The English Gardening School

The English Gardening School Conveniently based in Chelsea, with a practical learning garden in Hampshire, we offer Short, Distance and Diploma courses.

Over almost 30 years, The English Gardening School has built up an unrivalled international reputation for delivering a range of quality courses concentrating on the more serious aspects of gardening. Over 30 years, The English Gardening School has built up an unrivalled international reputation for delivering a range of quality courses concentrating on the more serious aspects of gardening.

Each year at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, certain plants transcend the noise of the show. This year, for EGS, that plant was...
03/06/2026

Each year at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, certain plants transcend the noise of the show. This year, for EGS, that plant was Cornus × elwinortonii VENUS.

A vigorous, spreading deciduous tree that rewards close observation across every season, and one that we believe deserves a place in the conversation around considered, structure-led garden design.

Discover why we chose it as our plant of the year.

Introducing a new course at the English Gardening School.‘An Introduction to Garden Design’ is a practical two-day cours...
02/06/2026

Introducing a new course at the English Gardening School.

‘An Introduction to Garden Design’ is a practical two-day course led by former architect and garden designer Catriona Rowbotham, with assistance from award winning garden designers Penelope Hill Smith and Richard Miers.

Learn how to analyse a site, work with scale drawings and produce your own conceptual garden layout. An ideal starting point for anyone curious about garden design.

Wednesday 14th & Thursday 15th October 2026
Book via the link in bio.

02/06/2026

We asked our EGS tutor Ben Pope the one thing that makes a truly good gardener.

His answer? Observation.

It is a skill Ben teaches throughout the course. Learning to really look at your garden helps you identify problems before they take hold, understand which plants work well alongside each other, and develop an instinct for what makes a space feel right.

30/05/2026

If you don’t already know Ben Pope, allow us to introduce him.

With 18 years of studying and working in horticulture, Ben currently leads the team maintaining and developing a private garden in West Sussex. He speaks publicly at trade shows and garden organisations, has written for Gardens Illustrated and The Telegraph, and is currently studying the RHS Master of Horticulture. He is also a member of the RHS Trials Committee, one of the most respected roles in British horticulture.

Ben leads our popular ‘Good Gardening for Beginners’ course and also teaches on our ‘Good Gardening Diploma’. If you have ever wanted to learn from someone who lives and breathes horticulture at the highest level, this is where you start.

Caption: RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2026 - Hosta ‘Red Ninja’ (‘Nk2021’)A full-plant mutation of Hosta ‘First Blush’, ...
28/05/2026

Caption: RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2026 - Hosta ‘Red Ninja’ (‘Nk2021’)

A full-plant mutation of Hosta ‘First Blush’, Red Ninja produces rich, intense red foliage from spring that holds its colour deep into summer, a genuine first in the Hosta world. Unlike most of its genus, it colours most intensely in sun, opening up planting possibilities that simply didn’t exist before.

Bred by Ninja Kramer, exhibited by Sienna Hosta. 30 votes from the expert judging panel. A worthy winner.

22/05/2026

EGS alumni, Katerina Kantalis was awarded both a Gold Medal and Best Balcony & Container Garden for ‘A Little Garden of Shared Knowledge’, sponsored by Viking Cruises at this year’s Chelsea; a beautifully considered space designed for a creatively minded couple who have downsized to a London townhouse.

The garden proves just how much atmosphere, generosity and horticultural richness can exist within a compact footprint. Edible planting, drought-tolerant species, collected objects and layered textures combine to create a space that feels deeply personal and full of character.

Katerina walks us through the design thinking behind the garden, from the importance of adaptability, to the role gardens play in connection and shared experience.

We are beyond thrilled that our EGS tutor Sarah Eberle has triumphed at Chelsea, winning Garden of the Year for her extr...
21/05/2026

We are beyond thrilled that our EGS tutor Sarah Eberle has triumphed at Chelsea, winning Garden of the Year for her extraordinary On the Edge garden.

Congratulations to Sarah and her whole team. We couldn’t be more proud.

20/05/2026

From Corylus colurna, valued for its remarkable tolerance of climatic extremes, to the broad-canopied Zelkova serrata, recognised not only for its resilience but also its significant carbon sequestration potential; Eliot from Majestic Trees share insights into some of the best future-facing trees the next generation of garden designers should be thinking about.

Eliot also shares an exceptionally rare Parrotia subaequalis, gifted to His Majesty The King yesterday to be planted at Balmoral, continuing Majestic Trees’ longstanding relationship with the Royal Estates.

19/05/2026

As London’s climate shifts, the way we choose trees has to shift with it. 

At this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Majestic have moved into the Great Pavilion and are exploring the future of trees through the lens of climate resilience, asking us to think not just about what looks beautiful today, but what will still be thriving in 50 or 100 years’ time.

EGS tutor and Majestic Trees Operations Director Eliot shares why future-proof planting matters, and how climate-resilient trees can still create deeply beautiful, characterful landscapes.

From Gold medal-winning gardens to some of the most memorable planting schemes of the past few decades; RHS Chelsea Flow...
18/05/2026

From Gold medal-winning gardens to some of the most memorable planting schemes of the past few decades; RHS Chelsea Flower Show has long been part of the story of the English Gardening School.

Today we thought we’d look back at some of the remarkable Chelsea contributions from our tutors and alumni; designers whose work has helped shape the language of contemporary garden design, from richly layered planting to beautifully resolved designs that continue to inspire long after the show closes.

A celebration of the gardens, the people behind them, and the lasting influence of an EGS education.

Photo Credits
Ann-Marie Powell: for
Manoj Malde:

Address

66 Royal Hospital Road
London
SW34HS

Opening Hours

9:30am - 2:30pm

Telephone

+442073524347

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The English Gardening School posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The University

Send a message to The English Gardening School:

Shortcuts

Share