What it's like being a Horticultural student at Writtle...

Samuel Moore tells us what first interested him in Horticulture, and how he pursued his passion for plants by studying Horticulture at Writtle College. During his time at the College, Samuel, along with his classmates, has achieved many prestigious awards including 'Best in Show' at the Ideal Home Show earlier this year. But you'll see from Samuel's blog below, their success didn't end there! 
 

The only way in which my horticultural education experience can be best be described is 'magical'.

I first became interested in learning about plants and gardens when I was around about 15; this cumulated in myself studying an ICS Diploma in Garden Planning and Development and this allowed me to progress into studying at Writtle College.

I was offered a place on the Level 1 in Horticulture, but just a few days into the course the experienced and supportive staff at Writtle felt that I was capable to undertake my studies at level 2.  I learnt many practical skills and the theory behind their practise which enabled me to progress on to the level 3 Extended Diploma in Horticulture.

Samuel (right) and classmates at the Ideal Home Show

My time at Writtle College has enabled me to take advantage of a some fantastic experiences that all of the horticultural departments have made possible.  From designing and building a show garden at the prestigious Ideal Home Exhibition, to representing Writtle at the National Final IOH 'Young Horticulturalist of the Year'.   

Entering ‘Young Horticulturalist of The Year’ has left me feeling proud of my efforts and it has capped off a great academic year after achieving Gold, ‘Best in Show’ and ‘People’s Choice Award’ with the rest of my classmates for our show garden ‘Beyond the Wood’ at the Ideal Home Show.

I entered the IOH competition last minute and I would never had imagined reaching the final. The heat at Writtle was tense with two tie-breaks needed to separate a winner… something that was unheard of!

The regional final was nerve racking but good experience. The competition included plant and 'pest and disease' identification and buzzer rounds, along with directed questions. I managed to win the regional final which I never would of expected! 

The national final was exactly the same format as the regional final, and it was held at Barrington Court in Somerset. Again, I was nervous and the competition was of a very high calibre. The other competitors were very knowledgeable and my nerves left me too slow on the buzzer, which proved to me finishing 7th in the competition.

Ben Wincott (right) and students

I would recommend studying horticulture at Writtle College to anyone, as every aspect of the course is amazing. The opportunities and knowledge I have had access to has given me the confidence to continue my studies at Writtle on the Bsc (Hons) in Landscape and Garden Design.

Without Writtle, I wouldn’t have experienced the wonderful world of horticulture and the range of opportunities that are available through it. I particularly feel that the lecturers are of a high quality and that they put their students first, particularly Ben Wincott who absolutely inspires me with his knowledge and his attitude towards education, horticulture and his students.
 

Written by Samuel Moore

Build Week, Results and Elation!

So the build week was here, and for me it started at 7am, in a lorry, travelling up to London Olympia to unload the components for our show garden. It was to be a long and stressful week. Tensions ran high which was not helped by the hustle and bustle of the convention environment, and having to move all of our equipment multiple times, but as a team we worked through it.

Stress was alleviated in the evenings by calm group meals, and it was good to socialise with each other, leaving the stresses of the day behind us and preparing for the next working day.

The finished piece.

The plan was to be finished by the Wednesday, but we had not finished everything we wanted to, so a good percentage of us travelled back up to London to finish the garden. That evening, knowing what we had accomplished, it felt amazing and the excitement for the results was could be felt among the group.

Friday was the big day, our gardens were going to be open to the public and would be judged. Lecturer Ben Wincott, and student Sam Moore were initially interviewed for ITV, and we all eventually featured on the news item. An important role was bestowed upon Rob Band and Francesca Le Maistre Banham, they were chosen to pitch to the judges. Many of us would have been over the moon to have this opportunity, but we felt as a group, these two conveyed the passion and idea coherently and would be strong ambassadors of Writtle College. When they were speaking, the judges looked so invested in what they were saying, and this spread positivity through the group.

The winning team with their prizes.

Once this was completed it was time to wait.  We were all very proud of the garden we had created, but what we were awarded with blew our minds! Not only were we one of two gardens to get Gold , but we also got the coveted Best in Show award. All the hard work and the long hours had paid off, and we had done what we wanted to achieve.

I can personally say that I have so much pride for all of the group We stepped up our game and created a very ‘sexy’ looking garden, as said by Alan Titchmarsh. Receiving a compliment like ‘this garden should be at Chelsea’ is an accolade we did not expect. The support by the media and on social media has been incredible and has given all a hint on what we can actually achieve.
 

