the horticultural correspondence college
Founded in the 1930s, HCC was one of the first specialist horticultural distance
learning colleges, enabling people from anywhere to gain rewarding skills in
horticulture and gardening. We are proud that people consider us to be one of
the most respected colleges for gaining horticultural skills whilst studying at
home. Our former principal Oliver Menhinick was recognised for his contribution
to horticultural education with awards including an MBE. He sadly passed away in
2013, however we are proud to carry on his work - helping people gain valuable
skills and knowledge so they can enjoy fulfilling new careers or more from their
interests. As a college that deeply cares about helping our students succeed, we
always appreciate their feedback*: “I really enjoyed the course and have just
started a job as a gardener in Nottinghamshire and I'm loving it. Thank you.”
“I've found the course material easy to use, well-structured and it is providing
me with an excellent grounding in gardening. I am already using the knowledge
gained in my own garden and putting it to use as a volunteer assistant gardener
at a stately home!” “Staff are very helpful. I had lovely comments from the
tutor who marked my assignments.” “Everyone I have dealt with has been most
accommodating. The constructive comments from my tutor have been very helpful it
has been a pleasure doing the course. The books and material I have accumulated
throughout the course has been useful in projects around my garden thank you.”
“Challenging but in a fantastic way! I can’t believe how much I am learning!”
Our courses We provide a comprehensive range of fulfilling courses and career
pathways across gardening, garden design, floristry, arboriculture, forestry,
and farming. Our course materials are straight-forward to understand and break
topics down into simple steps, making them easy to digest. This style enables
our students to study at times and places that suit them – with the convenience
of being able to fit their studies around their work and family commitments.
Upon successful completion of your course you will either be awarded the HCC
Certificate1 which, because of HCC’s reputation, can be a useful addition to
your CV or a qualification issued by one of the awarding bodies below. Some of
our courses also prepare learners for exams or produce portfolios towards
qualifications from respected external awarding bodies, including: Royal
Horticultural Society Royal Forestry Society ABC Awards Quality License Scheme
