Course overview

Chris Beardshaw (RHS Chelsea garden designer and expert plantsman) teaches you the secrets of container gardening, planters and gardening from pots.

What is container gardening?

A container garden is where plants, flowers, vegetables and shrubs are grown in pots rather than directly in the ground.

Container gardens and plants in pots have become increasingly popular over the last few years - there's now a category for container gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and they're a brilliant option for people with small gardens or balconies.

Container gardens also give you more control over the plants' environment - you can control the soil type and move the container if you need to.

Choose Expert option for personal feedback from Chris on your container gardening project.

You'll be creating your own container garden throughout the course, and be able to ask Chris for feedback on your planter and pot designs and project.

You'll learn:

advantages of planting using pots
how to choose the right container for your plants
which plants work well in containers
combining plants in your pot for texture, colour and form
creating complex container gardens
maintaining container gardens through all seasons

Armed with all the inspiration and information you need; you will learn how to create your own style of container gardening.

You'll create:

By the end of the course, with the support of Chris and his team, you will have designed a series of containers and garden pots to suit your outdoor space and your design ambition - from the simple to the complex - and gained the horticultural knowledge to give your plants and containers the best conditions in which to thrive.

This course is for:

This course focuses primarily on ornamental plants and is aimed at the amateur and enthusiastic gardener.

Each lesson includes both a design and practical element.

Time to complete this container gardening course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 14 hours 20 minutes to complete including:

Video lessons: 2 hours 20 minutes in total
Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

The course includes:

On-demand video lessons - presented by Chris Beardshaw
lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
downloadable lesson notes
practical (optional) container gardening assignments
access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Chris on your container garden and plant choices.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.

Watch course trailer

Lesson summary

Introduction and Types of Containers

Using his own garden, Chris will use his terrace to introduce you to the delights and rewards of container gardening. There is a comprehensive review on the various styles, type and nature of containers and how they affect plant choice and plant performance. You will learn how the style and choice of container can help you achieve your desired aesthetic result.

Plant Structure & Composition

In this lesson you will look at the detailed composition of planted containers, the dynamics of how to arrange plants and the role of plants within a particular container arrangement. Together you will explore fundamental design themes including texture, colour and form as well as fragrance and relate them back to specific planting examples. This is followed by a section covering the foundation for all successful containers – which growing media to use and why.

Planting ‘Pure’ Containers

You will explore the attributes of using single plant types to create ‘pure’ containers. We look at how maximising the role of a single plant genus, or single plant group, can perform within the overall scheme with specific examples of planting techniques, the appropriate growing media, and the environment required. There is also a practical section covering the demands of the plants, including the all-important question of nutrition.

Planting ‘Complex’ Containers

In this final lesson, Chris will guide you on how to create ‘complex’ planting combinations, a mini-garden in a container. You will explore a range of plants, from shrubs, climbers, annuals and herbaceous perennials to create striking displays for the longer term. Finally, there is a session on good housekeeping where you will learn how to keep your containers looking and performing well throughout the year.

Choose how you want to learn

Expert-level

Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition:

Start the course whenever you like
Tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
Certificate of completion and CPD learning hours
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with expert videos & notes
Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

Peer-level

Get the most from shared knowledge and community study:

Start course whenever you like
Practise what you learn with your peers
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with videos & notes
Course assignments
Group chat & direct message classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

meet the expert

Chris Beardshaw

World-renowned for his finesse with plants, Chris Beardshaw has become one of the most highly regarded and influential figures in design and horticulture.

Why choose Learning with Experts?

Start whenever it suits you, and immerse yourself in motivational lesson tutorials with expert guidance.

Enhance your learning and personal growth with lesson assignments. Each course includes an optional assignment at the end of every lesson.

Drop a friendly message or respond to your assignment feedback. Our world-class experts are just a click away, ready to help you!

Stay informed about your own progress and those of your peers, and take joy in celebrating achievements along the way.

Chat and share ideas with passionate communities of learners from around the world.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT options?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
Downloadable lesson notes
Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
Certificate of completion.

What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

Support and full FAQs

If you need any help with a course, be it one you’ve started already, or one you are looking to purchase, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support email address, or view the full FAQ’s here.

You can also use the orange speech bubble on your page to start a conversation with us.

For privacy or data questions, please contact us here.

Container Gardening