The Ideal Home Show has been an experience that will stay with me forever. Something that not many courses offer, which makes studying Horticulture unique. And with continued support like we have had this year, the gardens should just get better and better each year.
 

A massive thank you to all the sponsors, Ideal Home Show and definitely to Ben Wincott and Simon Watkins for their support.

Listen to what Alan Titchmarsh has to say about the award here: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152868772603473

Written by Joshua Kemp
 

Plants, plants, plants!

With less than two months to go until the Young Gardeners of the Year 2015 competition, our horticulture students are busy preparing their designs ready for display at the prestigious event.

In this blog, Joshua Kemp tells us of the importance of choosing the correct plant species for the competition, and how he plans to care and maintain the plants ready for the big day.

Growing plants in the Writtle College greenhouse

"With concepts and plans well on the way, focus has started to shift on the specifics for the Ideal Home Show Garden. This week we have been looking at what plants will be suitable for the show garden. This is important for me, as in my future work, being able to choose correct plants that are suitable for the location is part of being a successful horticulturist. 

Plants flourish in the Writtle College greenhouse

We have utilised college facilities by moving plants that we already have on site into greenhouses. We will then be able to manipulate what stage of the cycle the plants will be in for the show, by giving them the correct conditions that they would naturally have during the spring/summer seasons. This was one of my first experiences within the greenhouses, and through Writtle College I have been able to see the set up and operational procedure of them.

The next stage will be sourcing more ‘exotic’ plants for the garden…."

Written by Joshua Kemp

For more information on the launch, click here.

Young Gardeners of the Year 2015 blog - December 2015

Each year, Further Education Horticulture students from six of the UK's leading horticulture college's participate in the renowned Young Gardeners of the Year (YGOY) competition in London. This event provides a platform for aspiring young horticulture students to showcase their skills and knowledge in areas such as garden design, planting and landscaping. 

The YGOY team discussing designs

Writtle College students will be keeping a blog in the build up to the event in March 2015 to share their experiences of being part of such a popular show and demonstrate the amount of hard work that goes into creating a potential award winning garden.

First off, Josh Kemp informs us of the launch event and the excitement surrounding the 'ideas phase'!

"One of the main features of the year, and an event I have personally been looking forward to, is the Ideal Home Show Young Gardener of the Year Award. It was kicked off this year at the Ideal Home Christmas show at Earls Court with a presentation hosted by David Domoney. The competitor in me could not help but size up the competition. The other colleges are equally capable, but I am positive that Writtle can achieve big things this year.

Josh, left, sharing ideas on a Pinterest board

Since the opening presentation, among the Writtle students taking part, the energy surrounding the award has been almost tangible. It is infectious; to be in such a creative and dynamic environment again is extremely refreshing and inspiring. I set up a Pinterest Board so that any ideas can be visually linked between all the other students, helping us to come up with a collective design incorporating input from everyone. Having completed a design module last year, the team and I have been able to give informed ideas and much discussion has taken place giving me full belief in the ability and commitment of everyone involved. I am beyond excited to continue this process and see what we can achieve in the coming weeks and months. Who knows, the next great British designer could be among us…"

For more information on the launch, click here. 

Plant of the Day blog attracts an international audience!

Dr Jill Raggett of Writtle School of Design is the owner of the very popular imagery blog entitled ‘Plant of the Day’ on social media site Tumblr.

Started in September 2013, Dr Raggett takes time out of her extremely busy schedule to upload one plant per day. The image will always be an original photograph taken during the previous week and this level of dedication helps to ensure the blog is seasonally relevant. The image will also include a fact or comment about cultivation, history, use or design!

Dr Raggett, who is a lecturer in landscape architecture and garden design, explains why she created the blog and why she believes it has an international appeal…

“I devised the blog as a means to encourage students to look at plants wherever they are, whether that is in gardens, parks, public spaces, on the street, or even in supermarket car parks, to observe how plants can be used and add value.

The majority of blog followers are people worldwide who enjoy plants and gardens – from students in community colleges in USA and Canada, students studying landscape design in Canada, Argentinian landscape architects, people interested in plants in Korea and Japan, and the very proactive students of the prestigious Longwood Gardens in the USA, with people in Italy, Romania and Poland.

There is clearly a global appeal for English plants and gardens. I believe the tradition and heritage associated with horticulture in the UK makes the blog particularly desirable to the international followers. 

