Katie is a budding apprentice horticulturist at National Botanic Garden of Wales who has won a bursary to develop her studies
Katie Cobley, a 19-year-old horticultural student at Coleg Sir Gâr, relocated from the Lake District after securing an apprenticeship at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
She has recently been awarded the Colegrave Seabrook Foundation/RHS bursary which is to support young horticulturists in their career journey.
The bursary offers financial support to study abroad or engage in horticultural courses for further development.
Katie has booked a course in tropical plant identification at Cambridge University and ideally would like to explore Madeira for its endemic plants.
Being brought up on a smallholding, growing vegetables and other plants was second nature and although she’d initially planned on studying Russian and history at university, that all changed after she took a year out after school.
After travelling and working around France and Ireland exploring native fauna and flora Katie decided that university wasn’t for her.
She saw an advert for a horticultural apprentice at National Botanic Garden of Wales and following an interview, she was offered the position.
Katie is working at the gardens and undertaking one study day a week at Coleg Sir Gâr’s Gelli Aur agricultural campus where she is studying for an RHS level two Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth and Development. “RHS is taught well at the college and is useful as an appendage to the practical work at the gardens,” said Katie.
She is currently studying historic and heritage gardens at college and on a typical study day, she may study plant science in the morning and then ecology and biodiversity in the afternoon.
At the gardens, where she is completing a two-year apprenticeship, she is working a three-month rotational pattern working in the glasshouses currently with South African succulents and is keen to learn more with an interest in sub-tropical ferns.
Katie Cobley said: “Being around plants and nature is who I am and I’m very much into community village culture and growing.
“Having moved to South Wales on my own, I’ve made some lovely and amazing new friends at the gardens and I wouldn’t change a thing as I’m so happy.”
Katie is getting into community life in Dryslwyn learning Welsh and preparing to judge Llandeilo and Llanarthne flower shows.
She is totally committed to her horticultural studies and even slept in her car when she went to Ireland to explore its bogland flora and carnivorous plants.