Program Overview

Women Gardeners Course

Course Description

The Women Gardeners course is a re-examination of the women gardeners who created grand estates, public parks, municipal landscapes, and private sanctuaries from the 17th century to the modern era. This course goes beyond the well-known gardens by Jekyll and Lindsay and discusses women who are little known today yet created many fine houses and estates.

Course Objectives

The course recognizes women's contributions to gardening in Britain and around the world, spanning more than four centuries. It explores the influence of women gardeners on the style of gardens in the present day and their fundamental role in both garden making and the discussion and study of garden history.

Learning and Teaching

The course will consist of lectures, case studies, and group discussions.

Coursework and Assessment

To award credits, evidence of the knowledge and skills gained or improved is required. The assessment methods are designed to increase confidence and are enjoyable and suitable for adults with busy lives.

Reading Suggestions

• Stephen Anderton: Lives of the Great Gardeners (Thames and Hudson Ltd – Oct 2016)
• Sue Bennett: Five Centuries of Women and Gardens: 1590s-1990s (National Portrait Gallery Publications– Oct 2000)
• Jinny Blom: The Thoughtful Gardener: An Intelligent Approach to Garden Design (Jacqui Small LLP – Mar 2017)
• Ursula Buchan: Garden People: Valerie Finnis & The Golden Age of Gardening (Thames and Hudson Ltd; 1st edition (7 May 2007)
• Ambra Edwards: Head Gardeners (Pimpernel Press Ltd - 21 Sept. 2017)
• Kate Felus: The Secret Life of the Georgian Garden: Beautiful Objects and Agreeable Retreats (I.B.Tauris – 30 Apr 2016)
• Catherine Horwood: Gardening Women: Their Stories From 1600 to the Present Hardcover (Virago May 2010)
• Deborah Kellaway: The Virago Book Of Women Gardeners (Virago;– 1 Sep 2016)
• George Plumptre: The English Country House Garden: Traditional Retreats to Contemporary Masterpieces (Frances Lincoln (4 Sept. 2014)
• Victoria Summerley: Secret Gardeners: Britain's Creatives Reveal Their Private Sanctuaries (Frances Lincoln (5 Oct. 2017)
• Twigs Way: Virgins Weeders and Queens: A History of Women in the Garden (The History Press – 15 Dec 2006)

Library and Computing Facilities

As a student on this course, you are entitled to join and use the University's library and computing facilities.

Accessibility

The University aims to provide a confidential advice and support service for any student with a long-term medical condition, disability, or specific learning difficulty. Support services include one-to-one advice, pre-enrolment visits, liaison with tutors, material in alternative formats, arrangements for accessible courses, assessment arrangements, loan equipment, and dyslexia screening.

Part-time Courses for Adults

The University offers a range of part-time courses in humanities, languages, business, computing, politics and law, science and environment, and social studies.