‘Blended’ learning is designed primarily for experienced amateurs and for working horticulturists who wanted to have their abilities recognised with an RHS qualification, but who cannot attend a regular class close to home. 
It combines regular distance learning using weekly idents, online notes, videos and presentations; practice at home; and blocks of practical teaching to prepare for practical assessment sessions (PCAs) by an RHS examiner.
It will consist of two blocks of practical tuition and work with experienced tutors/assessors either at our centre at Ryton Gardens, Ryton-on-Dunsmore near Coventry, or at North Moreton near Didcot in Oxfordshire.
These practical tuition days are designed to perfect your skills, correct any poor techniques and also to give you a chance to practise any tasks which are not easy to cover or resource at home ( e.g. assessing soil using a profile pit and also using pH and EC meters) culminating in a ‘mock’ , working against the clock under assessment conditions. On Friday the centre will make preparations with the RHS for your two-hour PCA assessment on the Saturday.
There is also a 75-minute online examination which is taken at home, on 19 June 2026.  The online notes (broken up into weekly task groups with self-test quizzes) will prepare learners for this.
For full details of the dates for each centre please see the course information pages.

Level 3 Practical was taught for the first time in 2023-4; it is assessed by a single Practical Competence Assessment, plus a separate ‘professional discussion’ and an online examination. We hope to have complete materials ready to offer Level 3 as blended learning in 2026.