Michael Marriott

Roses

  • Recommended

    $200

    Includes personal feedback and tuition. More

  • $75

    Learn in an online classroom with no more than 20 classmates. More

Course Description

Michael Marriott, one of the world's leading rose experts (and previously Head Rosarian at David Austin Roses for 35 years) teaches you how to plan, nurture, and grow a rose garden.

Choose Expert option to receive personal feedback from Michael in class.

Michael will teach you how to choose the right rose for your garden location, and advise on pruning roses, choosing roses for fragrance and colour combinations.

The rose is exceptional in the plant world and it can be grown in most climates. Whether you live in cold, hot or moderate climates – Michael will help you find the perfect rose to suit your garden.

Roses vary in size from tiny little plants a few centimetres tall to huge rambling roses growing into trees. Their flowers can be just a few millimetres across or 20cm or more and the number of petals range from four to 200. Rose fragrances are just as varied. So there's a variety of rose to suit every garden and green space.

Michael will took you through all types of roses from rose bushes to climbing roses and shrub roses, the difference in rose stems, and extending your rose flowering season. Plus he'll look at techniques to improve the disease resistance of your roses and how to feed your plants and encourage repeat flowering.

You'll learn:

  • rose species and the breeding history of roses
  • where to plant roses - from mixed with other plants in garden borders to a dedicated rose garden
  • using roses to create garden features - including rose arches
  • pruning roses
  • breeding new rose varieties

The course includes:

  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Michael Marriott
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical rose gardening projects (with feedback available from Michael)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas

Time to complete the growing roses course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 10 hours 10 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 2 hours 10 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your rose assignments: at least 1 hour per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

You'll need:

You don't need any special equipment, or even your own garden or roses, but you will be planning a rose garden, thinking about where to plant roses and how roses can work in a garden with other plants. The course is suitable for gardeners at all levels - from new gardeners to professionals who want to learn from an expert in roses.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Guy on your country garden designs.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

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

CPD Accreditation

Course activity has been accredited by the CPD Standards Office (CPDSO). The course equates to 10 hours, 10 minutes of CPD learning.
The CPD Standards Office. CPD Provider: 50276.

Course outline

  • The wonderful world of roses

    Michael delves into the world of roses, giving us a tour of his garden while discussing the different groups, their cultural history and main characteristics.

    He will discuss how each species differs, and how you can find suitable varieties that will thrive in your environment for as long as possible.

    He will also discuss the disease resistance of each, groups that he avoids, which perennials to plant alongside, which you should prune and which you should spray.

  • How to use roses in the garden

    Michael will demonstrate the versatility of roses, drawing attention to the many ways that roses can be planted in the garden.

    You will learn how you can grow roses in different spaces, including informal borders, mixed borders, formal rose gardens, wild areas, pots, walls, arches, trees and hedges

  • Looking after roses and rose plants

    You will learn how to care for your roses, from which variety to choose right through to how you should prune them.

    This includes soil preparation, planting technique, aftercare, deadheading and disease prevention.

  • Rose fragrances, rose breeding and commercial rose production

    Lastly, you will be given an insight into the inner workings of David Austin Roses, learning which commercial production methods have proved successful.

    You will also learn how to breed new varieties of rose, and discover the vast number of fragrant roses available to you.

Choose how you want to learn

  • The Expert option

    Recommended

    Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition from Michael Marriott

    • Start course whenever you like
    • 4 weeks tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
    • 4 assignments marked by Michael Marriott
    • Certificate of completion and CPD hours
    • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
    • 4 lessons with expert videos & notes
    • Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
    • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom
    Learn more
    $200
  • The Peer option

    Discover the benefits of group learning in an online interactive classroom of no more than 20 people. 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
    • 4 lessons with expert videos & notes
    • 4 course assignments
    • Group chat & direct message classmates
    • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom
    Learn more
    $75

New
Buy this course for a business or group

You can now buy this course through your business or organisation for individuals and groups up to 20

Gardening classroom - how it works

  • Start anytime

    Watch video tutorials led by expert tutors

    Watch video tutorials led by expert tutors
  • Test yourself

    Practice what you learn with inspiring assignments

    Practice what you learn with inspiring assignments
  • Personal tuition

    Get assignment feedback from expert tutors

    Get assignment feedback from expert tutors
  • Share ideas

    Collaborate and chat directly to classmates

    Collaborate and chat directly to classmates

Meet Michael Marriott

Michael Marriott - Gardening

My first port of call for a Roses expert, is always Michael Marriott, the chief rosarian at David Austin Roses. He’s worked at the David Austin headquarters for 32 years.

Val Bourne, The Telegraph
I worked at David Austin Roses for 35 years as head Rosarian. During this time I became one of the world's leading authorities on roses and designed many private and public rose gardens around the world. I grow many roses in my own garden, which I run on organic principles and have never sprayed. I select only those varieties that combine both health and beauty and I grow them alongside other plants to help prevent the spread of pests and diseases. I'm a great believer in common sense gardening and when it comes to pruning, I'm keen to go back to basic principles so that students can easily apply their knowledge to any rose they encounter. I'm a passionate believer that the rose is the most garden worthy of all plants. What other plant can potentially have a beautiful individual flower, a wonderful fragrance, flower for several months of the year and be easy to look after? In addition the rose is used as a symbol in many different aspects of our culture from religion to the legal system.

I wanted to teach and share my knowledge through Learning with Experts to help share my passion for roses globally. I'm also keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. I look forward to seeing you in class.

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Awards & Accreditations

  • CPD Accredited (provider 50276)
  • Good Web Guide
  • Red Herring Winner
  • Education Investor Awards 2021 - Finalist
  • Royal Horticultural Society
  • Digital Education Awards 2023 Winner for Digital Health and Wellbeing Learning Product of the Year
  • Digital Education Awards 2023 Winner for Adult Home Learning Product of the Year