Morris Arboretum & Gardens has announced 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 p.m. 

Geared toward avid home gardeners and landscape professionals who are 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.

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. Using hands-on and classroom instruction, the program teaches design and stewardship strategies that address these relationships holistically rather than focusing 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 who 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.