For the first time, the Eden Project is offering the chance to learn gardening from its team of skilled horticulturists.

Eden has teamed up with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh to offer a course in practical horticulture for keen amateurs.

The curriculum was largely devised by RBGE. The initial courses will be taught by a combination of RBGE and Eden staff with later courses taught solely by Eden's green team.

Potential participants can pick and choose from a series of one-day courses or complete them all and return for a two-day assessment later in the year to gain their certificate in practical horticulture.

The courses are designed for anyone who wants to learn basic gardening skills or for those who might be considering a career in horticulture.

The subjects covered are seed propagation (growing plants from seed) on March 14 and April 25, vegetative propagation (growing plants from cuttings) on March 15 and April 26, plant care and maintenance on May 9 and June 13 and the control of pests and disease on May 10 and June 14.

Eden has a long-standing relationship with the RBGE and has been discussing the possibility of running collaborative courses for a number of years. Although the courses will be run as a pilot this year, it is hoped that they will develop into a permanent fixture at Eden in the future.

Eden curator Don Murray said: "Eden is immensely proud and delighted to have been approached by the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to run this course together and this marks an exciting moment in our friendship with our colleagues up in Scotland.

"It is not only a great opportunity for people to learn directly from those who cultivate the unique horticultural environment that is Eden, but it will also help our green team develop valuable teaching skills."

Leigh Morris, head of Education at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: "The RBGE are delighted to be linking up with the Eden Project to deliver practical horticultural training.

"There are undoubtedly some excellent horticultural training programmes already existing within the UK but we believe that a course jointly developed and delivered by two of the UK's leading gardens is a really exciting prospect.

"We are aiming for this to be the first of many collaborative educational links with Eden Project and we certainly look forward to this partnership developing."

The courses cost £35 each and take place at Eden. Places can be booked through the Eden box office on 01726 811972.