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