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Learn with Andy McIndoe

Shrubs

Get advice from Andy McIndoe on how you can use shrubs to create simple but effective planting combinations for designer impact in any garden.

Course overview

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.

Meet Andy McIndoe

Andy McIndoe is our 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.

Course description

RHS Chelsea Gold Medal winner and expert gardener Andy McIndoe teaches you how to choose the right shrub for your garden and how to maintain, prune and combine other plants with shrubs.

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. Shrubs play a key role in garden designs throughout the seasons, including flowering shrubs and evergreen shrubs.

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 will help you choose the right shrub for every situation in your garden, and at any time of the year.

You'll learn:
  • how to choose shrubs for your garden and planting designs
  • how and when to prune shrubs
  • combining shrubs with other plants
  • choosing shrubs for fragrance, foliage, flowers, colour or structure
  • planting shrubs

    • 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.

    The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Andy McIndoe
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical shrub related projects (with tutor feedback available)
  • 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 shrubs course:

    Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 13 hours 20 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 1 hours 20 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your planting design projects: at least 2 hours 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 special equipment, but you will be planning which shrubs you could use in various garden situations.

    This course is suitable for gardeners at all levels - from people new to gardening to professional gardeners who are keen to understand more about the use of shrubs.

    Ready to get started?

    Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Andy on your garden shrubs and 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.