Expand Your Native Plant Knowledge
Get to know the native plants that form the green spine of life
Want to discover which plants support which pollinators, polish your tree-ID skills, or wade into wetlands science? You’ll find these and other topics among the varied programs that we offer each year. Our programs integrate current research and best practices in native plant botany and conservation, botanically inspired art and writing, and ecological gardening. Join us online and throughout New England with offerings for all learning backgrounds, from beginning gardeners to conservation professionals.
Course Levels
Our courses are offered for a variety of native plant backgrounds and knowledge bases to provide the widest range of learning opportunities.
ALL: Any experience level
BEG: No previous coursework or experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn.
INT: Participation in our Basic Certificate, experience with home gardening, or early-career professional in botany, horticulture, or conservation.
ADV: Mid-career professional in botany, horticulture, or conservation, and students in our Advanced Certificate programs.
Reach out to our team at education@NativePlantTrust.org or 774-301-8451 for help in choosing the best learning journey for you.
Attention, teachers in Massachusetts: At Garden in the Woods, we offer an engaging set of school programs tied to state curriculum standards!
Have questions about how to register, pay for classes, and related topics? Please see answers to frequently asked questions here.
Continuing Education Units for Professionals
Many of our programs qualify for CEUs
The following organizations allow selected Native Plant Trust programs to qualify for CEUs in horticulture, forestry, agriculture, and related professions:
Continuing Forestry Education (CFE)
- View our programs that qualify for this credit.
Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist (MCH)
- View our programs that qualify for this credit.
Massachusetts Certified Landscape Professional (MCLP)*
- View our programs that qualify for this credit.
*Programs receive 1/4 MCLP credit for every class hour completed
Our programs may also qualify for credits with the following organizations:
Online Courses and Resources
Support for your learning journey
We offer several types of online courses:
- live webinars with post-event recordings
- longer live-virtual classes providing the chance to interact with your instructor
- university-style, self-paced courses with multiple ways to participate
No matter which type of online course you choose, you can also take advantage of these free resources, available on our website 24/7:
- Start learning about the plants around you anytime with our free, online plant identification tool, Go Botany. This botanical database holds complete information on all 3,500 plant species, native and non-native, in the New England landscape. Trace your species through range maps, photos, and detailed botanical descriptions and drawings.
- Gardeners and designers, both amateur and pro: Check out our free, online Garden Plant Finder to find the right plant for your ecoregion, soil type, and other specifics of your site, as well as the desired height, color, and other characteristics.
Developing online courses takes time, expertise, and funding. Click here to support the development of more online offerings to reach learners in all corners of New England.