In article , Sacha
wrote:

On 1/6/04 20:23, in article , "Stan The Man"
wrote:

snip

I think there's an important distinction to be drawn between trained
and qualified horticulturists who become garden writers and TV
presenters and those who are self-taught. IIRC, AT, Joe Swift, RdeT,
Chris Beardshaw, James Alexander Sinclair and Sarah Raven have all
gained their diploma from the Royal Botanical Gardens School of
Horticulture or some other recognised teaching institution. I therefore
trust them. On the other hand, I do not think that Monty Don or
Diarmuid Gavin or Charlie Dimmock has any formal horticultural
training. In my book, they are 'winging it' based on their still
limited experience and hence, in terms of general garden programme
presentation, they are liable to make mistakes.

snip


I will tell you now that we have garden designers and so-called qualified
horticulturists into this nursery often (and all nurserymen we know have
experienced this) who will pick the brains of the long-serving but
diploma-less owners of such Nurseries. We have also had students visiting
us to do precisely this. One used to work for us until a year ago and now
earns a large wage, based to a considerable degree on coming here to ask for
my husband's (free) advice!
Such people are launching themselves upon a gardening career but have no
soundly based plant knowledge.
I'm sure many work hard for their diplomas and then to gain practical
knowledge - but some, perhaps many, have problems identifying which plant
to put in which particular condition but dupe others into thinking they're
'experts' because they have a bit of paper.

About two years ago we visited the locally famous garden of a friend of mine
and in our company was an RHS diploma student in her mid-50s - very
intelligent woman, very - extremely - keen on plants. So - our hostess,
who is much older than I am, showed my husband a climbing rose of great
health and vigour and said "why has this never flowered?" Zero answer from
RHS diploma-bearer but my husband said "because it's a Rosa Banksiae and
your gardener keeps cutting it back". Correct.

Then our hostess showed us her rather wonderful Camellias which were mulched
with bark chippings by her elderly gardener who wished to cut down his
weeding time. In a small way, these Camellias and this garden are a bit
well known so "why are they going yellow?" she asked Ray. He explained the
action of rotting bark. The RHS diploma holder had nothing to say and later
admitted she knew nothing of this. On the whole of the tour of this rather
large garden, diploma holder didn't know the names of many plants but my
husband recognised every one of them and identified others for the owner.
Even I knew the names of plants this RHS person didn't know.

My husband holds no diplomas, or certificates, but is a nurseryman of over
50 years experience, has the guts to say "I don't know" when he doesn't
know, and can advise or help people within an enormous range of gardening
from sheer hands on experience over a long period. He has learned by doing
in the days when a diploma to go gardening or grow plants for sale would
have been laughable.
NOTHING is a substitute for a keen ear and eye, a genuine interest, a lack
of self-interest versus a love of plants and a large dose of humility,
carefully applied, as a mulch. Please, for your own sake, do NOT be
convinced by bits of paper alone and don't endorse or dismiss people on
those grounds, either. While I wouldn't dream of knocking those who work
hard to get a diploma or such qualification, I'll take experience over a
diploma any day when it comes to gardening and I always have.

So possibly you would agree with me that the combination of a diploma
AND experience would be the best of all possible worlds. Unfortunately,
those who have never been properly trained can never achieve both.

Simon