Being a Garden Writer

Horticulture Journalism - Would you like to be a gardening writer?

Gardening Writers are a mixed breed.

They need to be first of all, skilled at writing, and able to produce what an employer wants. Until you can do this, you simply don't get published.Some come to garden writing from being a gardener or professional horticulturist first.

Others come to the job from being a writer first.

Some plan to be a garden writer, and succeed by preparing their skills and working to achieve that plan. Many however will come to it almost incidentally; being asked by someone to write for a gardening newsletter, web site or print publication because they have either some writing or horticultural knowledge (or both).

If you want to be a Garden Writer, what can you do?

Study - both horticulture and writing
Network - with other writers, and gardeners.
Join clubs, associations and so on.
Go to conferences.
Visit garden shows.
Be gregarious .... talk to the people you meet
Get something published - don't expect to be paid at first.
Getting the first work in print or online is difficult, but it opens doors for further opportunities.
Persist - it can sometimes take years to get a breakthrough.
Get advice - you can get advice from experienced garden writers through the ACS career advisory service.

Possible Courses

The most suitable course will depend on your level of knowledge and skill in horticulture and writing.

If you already have experience in horticulture, then your focus for a course would most likely be in writing.

We have a range of options you might like to consider, such as

Technical Writing

Freelance Writing

If you would like more knowledge of horticulture, we offer a wide range of courses in horticulture. You can view all of the horticulture courses here.

If you would like advice on which course(s) are most suitable to you, make use of our expertise and talk to one of our horticulture or writing tutors. Please click here to contact them.

Horticultural eBooks

Our horticultural science staff have over the years written a large range of book and ebooks, many of which are are available through our school's online book store.

To visit the book store and browse some of these titles, click on any of the books below: