PLANTSMANSHIP, ADDING AN EXTRA DIMENSION TO

Plantsmanship is knowledge of the diversity of plants and their cultivation and is achieved by integrating the practical experience of plant cultivation and management in nurseries, gardens and other landscapes with advanced knowledge of plant distribution, classification, diversity, structure, identification and recognition.
In 1992, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in conjunction with the Scottish Agricultural College and industry horticulturists developed a Plantsmanship program to train Scottish and international students in the special skills of horticulture to expand their employment opportunities and enhance horticulture production and management.
The course concentrates on the establishment, organisation, interpretation, structuring, use and maintenance of plant collections for stated aims.
The rationale, aims and objectives of the Plantsmanship program and the unique facilities and programs of the RBGE are discussed.
The Plantsmanship course of study includes core units in managing plant collections, designing plant collections, plant classifications and systematics, plant and habitat conservation and general plantsmanship principles.
A high percentage of course graduates continue in horticulture careers and/or pursue graduate studies in plant taxonomy, landscape design, or other avenues of horticulture.

XXVI International Horticultural Congress: The Knowledge Business: Horticulture Education and Knowledge Transfer

G. Anderson

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.641.20