Free RHS Level 2 lessons
One complete lesson from every topic of both exams: watch the video, read the key points, test yourself, and see how HortPass works before you buy.
How plants are named
Taxonomy from family to cultivar, how to write each part of a plant name for full credit, and how Plant Breeders' Rights protect new cultivars.
Biosecurity and plant passports
Biosecurity in the garden and beyond, the site factors that raise the risk, how climate change adds to it, and the role of plant passports and phytosanitary certificates.
Peat-free bulk constituents
What goes into a peat-free compost, what each ingredient does, why peat is being phased out, and how to turn that knowledge into full marks on an explain question.
Planting well
The planting process step by step, staking and support, the effects of poor practice, and why timing, aftercare and weed management decide whether new plants establish.
Seeds: dispersal, storage and germination
How seeds travel in space and in time, the difference between orthodox and recalcitrant seeds, and how seeds sense the right moment to germinate.
Historic styles I: Renaissance to Gardenesque
The design characteristics of Renaissance gardens, the Landscape style, the Picturesque and the Gardenesque, and the features and plants that belong to each.
Gardening and wellbeing
The social benefits of gardening and of green spaces, how garden design can promote health and mindfulness, and horticulture's historic role in improving people's lives.
Biodiversity policy and legislation
The purpose and importance of biodiversity laws and policies across the UK and its devolved nations, and how they affect garden maintenance, community and heritage horticulture, and garden styles.