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Shrubs

Taught by Andy McIndoe

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Course Description

All Abilities

Shrubs are the backbone of planting design. They provide essential structure, beauty and colour from foliage and flowers, texture and a great variety of shape and form in the planting palette. Shrubs are tipped to be the big thing this year in garden design - particularly the use of fragrant shrubs. Garden Designs without shrubs tend to look strangely immature and lacking. This course delivers essential advice on selection of the right shrubs for any garden design situation. You will also learn the practical aspects - the simple secrets of pruning, and how to plant and care for your shrubs for best results. 

Foliage is the foundation of good planting and shrubs deliver leafy colour in both deciduous and evergreen form. Learn how to use shrubs to create simple but effective planting combinations for designer impact in any garden.  If you select wisely the shrubs in your garden can create all-year round interest year after year. This course tells you what to choose for just about every situation in your garden, and at any time of the year.

Learning Outcome This gardening course will empower you to choose the right shrubs for your planting design. It will also ignite passion for an area of planting that is rarely used to its optimum potential.


Course outline

  • The Role of Shrubs and How to Use Them

    How to select the right shrub for a situation and a guide to buying the best plants. Giving your shrubs the best possible start in your garden; how and when to plant them.

  • Caring For Your Shrubs

    How and when to prune flowering and foliage shrubs to control shape, size, foliage quality and flowering. Feeding your shrubs: how, when and why.

  • Hard Working Foliage Shrubs - The Foundation for Good Planting

    The importance of shrubs for structure in gardens of all sizes. Maintaining a colour scheme with foliage throughout the year and creating exciting planting combinations.

  • Shrubs For Interest Throughout The Year

    A pick of the best shrubs that will work hard in your garden to deliver colour, texture and form in every situation, including sun, shade, clay, chalk and in pots and containers.

Choose how you want to learn

  • The Expert option

    Recommended

    Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition from Andy McIndoe

    • Start course whenever you like
    • 4 weeks tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
    • 4 assignments marked by Andy McIndoe
    • Certificate of completion from Andy McIndoe
    • 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
    $299.00

  • 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
    $99.00
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About Andy McIndoe

We are absolutely delighted that Andy McIndoe has won a record breaking 70th consecutive Gold at The Chelsea Flower Show for Hilliers. It’s a fantastic achievement!

Franky Kentish, The Telegraph
Andy McIndoe is MyGardenSchool's Chief Blogger, and teaches five courses on the site. Andy has over thirty years experience as a practical horticulturist and consultant. He has designed and advised on gardens of all sizes and was responsible for the Hillier Gold Medal winning exhibit at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower for 25 years.
A regular contributor to magazines, newspapers and BBC Radio, Andy lectures widely at home and abroad. Special interests include hardy shrubs, trees, herbaceous perennials, flower bulbs, wildlife and garden design; he has authored books on all of these subjects.
A keen gardener Andy and his wife Ros have a two acre garden in Hampshire, U.K. that is open to groups by appointment. Started from scratch fifteen years ago, the garden is naturalistic in style, with an extensive wildflower meadow and informal planting. The emphasis is on foliage to provide colour and texture.

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