My hope for the blog is that the ‘Archive’ section will be useful especially to horticultural and design students as it is seasonal (for the UK) and they can view plants by the relevant month of their display value to help inspire and inform with their designs!”

Visit Dr Raggett’s Plant of the Day blog on Tumblr: www.jillraggett.tumblr.com

Visit Writtle School of Design: www.writtle.ac.uk/design

Visit Writtle College: www.writtle.ac.uk

Some like it hot - by Senior Lecturer Simon Hart

Simon Hart, Senior Lecturer in the School of Sustainable Environments, discusses the ornamental value of the Chilli pepper.

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Fresh chilli peppers (or chile if you prefer) are far more available than they have ever been as they are now being grown on a commercial scale in the UK.

Chilli peppers belong to the genus Capsicum, most falling into the species C. annuum, though some of the hotter types (eg. the scotch bonnets) are a different species,  C.chinensis.  Greenhouse trials carried out at Writtle College on behalf of Tozer seeds during summer 2013 featured over sixty different varieties, and this is by no means an exhaustive collection.

Growers have found that chillis do very well as a summer crop in greenhouses or polythene tunnels, they  give a reliable yield (the flowers are self pollinating) and providing  aphids are kept under control aren’t too troublesome in the way of maintenance.

Although famous for their variability in heat content, which goes from mildly warming to lethally hot, chill peppers also vary widely in size, shape and colour. As UK production becomes more widespread and availability increases more of the interesting colours and shapes are finding their way onto the market as fresh produce.

The ornamental value of fresh chilli peppers has been explored recently by BA Floristry students at Writtle College, who have been designing a range of chilli pepper based arrangements such as the example below.

The peppers themselves have been proving surprisingly versatile due to the wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours available.

Fruits are generally glossy, work well with similarly glossy foliage as background, but also bring an exciting variety of colour, shape and form to the design.

Below are a few of the different types the students have found work well in arrangements:

Scotch Bonnet type peppers are usually available in red, yellow and orange shades when ripe, though more unusually a deep glossy chocolate brown. Chefs use gloves when preparing these peppers as they are lethally hot, so take care when handling

Left - an unusual chocolate brown Scotch bonnet or Habanero type

  

Yellow fruited Cayenne type (right)

The red Cayenne peppers are fairly common, but the yellow fruited less so, this variety is small enough to grow as a pot plant and produces the peppers in clusters

Another Habanero type– the variety Hot Paper Lantern (left)

Hot like the scotch bonnets, but a more elongated fruit shape.  This variety looks quite dramatic if used as a length of stem with attached fruit.

Known for its high yield, the fruits are closer spaced along the stem than many other types. 

The unusual Cambuli (right) – highly decorative colour and shape, also note the particularly long stem on each fruit.

‘Vampire’ (left) – a chill bred in the UK by Tozers;  purple stems and foliage, purple fruit ripening to red, also unusual purple flowers.

Institute of Horticulture accreditation

Writtle College is renowned for the quality of its horticulture courses. Whether it’s an apprenticeship, post-GCSE course, degree programme or masters qualification, horticulture at Writtle attracts students from across the globe.

Here, Head of Further Education Horticulture, Tom Cole, discusses the College’s recent endorsement from the Institute of Horticulture.

Horticulture expert Tom Cole

 “Earlier this year I was delighted to attend the Institute of Horticulture (IoH) discussions over the institute accrediting courses. These discussions took place at the combined IoH Horticulture Training, Education and Careers Committee (HorTECC) and Horticulture Training and Education Providers Group (HorTEPG). I was fortunate to attend this alongside Higher Education Horticulture Course Scheme Manager and Senior Lecturer Sandra Nicholson who has a long association with the College. 

We were obviously thrilled to discover that the IoH had agreed to endorse Writtle College!

The question you may all be asking though is what does this mean for the College and what does it mean to students?

Writtle's Horticulture courses
attract a wide range of people

Well, firstly is means that Writtle has strengthened its links with the IoH. This is an extremely positive step as the two organisations enjoy an even closer relationship.

But most of all it is the recognition received from our leading professional body that we are a great institution offering excellent links and progression routes for all into the industry.  We’re also valued and respected and not just for Horticulture! This extends to Environmental Conservation, Countryside Management and Agriculture as well.

The people who benefit mostly from this are our students. They can come to Writtle and join our courses knowing they are going to be studying at a well-respected and historic institution that will give them the best chance possible of achieving their career ambitions.