here for an overview of the certificate program.


August

Choose the right plant for the right place, based on site-specific design and maintenance criteria. Learn landscape values such as size, texture, color, and flowering and fruiting seasons. Review trees, shrubs, groundcovers, annuals, and perennials suitable for this region.
261HRT358B 08/20 We 1:00pm-3:40pm Tyson-Strait
NYBG

September

Learn the essential pruning techniques for woody plants used by NYBG experts. In this course, our plant professionals will guide you through the key principles of pruning woody plants such as small trees and shrubs.
261PLT140C 09/01   ONLINE-FLEX

Explore how to identify and use major groups of shade trees and shrubs native to and hardy in our region, including Acer, Quercus, and Viburnum, which are particularly ornamental in fall.
261HRT331A 09/06 Sa 11:00am-2:00pm Nolan
NYBG

Graphics are essential in developing and communicating your ideas. Practice various graphic techniques on a range of materials and equipment and learn how to organize and render landscape plans on paper for optimal presentation to clients. Homework is required.
261LAN311EO 09/06 Sa 10:00am-1:00pm Miller
ONLINE

Go beyond basic soil chemistry and examine how a soil's pH affects what nutrients are available to plants. Explore the ionic exchange capacities of soil, the complex nitrogen cycle, and the effects of composted soil amendments and fertilizers. Discover how more...
261HRT302BO 09/08 Mo 6:00pm-8:00pm Bulpitt
ONLINE

Design, plant, and harvest a cutting garden that's productive throughout the seasons. You'll get hands-on practice starting seeds to ensure you always have something fresh to cut. We'll cover traditional and unexpected annual and perennial cut flower species and varieties more...
261HRT142O 09/10 We 6:00pm-8:00pm Breyer
ONLINE

This user-friendly intro course surveys the major plant groups-flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and bryophytes-focusing on their form and structure. Become botanically literate and gain practical experience in dissecting and analyzing plant structures.
261HRT300GO 09/10 We 10:30am-12:30pm Day
ONLINE

Fundamentally change the way you view natural landscapes by learning about the complex factors that inform which plants grow in what combinations. Understanding how and why these plant communities form will help you design beautiful landscapes that are more resilient, more...
261HRT353BBL 09/10 We 6:00pm-7:30pm Schuler
BLENDED

Designed for people interested in arboriculture, this course will help students develop their climbing skills. Learn techniques such as rope setting, knot tying, body thrusting, doublecrotching, foot locking, and limb walking. Taught on Garden grounds, this class offers expert instruction more...
261HRT304B 09/13 Sa 10:00am-3:30pm Vitagliano
Davila
NYBG

Choose the right plant for the right place, based on site-specific design and maintenance criteria. Learn landscape values such as size, texture, color, and flowering and fruiting seasons. Review trees, shrubs, groundcovers, annuals, and perennials suitable for this region.
261HRT358C 09/13 Sa 10:00am-12:40pm D'Antonio
NYBG

Explore the basics of successful, environmentally friendly gardening. Topics include soils and their improvement, seed sowing, vegetative propagation, planting, pruning, watering, weeding, mulching, and disease and pest control. This course is also required for the Therapeutic Horticulture Certificate.
261GAR301F 09/14 Su 10:00am-12:00pm Ruggiero
NYBG

Explore theories, traditions, and principles that have shaped the design of landscapes from antiquity to the present, through visual presentations, assigned readings, projects, and classroom discussion.
261LAN301BO 09/15 Mo 10:30am-1:30pm Merritt
ONLINE

Learn principles and techniques of plant propagation by seed and cuttings. Explore basic sexual and asexual propagation, focusing on fruit development, seedling production, root initiation, stem and leaf cuttings, and layering.
261HRT411B 09/16 Tu 5:30pm-8:30pm Weinstein
NYBG

Soil is a dynamic, living organism and the very foundation of sustainable horticulture and agriculture.This course focuses on the texture, structure, density, and color of different soils and the dynamic relationship that exists among soil, water, and plants. Through lectures more...
261HRT301C 09/17 We 11:00am-2:00pm Lozefski
NYBG
261HRT301DO 09/17 We 6:00pm-8:00pm Bulpitt
ONLINE

Explore a holistic approach to keeping trees healthy and vigorous. Topics include planting and transplanting, pruning, fertilization, root system management, common problems, tree defenses, and lightning protection. Samples of tree problems, supplies, and tools are exhibited.
261HRT422 09/17 We 4:00pm-6:00pm Hall
NYBG

This user-friendly intro course surveys the major plant groups-flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and bryophytes-focusing on their form and structure. Become botanically literate and gain practical experience in dissecting and analyzing plant structures.
261HRT300HO 09/27 Sa 10:30am-12:45pm Simeone
ONLINE

This course is designed for horticulturists and gardeners who are familiar with the basic culture of perennials. Learn the identifying characteristics, classification, scientific and common names, and landscape uses of approximately 60 summer- and fall-blooming native and non-native perennials and more...
261HRT338A 09/28 Su 11:00am-2:00pm Nolan
NYBG

This user-friendly intro course surveys the major plant groups-flowering plants, conifers, ferns, and bryophytes-focusing on their form and structure. Become botanically literate and gain practical experience in dissecting and analyzing plant structures.
261HRT300JO 09/29 Mo 6:00pm-8:00pm Bakis
ONLINE

Fundamentally change the way you view natural landscapes by learning about the complex factors that inform which plants grow in what combinations. Understanding how and why these plant communities form will help you design beautiful landscapes that are more resilient, more...
261HRT353CBL 09/30 Tu 6:00pm-7:30pm Schuler
BLENDED
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