About Us
About the Niagara Parks
School of Horticulture
The Niagara Parks School of Horticulture has been growing world leaders in horticulture and cultivating exceptional careers since 1936. We are proud to offer some of the industry’s most highly regarded credentials through a unique post-secondary experience that gives students the advanced practical, theoretical and technical skills demanded by today’s complex horticulture industry.
Studying at the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to gain hands-on learning experiences in some of the most visited and iconic gardens in the world!
“Our mandate is to provide an unprecedented experiential learning environment in horticulture to foster self-reliance and collegiality in developing horticultural leaders.”

Our History
Located on the grounds of the renowned Botanical Gardens, the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture was established in 1936 in response to a growing need for skilled gardeners to tend to Niagara Parks’ expanding parkland along the Niagara River Parkway. Initially called the Training School for Apprentice Gardeners, the school was renamed the Niagara Parks Commission School of Horticulture in 1959, and finally became the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture in 1990.
Our school’s early training fundamentals were designed by Swedish landscape architect Knut Mattias Broman, and based on the longstanding gardener apprenticeship program offered at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England. Broman was also the first superintendent of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.
Pictured: School of Horticulture lecture hall in the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, 1950
Our Philosophy
Our goal is to provide an unprecedented experiential learning environment in horticulture, fostering self-reliance and collegiality while developing horticultural leaders.
Our priorities include:
- Upholding the highest standards required and recognized by employers.
- Creating diverse academic and career opportunities for students.
- Providing active and ongoing mentoring of students and recent graduates.
- Promoting an enhanced and inclusive student recruitment process.
- Maintaining high levels of student success.


Room to Grow
We offer two different post-secondary options, including a paid progressive apprentice program.
- Niagara Parks Diploma in Professional Horticulture (NPD): 3 years
- Certificate in Professional Horticulture: 1 year. For post-graduate applicants that have completed a recognized post-secondary horticulture program, or a related field of study.