- Orientation
- Course Breakdown
- Top 8 Courses to Grow Your Botany Skills 2024
- 1. Best Overall Botany Course: Houseplants101
- 2. Best Premium Botany Course: Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany
- 3. Best Course for Choosing Plants: Happy Houseplants: Pick a Perfect Plant
- 4. Best Herbalism Course: Herbology for Beginners
- 5. Best Agricultural Botany Course: Botanist: Agriculture of Plants
- 6. Best Gardening Course: Gardening 101
- 7. Botany Course With the Best Instructor: Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants
- 8. Best Botanical Art Course: Botanical Illustrations
- Botany FAQ
- Extra Credit
- Get Ready to Grow!
Botany is a broad field, but simply put, it’s all about studying plant life. This can include the plants of a region, the genetic aspects of a plant, and even the economic importance of a plant. For these reasons, botany has developed into a well-rounded field with many opportunities. If you’re interested in a career in botany or want to learn more about your houseplants, it’s a good idea to start with affordable online courses.
As opposed to taking courses in-person, online courses allow you to proceed at your own pace and study the topics you’re most interested in. While there is no one-size-fits-all option for botany courses, there are dozens of great classes that can help you get started. We’re going to take you through the eight best botany courses and help you narrow down your options.
Orientation
Before we jump into our review of each course, it’s important to acclimate yourself to everything botany has to offer. Because it’s a broad field, there are many routes you can take and varying degrees of skill level options. To help you find the right fit, we’re going to take you through an orientation to help you find the right fit even faster.
Skill Level
First and foremost, we’re going to start with skill level. While most botany courses are advertised as beginner-level courses, this doesn’t always hold true. For example, understanding the biological components of a plant requires a deeper understanding of biology in general. Still, there are some quick ways to determine the skill level for each course.
Beginner
If you have no knowledge of botany, you’re not alone. In fact, many people don’t know what botany is or means. For this reason, many starters should take beginner-level courses that focus more on an introduction to botany than an in-depth discussion. This comes in many shapes and sizes but most beginner courses are short, sweet, and lack complex botany-specific jargon.
Intermediate
Moving up the ladder, you’ll arrive at intermediate-level courses. These courses delve deeper into what botany is and how it relates to biology. In most cases, intermediate-level courses will scratch the surface of plant biology, the classifications of plants, and more. While these classes aren’t always difficult, beginners should still avoid them until the basics are completely understood, otherwise you might not have the background to understand these more complex concepts.
Advanced
Finally, we have advanced botany courses. These courses are difficult and dive even deeper into the biology of plants. In advanced-level courses, you’ll find more botany jargon, and the content is harder to understand unless you’ve taken the necessary prerequisites. Advanced-level courses also tend to be longer and more polished than beginner-level courses.
You can jump into botany at any skill level, and we encourage you to push yourself, but we also know how discouraging it can be to enroll in a course that you don’t understand. For this reason, we recommend starting where you feel comfortable –there is no shame in starting off with an easy course.
Instructor
Once you know what skill level you fall into, it’s crucial to examine the instructor of each course. Learning more about the instructor will help you understand which direction the course is going.
Unless it’s an art-focused botany course, we recommend verifying each instructor to make sure they have a scientific background in botany. For example, many botany instructors will have doctorate degrees in the field.
That said, botany is a complex and diverse field. If you’re interested in gardening and the more simple aspects of botany, then it’s okay to work with instructors that don’t have high levels of education. Still, you should vet the instructor and make sure they’re knowledgeable. Luckily, we’ve taken care of that for you.
Field
When evaluating a botany course you also want to consider the specific field of botany that’s being discussed.. There are many topics in botany, so every class will vary. This means that you’ll have to narrow down your options to the topic that best suits your needs. Our list has a wide range of courses, so you shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to find a course that suits your needs. Some common botany topics to look out for are plant biology, introduction to houseplants, botany art, and more.
