St Andrews Botanic Garden (SABG) and the Tom Stuart-Smith Studio are offering a unique professional development opportunity for horticulturists, designers, and ecologists.
Students and professionals in horticulture, design, and ecology are invited to join the two-day Untangling Plants CPD event, a hands-on research experience where participants help build a pioneering digital resource tracking plant performance, adaptation, and ecological function.
As climate change continues to challenge conventional planting strategies, the project seeks to provide an evidence-based knowledge base for practitioners, enabling more resilient and biodiverse planting design. The project offers an opportunity to engage with a diverse plant collection while building practical skills and contributing to meaningful research.
Working in the Plant Library at Serge Hill, participants will actively measure plant morphology to maximise knowledge exchange and interactions with the plants. Under the guidance of Millie Souter, Head Gardener for the Plant Library, and Dr Harry Watkins, Executive Director of SABG, attendees will collect specimens for analysis by the St Andrew Botanic Garden team. This data will be used to assess carbon and water relations, competitive vigour and stress tolerance. It will also be connected to the existing Tangled Bank database at St Andrews Botanic Garden.
©Serge Hill Project
The sessions are open to students and professionals with basic to intermediate plant knowledge, and participants must attend both full days. Places are limited to 30, ensuring a focused, collaborative environment. Benefits include lunch, a certificate of completion, recognition as co-authors on a forthcoming peer-reviewed article, and priority booking for future Untangling Plants sessions later in 2026. The program includes expert-led seminars covering planting design, climate resilience, and ecological principles.
Applications are now open, offering practitioners an opportunity to engage in hands-on plant research while contributing to a growing knowledge base that bridges horticulture, design, and ecology.
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