Two
conversations recently about the terrible state of horticultural
education in Britain: both with former teachers at (former)
horticultural colleges. Another reason for national shame – the
world's leading garden nation (well probably!) has now hardly any
college courses teaching horticulture. As for 'adult education', run
by local councils, this was something we used to be really good at,
but it began to run into problems back in the 1980s, and then be
starved of funding from the 1990s onwards. It is now effectively
dead. 'Lifestyle' publishing stressing design
over gardenING. End result is a whole generation seems to be growing
up not knowing how to prune, take cuttings, grow their own bedding
plants.
I
feel more and more concerned and interested in the whole issue of
'garden education'. I write as someone who has worked in adult
education in the dim and distantly youthful past, and socially I move
in a world where there are a lot of professional educators. As a
writer and 'communicator' I am fascinated by information and how you
present it, in particular the challenge of how you break down really
complex or counter-intuitive information and get it across. I really
feel its part of my mission now.
Teaching
gardening is a complicated business, which is perhaps one reason why
I find it so fascinating. It is a mix of art, craft and science. Art
means creativity, and beyond the basic growing of lettuces in
straight lines, almost any gardening involves some creativity. By
craft I mean the application of a set of skills, something which
through constant repetition, you get better at. When people talk
about science however, what they often mean is technology, a trial
and error process of making something work. Understanding some basic
plant science however, does help a lot – it enables you to take
some acquired knowledge and then apply it to new situations.
OK,
that's enough definition defining. One of the wonderful things about
gardening is the way that leads people who often don't think of
themselves as artistic into creative activity. Just how do you set
out the begonias you just bought from the garden centre? Now that you
have got the clippers out, just how are you going to shape that
hedge? Shall I buy those screaming pink lythrums and put them next to
the yellow rudbeckia? Traditionally gardening was essentially a craft
activity, the perfecting of skills which could be applied in more or
less creatively, depending on the person. Most would clip a hedge to
a straight line, but those who felt like it could turn their skills
to castellations or curves. Artistry and creativity have always been
like optional add-ons; more or less as mood and confidence allow.
The
last thirty odd years however have seen a 'design revolution' which
has completely turned the craft/art equation around. The creativity
of many gardeners (very often women, traditionally rather
marginalised) has been given a boost, but at the expense of the
passing on of the craft skills necessary for quality garden
maintenance. Gardening media have focussed on 'getting the look'
rather than 'how to do it', and have simply not been transmitting the
nitty-gritty practical knowledge. We now face the situation of
gardeners 'getting the look' but being unable to keep it. And no use
turning to professional gardeners, because there are not many of
them, and so many of the semi-skilled ones are precisely that,
capable of doing the basics but with no real depth of skill or plant
knowledge; they can mow, clip and weed, but cant' prune properly,
propagate or train.
We,
in Britain, don't do too badly with 'garden schools', privately-run
institutions which put on day classes on various aspects of
gardening, and garden design. These to some extent make up the slack
left by the loss of council adult education. Except that most of them
are in the south and south-east of the country and are marketed at,
and priced for, older and reasonably well-off people. If you are a
youngster trying to get into gardening these days, or find out more,
the opportunities are greatly reduced.
What
do the 'garden schools' offer? A lot actually, up to a point. Getting
big name speakers is part of the appeal, so there is an opportunity
to learn from real expertise and knowledge. However, the quality of
teaching is pretty basic, so basic that 'teaching' had better go in
inverted commas – it's actually lecturing. Most of the speakers at
these events give a good lecture, and that's that. There is often
little 'active learning', where participants have to do things; the
design-orientated courses seem to be ones most likely to include an
active participation element. However good a lecturer is, they cease
to be good after about an hour or so – the human mind only has a
limited ability to concentrate, and after a while begins to switch
off. Another activity is needed to refresh the mind and preferably,
to enable information acquired to be put into practice.
There
are garden lecturers who seem to think that showing slides and
talking to people for hours at a time is 'education'. Sorry, its not
- its being 'talked at'. I remember one experience, in the US, where
a speaker lectured an audience for two hours solid in a temperature
of over 30C, allowing the prisoners a brief break and then launching
into another hour. The few gardening conferences (all in the US)
annoy me too, wall to wall lectures but no conferring.
The
trick is to design events where participants can do something: make
lists of plants, analyse plans, take some cuttings, discuss a plant
selection, prune a rose bush. Its not always easy, as venues often
don't have enough space or facilities to allow this. But this active
engagement is vital, if information gained is actually to be retained
and internalised.
Which,
in short, is why Annie Guilfoyle and I have started the Garden
Masterclasses. 13 events and 20 tutors across 8 venues, in the
South-West, South Wales, South East, Cotswolds, Lincolnshire,
Yorkshire and Scotland.
Find
out more here and come and join us:
5 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree with your hands-on approach to make the teaching 'stick'. About four years ago I spoke at a Garden Club meeting in Surrey, B.C. and took along a huge pot of plectranthus and some geraniums. My topic was 'taking cuttings'. No slides. Just pruners, a hole poker, and some 4" pots of soil for those who'd like to try. There's much to be learned in the actual doing.
An eighty-nine year old confided to me last meeting that I was the best speaker they'd ever had.Ten minutes of talking about it and twenty minutes of people taking turns.
Mary Openshaw, Surrey, B.C.
I wholeheartedly agree with your hands-on approach to make the teaching 'stick'. About four years ago I spoke at a Garden Club meeting in Surrey, B.C. and took along a huge pot of plectranthus and some geraniums. My topic was 'taking cuttings'. No slides. Just pruners, a hole poker, and some 4" pots of soil for those who'd like to try. There's much to be learned in the actual doing.
An eighty-nine year old confided to me last meeting that I was the best speaker they'd ever had.Ten minutes of talking about it and twenty minutes of people taking turns.
Mary Openshaw, Surrey, B.C.
A thoughtful and excellent analysis Noel
You will never replace sound horticultural courses and proper high quality practical experience for the training of horticultural professionals.
I wish you all the best for what looks like an excellent course Noel ... but ir still seems to rely on 'personalities' and middle class people with time and resources
The only good thing on the horizon is the wealth of information out on the net and a young person with a sound science background or even just a questioning mind can navigate between accurate information and the dross put out by much of the media
I am not sure that I completely agree with you on this Noel.... (and most of the time I am hollering "here, here" reading your blog)...The thing about gardening is that it is mostly done by amateurs and it is a craft and a hobby that you learn as you do it... teaching can only take you so far....Then it is a question of trial and error and observation and perseverance and sheer good luck. .. I am not sure that we should be "teaching" rights and wrongs.. it might take the fun and experiment out of it!
Really agree with many of the points you make...As you note, horticulture is a curious combination of art, science and craft...Hands-on learning of propagation, pruning, growing from seed, soil preparation, etc. is the best way to have the knowledge thoroughly embedded. Theory reinforced with practical application, then repeated until it is deeply ingrained... Also, too often there seem to still be huge chasms between the worlds of garden designers, who unfortunately often lack a comprehensive knowledge of plant requirements, and actual gardeners, who also sometimes have only the most basic knowledge of plant materials and even less about design. Of course there are many well-rounded experienced gardeners around, but just as many 'hack and wackers' whose pruning atrocities one can see fairly often. It seems a shame that these two solitudes could not overlap more, for the benefit of garden health and aesthetics. More opportunities for a well-rounded horticultural education are definitely needed. I shall look into your program with interest : )
Post a Comment