Landscape Horticulture Certificate

This certificate provides participants with the foundational knowledge to work in the field of professional landscape services.

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Students looking closely at a tree

Campus

  • Kelowna
  • Distance
View schedule and campus details
Legend:
  • Full program offered
  • Partial program offered

Credential

Certificate

Delivery options

Full-Time, Part-Time

Tuition and fees

2023-24: $1,362.39

Program details

The landscape industry has seen increased consumer demand for professional landscape services. This 120-hour program provides the core skills required for employment in this growing industry, as well as upgrading for those currently involved with the various phases of landscape horticulture. Persons with responsibilities for administering landscape construction or maintenance contracts will also find the program beneficial. The Landscape Horticulture Certificate program also provides a solid foundation for individuals interested in pursuing advanced studies in specialized horticulture disciplines such as turf grass maintenance, landscape design, and nursery propagation.

landscape horticulture instructor

Jeanette Merrick is an ISA Certified Arborist and trained as a Tree Risk Assessor as well as the instructor for the Okanagan College Landscape Horticulture Certificate Program.

Her experiences from the extreme prairie weather to the west coast has lead to a career in arboriculture and plant care consulting.  She has owned her own landscaping company, worked in research, as a tree climber, pest management technician and tree care crew manager.  The last 10 years have been focused in the Okanagan region. 

Time spent at the top of trees allowed her to feel tree movement, experience bio-mechanics as well as recreational climbing.  During the years researching for nurseries, municipalities and federal funded pest management she traveled regularly through the Pacific Northwest for conferences, workshops and seminars, assisting with coordination of speakers for the International Society of Arboriculture.

Her enthusiasm for providing the best risk management options and preventative care for all tree and shrub situation has lead to T.R.E.E.S. A company committed to providing Tree Related Expertise and Education Solutions.

 

Volunteer work:

 

 

Landscape students with certificates

"I highly recommend the Landscape Horticulture course offered through Okanagan College to any property maintenance/landscaping companies in the area . The course covers everything that we offer in our business such as turf maintenance, tree and shrub pruning, plant identification and care, pest and disease management and even landscape design.  Our instructor, Eric Reynard, was very knowledgeable and offered all the current information on best practices in the industry.  Field days where we walked around campus and the city parks identifying trees and shrubs, were wonderful hands-on learning experiences and the class discussions were invaluable.  Moving here from Saskatchewan, it was important for our business to learn about the native plants and growing zones in B.C. Our goal is to have all of our employees complete this course!"

Lavonne Gorrill, pictured with Harold Fitzpatrick
Home Huggers Property Maintenance

 

Kyle Kivilahti landscape horticulture graduate

"…after a year in business and now going into my second year, I want to let you know how thankful I am that I took your course. It was a lot to learn, but after letting it soak in and use the knowledge over last season and then self-educating myself this winter and working on my pesticide applicator course, I have realized and appreciate how much you taught me in the short class time we were in. The value of your course was massive against what I paid. I just wanted to thank you again."

Kyle Kivilahti
Dirt Dude Landscaping

 

 

 

 

Being newly retired, I signed up for the OC – Landscape and Horticulture Certificate in September 2020.  Due to COVID, it was the college’s first time with an online hybrid course.  The course content work was completed twice per week online with practical sessions on Saturdays.  I found the methodology successful and the various computer platforms easy to utilize.  I selected my large flower bed as my chosen project for the course.  I used the vast majority of the course material in order to remove and reposition plants, build up a proper soil foundation, choose appropriate plants for my area and understand the ongoing maintenance of my chosen plants.   As part of my project work I root pruned in the fall to ensure my larger shrubs and bushes were successfully transplanted in the spring.  For my particular area of the Okanagan Valley, I had to choose plants which were deer/marmot resistant, drought tolerant but which still attracted both bees and butterflies into the area.  The hands-on course work was extremely relevant to my successful implementation of a new garden.  The early spring of 2021 saw my flower bed with nothing but new soil and just a few existing bushes.  By June 2021, all my newly chosen plants were in the ground and growing well.  All my previously root pruned bushes were repositioned and thriving. By September 2021, my front yard flower bed was mature, colorful, showing numerous bees and butterflies, and surprisingly, with very little deer damage.  Going forward, I will utilize my plant maintenance schedule, which was developed in the course, to ensure all plants are handled properly for the winter and prepared for next spring. I continually utilize the trimming and pruning techniques that I learned and now have healthy, properly shaped bushes and trees.

The instructor, Jeanette Merrick, was extremely knowledgeable on all module materials and ensured the Saturday practicums were great fun while we learned the required course content.  Jeanette was organized, confident and relaxed while teaching both the theory and hands-on portions of the Landscape and Horticulture Certificate.  I would definitely recommend this course to persons with an interest in landscape and plants in general.

Wynn Trumpour 

 

This program is currently under review.

Campus Start date Schedule
Kelowna Jan. 2025

Admission requirements

  • No admission requirements.

Program outline

HT 11 - Botany and Soil Science
HT 12 - Plant Identification
HT 13 - Landscape Construction
HT 14 - Landscape Maintenance
Students must pass each course with a minimum grade of 60% to receive a certificate.
Additional information

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Learn more about the department
View the Tuition and fees page

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