Value
Finally, you want to know how much a course is going to cost. While many courses are affordable, some are more budget-friendly than others. Furthermore, some platforms like SkillShare allow you to pay monthly, which brings the cost of a course down if you only want to use it for one month.
That said, most platforms that don’t charge monthly are open about their price options. On websites like Udemy, you can see how much a course is and whether or not it’s a good value. Still, most botany courses won’t break the bank. If you’re looking to enroll in a botany course, the average price is under $20 –unless you’re also looking for a certificate. With certificates, the cost and workload are typically more intense and less flexible.
Now that you know what to look for, we’re going to bring you through our course breakdown.
Course Breakdown
- Best Overall: Houseplants101
- Best Premium Course: Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany
- Best for Choosing Plants: Happy House Plants
- Best for Herbalism: Herbology for Beginners
- Best for Agriculture: Botanist: Agriculture of Plants
- Best for Gardening: Gardening 101
- Best Instructor: Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants
- Best for Botanical Art: Botanical Illustrations
Top 8 Courses to Grow Your Botany Skills 2024
1. Best Overall Botany Course: Houseplants101
- 1 hour $34.99
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Tyler Welsh
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Topic: Houseplants
Why we like it
Houseplants 101 is one of our favorite botany courses because it’s short, affordable, comprehensive, and beginner-friendly. It gives anyone interested in botany a chance to get started without being too technical.
Houseplants 101 is a go-to guide for houseplants and getting you out of your comfort zone. It's an entry-level botany course that scratches the surface of what plants are, how they grow, and how they can enhance the style of your home.
Furthermore, the course was created by Dublin Indoor Gardeners. Dublin Gardeners is a well-known brand that has held over 100 classes and workshops for people that are looking to get started with houseplants, agriculture, and botany. With an impressive record and the team's ability to condense the information for digestibility, it's one of the best botany courses around for beginners.
Things to Consider
While Houseplants 101 is a great botany course, it's not perfect. There isn't much to not like about it, but Houseplants101 lacks value as an advanced or intermediate botany course. This is because it avoids industry-specific terminology, jargon, and science. It's not the type of course you enroll in to learn about the biochemistry of a cactus, for example.
That said, if you're looking for a more advanced botany course Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany is a great alternative. While it's not too advanced for most beginners, it goes deeper into plant biology and what makes plants tick.
Who It's For
If you're new to botany and want to see if it's for you, this course is a great choice. You'll be able to learn the basics and develop a basic understanding of plants and how to care for them. This course is also an excellent choice if you're looking to decorate your home with houseplants. You'll learn about how to care for many types of plants and how to expand your home's houseplant count. Overall, it's one of the best options for beginners and doesn't feel overwhelming.
Pros
- Teaches you about common houseplants
- Understandable information and no complex jargon
- A comprehensive summary of the basics of houseplants and plant biology
Cons
- Lacks the length to go into more detail
- It only scratches the surface
- 5 hours $49.85
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Catherine Kleier
- Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
- Topic: Plant Biology
Why we like it
We love this course because it comes with all of the tools you need to get started with botany. In fact, it’s one of the longest courses you can participate in.
Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany is one of the most well-rounded botany courses you can find online. The course consists of over 24 lectures by a doctorate-level botanist who tells the stories of plants through biology, microbiology, and more. The course provides you with in-depth knowledge of all aspects of plants and shows you how that knowledge can be applied in your everyday life.
While the course is more expensive than other botany courses, it's more detailed and longer than simplified botany courses. This gives it a well-rounded feel and makes it useful for botanists of all knowledge backgrounds. Even experts looking to continue their studies or polish their knowledge can benefit from this course.
Things to Consider
Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany is one of the best courses on our list, but it's not perfect. There are a few issues with the course, mainly with the price and length. If you're not someone who's deeply invested in botany, it's a lot of content to process and look through. Furthermore, the course is more expensive than other botany courses because of the information it has.
That said, a more affordable alternative is Botanist Agriculture of Plants. Botanist: Agriculture of Plants is just as well-rounded but shorter and easier to get through.
