Plant Identification and Use - Group Bookings Course

This programme is suitable for you if:

• You work or would like to work in horticulture, landscaping, groundskeeping, parks maintenance, or a related outdoor sector and want to formalise your skills with a recognised qualification

• You are are interested in completing this module as part of a full Major Award

• You are new to plant identification and want a structured introduction to the tools and techniques used by horticultural professionals

• You want to be able to identify common Irish plants including trees, shrubs, weeds, poisonous plants, and invasive species with confidence

You should have a QQI Level 4 qualification to enter this programme. If you don’t have a Level 4 qualification, let us know and we can assess your suitability for the course through recognition of prior learning. A basic interest in plants and willingness to engage with both classroom learning and hands-on practical activities is required.

The programme is delivered over six days, one day per week, covering the following topics:

The Language of Plants
An introduction to the binomial nomenclature system — the internationally recognised method for naming plants used by horticulturalists, scientists, and suppliers worldwide. You will learn how to read, write, and interpret scientific plant names, including hybrid and cultivar notation.

Seasons, Weeds, and Fruit and Vegetables
Plant identification does not stop in winter. You will learn how to identify deciduous trees and shrubs when they have no leaves, using bark, buds, and twig features. You will also learn to identify common Irish fruit and vegetable crops and ten of the most common and problematic weeds found in Irish gardens, parks, and horticulture sites — and why each one is difficult to control in its particular setting.

Hazardous Plants and Plant Health Regulations
You will learn how to identify common poisonous plants and legally invasive species found in Ireland — including Foxglove, Hemlock, Japanese Knotweed, and Giant Hogweed — with the safety and legal responsibilities that go with working near them. You will also learn about EU plant passports and phytosanitary certificates — the documentation that governs the movement and trade of plants at a professional level.

Plant Selection and Practical Planting
How to select the right plant for a given site — taking into account soil type, aspect, season, and the client's requirements. Hands-on practical planting of a woody plant and a non-woody plant, working through site assessment, root inspection, correct planting depth, backfilling, watering in, and aftercare. An introduction to safe working practice — manual handling, PPE, hazard assessment, and tool storage.

Classroom-based, one day per week over six weeks. Includes indoor teaching sessions and outdoor practical planting activities. Assessment is completed independently by the learner across the programme period and submitted on the final day.

How you are assessed

Assessment for this programme is designed to be practical and authentic — reflecting the kind of work you would actually do in a professional horticultural setting.

Written Examination (20%) — A 60-minute closed-book paper at the end of the programme. Questions cover the binomial nomenclature system, plant health documentation, and plant selection scenarios where you choose an appropriate plant for a described site and explain your reasons.

Skills Demonstration (80%) — Completed progressively across the programme and submitted at the end. The Skills Demonstration has three parts:

• Part 1 — Plant Identification Exercise (40%): 

• Part 2 — Practical Planting Video (25%): 

• Part 3 — Safe Working Exercise (15%): 

Tutor support

Your programme trainer is available throughout all six days to answer questions, support your use of the botanical key, and give feedback on your formative practice exercises. Between sessions, you can contact your trainer by email. Forus Training's learner support team is also available Monday to Saturday, 8am–5.30pm, at support@forustraining.ie.

Assessment marking and feedback is carried out by a qualified assessor following submission on Day 6. You will receive individual written feedback on all three parts of the Skills Demonstration and on your Written Examination.

On successful completion of this programme you will receive a QQI Level 5 Minor Award in Plant Identification and Use (5N2527), awarded by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). QQI is Ireland's national awarding body for further and higher education, and the award is nationally recognised and recorded on the QQI Learner Record.

The award carries 10 credits on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) at Level 5.

This programme is one component toward a full QQI Level 5 Major Award in Horticulture (5M2586). Completing Plant Identification and Use alongside other Level 5 Horticulture components will contribute to this Major Award.

Holders of a QQI Level 5 Major Award in Horticulture may progress to Level 6 programmes in horticulture, landscape design, or related disciplines, or may pursue employment or further professional development in the horticulture sector.