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A smiling man in a red shirt holds a bush that he is place in a hole in soil.

Morris Arboretum & Gardens Launches Certificate in Ecological Horticulture

Philadelphia, PA—Morris Arboretum & Gardens is pleased to announce a new Certificate in Ecological Horticulture, aimed at helping individuals gain proficiency in creating and maintaining landscapes that are grounded in ecological principles and practice. The program will be introduced at a Virtual Open House on May 8, 2025, at 7 pm. Learn more at morrisarb.org/certificate.

Geared toward avid home gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop a deeper understanding of sustainable landscape design and management, this classroom and field-based program is a series of 12 courses that are open to the public. The program is self-paced and can be completed in one year of intensive learning or up to several years at a slower pace. The first four courses in the series will be offered in fall 2025.

Green and white logo with words Ecological Horticulture in the center

The program approaches each garden as a complex living system, where plants, soil, water, animals, climate, human activity, and other elements interact with and influence each other. In hands-on and classroom instruction, the program teaches design and stewardship strategies that address these relationships holistically rather than focus on individual components in isolation. The program will focus on the Southeast Pennsylvania region.

Instructors in the certificate program include Morris staff members as well as other local professionals that are regionally and nationally acclaimed in ecological horticulture.

  • The program includes 12 required courses (8–10 hours each) and two elective courses, with an anticipated 124 hours of learning in the classroom and in the field (about a 50/50 split). 
  • Students can progress through the curriculum at their own pace, completing all requirements over one year or up to three-plus years. 
  • Registration in the program involves a $45 initial fee to sign up as a certificate seeker. Each course is priced depending on hours of instruction, averaging $25 per hour. The anticipated total cost for completion of the entire course series is roughly $3,000.

Interested in learning more? Join us at our Virtual Open House on May 8 at 7:00 pm, where you’ll be able to meet some of our expert certificate program staff and instructors, ask questions, and get answers. Learn more at morrisarb.org/certificate.