29-03-2025
Gardening school announces courses and celebrates graduates
It has been such a lovely week to be in the garden.
There was a chilly wind at the beginning of the week, but we put on an extra layer and were able to get on with lots of jobs.
Having noted last week that the magnolias and cherries were flowering later than a year ago, they have burst into flower this week and are looking stunning.
There isn't any frost forecast so we are hoping they will carry on for at least the next couple of weeks.
John Little teaching the diploma students (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) We have also spotted the first snake's head fritillary in the garden and so far the lily beetles haven't found it.
The statuesque imperial fritillary are yet to flower, and although they have some slug or snail damage to their leaves, again the lily beetles have left them alone.
We shall be on the look out for the little red creatures this week!
The Certificate in Practical Horticulture students had a sunny day for their assessment and the day went really well.
We look forward to celebrating their success at their graduation picnic in early May. In the meantime, some of them will already have launched their new gardening businesses and others will be more confidently gardening their own patch.
Frog in wildlife pond (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) It's a great course for anyone interested in gardening and we just have one space left on the next course starting in late April.
We've had a visit from one of our fantastic guest tutors on the Diploma in Garden Design.
John Little is absolutely passionate about biodiversity in gardens and a huge proponent of creating green space on brown field sites.
His ecological approach to garden design is both challenging and really inspiring and we were thrilled to have him back in the classroom.
March is the perfect time to start growing your own vegetables, so it wasn't surprising to have a sell-out Your Veg Patch course this week, with lots of people keen to learn more about setting up their veg garden or allotment.
Certificate in Practical Horticulture assessment (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) We showed them how to check their soil type, how to sow large and tiny seeds, how to create a fleece tunnel to protect brassicas from pigeons and butterflies, which varieties of veg we rate for ease of growing and taste and so much more. We do run the course again later in the year so you could join us then.
This is the busiest time in the garden, and to help you we have lots of one day courses covering most of what you need to know right now.
These are a few of the upcoming courses which have some spaces available. Let us know if you'd like to join us:
· Dahlia Workshop – 8th April
· Advanced Practical Gardening – 9th April
· Sustainable Cutting Garden – 10th April
· Certificate in Practical Horticulture – 25th April
· Advanced Pruning & Training – 30th April
· Basic Bricklaying – 1st May
· Advanced Practical Gardening - 7th April
· Gardening Under Glass – 14th April
Chaemoneles speciosa 'moerloosei' (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening) Plant of the Week
Chaenomeles speciosa 'moerloosei' is an ornamental quince which is later flowering than other varieties and has cup-shaped, white flowers tinged with shades of pink, from March to May followed by aromatic, greenish-yellow fruit.
It brings a welcome flush of colour to the garden in spring, when the bare twigs are smothered in flowers before the glossy, dark green leaves appear.
This vigorous, deciduous quince makes an attractive informal hedge for a sunny or partly shady site with moderately fertile, well-drained soil, and looks stunning trained against a wall or fence.
It is looking wonderful right now. The fruit can be eaten when cooked. Contact us via or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.
