RHS exam

Today was the dreaded day of the RHS Level 3 practical.So glad its over! Took the exam at Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire, a lovely old manor house in parkland that used to be an agricultural college satellite of Writtle College but is now part of Bedford College. There's a Swiss garden open to the public and an air museum as well. But no time for sightseeing today, just 3 hours of practical exams. Our group did the Potting Shed first-seed sowing, transplanting, cuttings and pruning exercises. Not too bad except I cut my last pelargonium cutting in half by mistake and ended up with 9 instead of 10. Lets hope the examiner can't count. Then the plant idents, soil testing and sampling -managed to remember most of my latin names, including weeds-taraxacum officinale sounds so much more interesting than dandelion. The killer was the Plot-three lots of digging, sowing grass seed in a circle, transplanting wallflowers, more seed sowing and planting a shrub. Ran out of time and energy on this one and had to leave the seed sowing as I couldn't physically dig any more either. Extremely hard work but nothing unexpected. Hope I did enough to pass as I couldn't face doing it again! Off on a well deserved long weekend now.

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Comment by vegman on September 10, 2010 at 6:23: Wow, That sounds like a lot of hard work for anybody. I wonder why they insist on so much? Best of luck. I am on the RHS Level 2 and that is hard enough. Have a great weekend.

Comment by Damo on September 10, 2010 at 18:08: Tired just ready your list of tests, good luck!

Comment by Damo on September 10, 2010 at 18:09: so tired I couldn't type the word "reading" properly!

Comment by Sarah Rideout on September 12, 2010 at 21:06: Well done Jan, a friend has just done hers and said it was exhausting. Good luck, hopefully they will be so impressed with your pelargonium cuts they won't notice the number.

Comment by Caroline Turner on September 13, 2010 at 14:40: Wow - sounds tricky, well done, hope you pass! I just passed Level 2 and can't help now but think of weeds as Cardamina Hirsuta or Capsella Bursa Pastoris! Really enjoyed it but I have to admit Level 3 sounds VERY hard! And there isn't a local college offering it either, so I'll have to be satisfied with Level 2 for now, it's enough for an amateur gardener like me.

Comment by Debbie on September 13, 2010 at 20:16: Well done I am in awe of you. I did Level 2 a few years ago and forgot how hard it was so in a moment of madness I signed up for Level 3 but did not finish. Now, of course, I regret being such a wimp. Well done for sticking at it and I do hope that you achieve the pass you clearly deserve.

Comment by Jan Willetts on September 13, 2010 at 20:22: Thanks for all the lovely comments on the RHS exam, its been a long hard slog and I have to say that if i fail I just can't contemplate taking resits. I had hoped to carry on and get the Diploma but my local colleges aren't running it or the new version out this year, so I will have time to enjoy the garden and read for pleasure instead.

Comment by vegman on September 14, 2010 at 7:35: Hi Jan,
There is a lot to be said for having 'time to enjoy the garden and read for pleasure instead'! I think it was Gillian who posted a comment on here about how many of us take the time to sit and enjoy what we have got; very hard when you keep noticing weeds that need pulling etc! Enjoy your life and take GREAT satisfaction in what you have achieved.

Comment by Denise Major on September 14, 2010 at 14:55: Hi Jan,
Fingers crossed that you have passed - the exam sounds very hard. Shuttleworth College was a lovely place to take it. What plans do you have when you have heard that you have passed? Keep us posted.