What makes the SA Horticultural College different

SA Horticulture College is a new and unique professional and practical one year part-time Certificate in Gardening and Horticulture aims to provide a firm foundation in the art and science of garden design and maintenance.  The curriculum at the SA Horticultural College is developed to ensure that students are equipped with all the skills and knowledge demanded by the informal and formal green industry.

SA Horticulture College encourages applications from mature students and that have the time to study part-time.  To study part-time students can choose one or two courses per cycle (all the courses will run in a three month cycle), complete the assignment that will give them entrance to the examination after which they can book to write the exam at their own convenient time.  

This will enable students to fit their studies around work and family commitments.  After the student has completed all the courses the next step will be to complete a portfolio on work that was completed during the year.  Upon successful completion of the twenty one courses and the portfolio students can attain a Certificate in Gardening and Horticulture that is accredited by SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority). 

In your time of studying you will design a garden, your own, a friends or a fictional garden, you will design the irrigation and drainage of the garden, complete a tender for the garden, write a business plan, compile a project plan as well as learn how to maintain a garden.  The courses will be as practical as possible, with lots of hands-on training.

Mature students may not need a formal qualification, but would like to expand their horticulture, landscape and gardening knowledge, they may go the route of only attend the classes and complete the assignments, but ignore the examination. 

About the principal

Christien Marx has been in education from 1987.  Christien joined Technikon RSA after working in a local government set-up for seven years.  With her students at Unisa she has won numerous awards at garden shows and was one of the SA team members that competed in the 2005 Chelsea gardens show where SA was awarded a gold medal.  Christien was awarded an MTEch:  Nature Conservation (Cum Laude) in 2005.  With her research she has written a tree appraisal model that will determine the monetary value of trees specific to urban areas.