Who It's For
If you're pursuing a career in botany, this course is a great choice. The lecturer is a professional in the field and speaks from a position of expertise. While it's a lot of information to get through, its comprehensive content is superior to most botany courses offered online. When it comes to botany courses, this one is among the best of the best.
Pros
- Over 5 hours of content
- Taught by a professional in the field
- In-depth content in many areas of botany
Cons
- Expensive
- A lot of content to get through
3. Best Course for Choosing Plants: Happy Houseplants: Pick a Perfect Plant
- 24 minutes $19.99
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Chris Satch
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Topic: Houseplants
Why we like it
This course is one of our favorites because it makes choosing a plant for your home simple. The days of worrying about lighting and style will be behind you.
Happy Houseplants is a short course that shows you how to find the right houseplant. For this reason, it's a beginner-friendly course that doesn't bore you with the details of plant biology and biochemistry.
It's a simple class designed to help you find a houseplant that you like. For example, the course will take you through different scenarios like dark lighting versus bright lighting and how to choose a plant based on those details. While it's not the most comprehensive course, it makes it easy to choose a houseplant that can save you time and money.
Things to Consider
Having the right houseplant can make an impact on the style and appearance of your home –for better or for worse. That said, that's not what botany is all about. While a course like this is helpful for people that don't want to pursue a career in botany or people that need to find a plant, it's short and lacks useful information about the biological aspects of plants.
If you're looking for a more traditional introduction to botany, Herbology for Beginners is a great choice. It's a beginner-friendly course that includes more chemical components of botany.
Who It's For
Choosing a houseplant is hard –we get it. With so many options, it's overwhelming and it's hard to know which house plant will be the right fit. If you're someone who feels overwhelmed by plants or even slightly intimidated, this course is for you. It will teach you about how and why some plants are great choices versus others. That said, if you're looking to learn about botany in-depth, it's best to look for a different course.
Pros
- You'll learn how to pick the perfect house plant
- Doesn't go into the complicated aspects of botany, making it beginner-friendly
- Short and to the point
Cons
- Lacks depth
- Only useful for choosing a plant
4. Best Herbalism Course: Herbology for Beginners
- 1.5 hours $39.99
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Mohammed Tabbara
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Topic: Herbology
Why we like it
Herbology for Beginners is one of our favorite courses because it teaches you about the practical applications of botany. Its above-average length also makes it more comprehensive than most hour-long botany courses.
Herbology for Beginners is an intermediate-level course despite its name. This is because herbology requires a knowledge base of plants and how they function. That said, if you want to make the most of this course, it's best to enter in with a well-rounded foundation of botanic knowledge. Still, Herbology for Beginners doesn't make things too complicated. The course takes you through almost every aspect of plant biology.
You'll learn about things like plant cell division, plant morphology, barks, stems, roots, and more. By the end of the course you'll have a more in-depth pool of botany knowledge, so it's a great stepping stone into more advanced courses. Additionally, the course will also teach you about how plants can heal the body, mind, and soul.
Things to Consider
Herbology for Beginners is a great intermediate course but it's not the best for beginners. While the concepts are easy to digest you'll find a lot of jargon and biology/biochemistry. Furthermore, once you reach part three things start to pick up. Learning about the medical properties of plants and how to identify them is not easy.
If you're looking for a more beginner-friendly introduction to botany, Houseplants101 is a great alternative. While there is some overlap, Houseplants101 keeps its content simple and easy to understand for people new to the world of botany.
Who It's For
If you're looking to get into the medical aspects of botany, this course is a great choice. The first part acts as a good recap of the basics, but the final parts of the course teach you about herbs and how they can be applied to science. So, while it's a complex course, it's great for anyone that wants to study the medical aspects of plant life.
