Gardening for Beginners - Mondays 7 - 9 pm

Portmarnock Community School Adult Education Programme:

Learn the fundamentals of growing plants (both edible and ornamental) successfully and of getting the most out of your space, no matter how small. The 10-week course aims to introduce participants to the basics of growing plants successfully and to give them a good understanding of how  plants function and what they require to grow well. The sessions will be mostly classroom based material with some practical elements, such as demonstrations of pruning and potting.

The course would suit people completely new to gardening as well as budding gardeners who are keen to expand their knowledge.

Classes will cover Gardening for Biodiversity, Plant Division, Cuttings, Feeding, Watering, Pruning, Principals of Garden Design, Seed Sowing, and Soil Health.

Next Course starts:   21st September 2026     7:00-9:00pm    Cost - €110

Course duration: 10 weeks

About the Tutor: Muriel Farrell is a self-employed professional at Woodhams Ecological, Horticultural & Design Consultancy Services. She offers a variety of services including garden designs, maintenance plans, biodiversity action plans, talks, workshops, and gardening classes. Her educational background includes Level 5 & 6 in Amenity Horticulture from Teagasc and a B.Sc. in Horticulture from SETU. Professionally, she has experience in award-winning garden design, teaching, supervising, research, and creating landscaping prescriptions for biodiversity and habitat management. Additionally, she has expertise in ecological fieldwork, meticulous record-keeping, plant propagation, and food production.