Pros
- Provides a good recap for people that have a background in botany
- Goes into detail about the medical properties of plant life
- Longer and more in-depth than more botany courses
Cons
- Not beginner-friendly
- Specifically designed for the medical purposes of plants
5. Best Agricultural Botany Course: Botanist: Agriculture of Plants
- 3 hours $24.99
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Gove Lee
- Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate
- Topic: Agriculture
Why we like it
We love this course because of the content you get. It’s one of the longer courses for a more affordable price.
Botanist: Agriculture of Plants is a well-rounded botany course that focuses on the agricultural aspects of plant life. The course takes you through plant behavior, where they grow, and even why they grow in certain areas. This course also goes into the history of plant life and shows people how plants have a history of evolution that's similar to that of animals.
Another thing Botanist: Agriculture of Plants does well is its presentation of practical information. The course will teach you how to maximize your efforts so you can boost your yields and improve your agriculture and gardening skills. Overall, the instructor brings you a well-rounded course on the fundamentals of botany.
Things to Consider
While Botanist: Agriculture of Plants is a great course it doesn't come without its flaws. First and foremost, it's a bit long for some students. While some students find value in long courses, others might prefer a more streamlined experience found in a course like Gardening 101.
Additionally, the course is high in cost compared to similar courses. While this is understandable due to the course's length, that price might not be a good entry point for everyone.
Who It's For
If you're looking to enter botany for its agricultural applications, this course is a great choice. It's one of the more comprehensive agricultural courses and gives you the tools you need to succeed. The course has a great instructor that helps both beginners and more advanced students find value in the course. If you're looking to boost your next harvest, you can't go wrong with Botanist: Agriculture of Plants.
Pros
- Teaches you about the history and evolution of plants
- Shows you how to boost your yields
- Comprehensive and long course
Cons
- Expensive
- Too long for some students
6. Best Gardening Course: Gardening 101
- 46 minutes $19.99/month
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Geraldine Lavin
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Topic: Gardening
Why we like it
We love Gardening 101 because it goes into the practical applications of botany. Instead of just science, the course teaches you how to grow your own garden.
Gardening 101 is a well-rounded course that teaches you a lot in under an hour. The course teaches you about seeds, how seeds germinate, how to plant your garden, and how to store your harvest. While the course is basic and beginner-friendly, it's a great course to get you started on your gardening journey. You won't be an expert by the end of it but you'll leave off with a good foundation.
Gardening 101 also benefits from being taught by a knowledgeable instructor. The instructor is a farmer and herbalist, so she speaks from experience. Her knowledge of farming and gardening is almost limitless, so we recommend enrolling in some of her other courses after you get the basics down.
Things to Consider
Gardening 101 is a great course but it has a few flaws. First and foremost, the course doesn't offer anything aside from gardening. This makes it a specific course and it loses value for people who are interested in learning about botany in a more general way. Secondly, the course is on the short side.
While the instructor offers many other courses, 45 minutes isn't enough time to become a professional gardener. For this reason, we recommend moving on to more challenging courses once you reach the end of this one.
Who It's For
If you want to grow a garden, it's hard to find a more informative course for less than an hour of content. You'll learn everything you need to know to get started and the instructor makes it seem easy.
If you're looking to grow a garden and eat some home-grown food, this is the course for you. For more well-rounded botany knowledge, a course like Herbology for Beginners is a great choice.
Pros
- Teaches you about how to grow a garden
- Short and to the point
- Affordable
- Reputable instructor with decades of experience
Cons
- Not comprehensive
- Under an hour of content
7. Botany Course With the Best Instructor: Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants
- 2.5 hours $139.99
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Elizabeth Heck
- Skill Level: Intermediate
- Topic: Herbalism
Why we like it
Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants is a course we love because of the instructor. Elizabeth Heck is well-known in botany and continues to advance the field with her knowledge of medicinal plants.
Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants is a great course for all of your herbal needs. The course is structured in a way that introduces you to herbalism and it takes you through the necessary steps to identify plants and harvest them. In the course, you'll also learn about what plants can do for the body, medically, and how to identify these plants.
Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants is also taught by one of the best around for herbalism. Elizabeth Heck has over two decades of experience working with plants as medicine and continues to advance her research. With this course, you get a look inside at how that process is done and how to replicate it on your own.
Things to Consider
While Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants is a good course it's not perfect. First and foremost, it's a specific course and only useful for people that have an interest in plant medicine. Additionally, the course is on the expensive side – it's not an entry-level course and markets itself as such.
For these reasons, it's best to choose an alternative if you don't have a knowledge base in botany already. That said, a great alternative is Botanist: Agriculture of Plants is similar but more basic and easier to get through.
Who It's For
If you're interested in plant medicine, this is a great choice for you. You'll learn about which plants have great medicinal potential and how to spot them. Furthermore, you'll learn about how to get started with these plants on your own.
While the course doesn't replace a college-level botany class, it's close to it. Still, it's not for everyone. If you're not interested in the medical properties of plants you'll find more value in a different botany class—try this comprehensive overview.
Pros
- Good length at over 2 hours
- Comes with additional materials
- Taught by one of the best instructors in the industry
Cons
- Expensive
- Not suitable for beginners
- Very specific content
8. Best Botanical Art Course: Botanical Illustrations
- 37 minutes $20/month
- Course Highlights
- Instructor: Sara Boccaccini Meadows
- Skill Level: Advanced
- Topic: Botany Illustrations
Why we like it
We’re fans of this course because it offers something different. If you’re interested in botany for its creative capacity, this course has great value.
Botanical Illustrations is an artistic course. While it has a focus on botany, its purpose is to help you with tracing and drawing types of plants. The artwork you'll learn about varies but it includes dozens of unique flowers.
In the course, you'll also learn about how to create your garden in color and add paints to different projects to make your creations pop. Finally, the class teaches you how to finish botanic illustrations with fine adjustments with pens, pencils, and colored pencils.
Things to Consider
Botanical Illustrations is a great course if you're interested in drawing and artwork. When it comes to botany, the artwork is one of its most underappreciated areas. Still, many of you aren't here for botany's creative appeal. If you're not interested in drawing with botanical designs or interested in botanical photography, this course isn’t a great fit.
Furthermore, Botanical Illustrations is a short course. It's one of the shortest courses on the list at only 37 minutes, so it's hard for students to take much away in that amount of time. This also hurts the course's ability to be comprehensive.
Who It's For
If you're interested in unlocking the creative side of botany, this course is a great choice. It will take you through the ins and outs of drawing botanical creations and outlines how to draw things like your garden.
Still, it's an advanced course because you need to know how to draw before jumping right in. Unfortunately, 37 minutes is not enough time for beginners to pick up the trade.
Pros
- A unique approach to botany that's based on art
- Shows you how to draw with more than paint
- Teaches you how to draw many things in a quick, digestible session
Cons
- Too short to be comprehensive
- Not beginner-friendly for new artists
- Doesn't teach you a lot about the plants you'll trace and draw
Botany FAQ
Being a broad field, people shopping for botany courses tend to have a lot of questions. While we can't answer every question for you, we've compiled a list of answers to the most common botany questions.
Botany is a diverse field with many variations. Botany has agricultural applications, home applications, and many more. For these reasons, the industry is expected to grow by around 8% by 2022. That said, botanists continue to be in demand.
When pursuing a career in botany, there are many options. Many people pursue advanced degrees to conduct research but bachelor’s degrees also have value in the market. For example, a degree in botany can help you work in forests or farms.
When it comes to botany, many people neglect the scientific aspect of it. While a lot of botany consists of fieldwork, the research aspect of it is just as important. For these reasons, it’s important to have a diverse background in math, science, and even the humanities.
Botany can be compared to chemistry in a handful of ways. While some areas of botany are easier than chemistry, other areas are just as challenging. This is because some botany careers focus on the chemistry of plants.
Botany is a great career if you love plants and don’t mind getting your hands dirty. There are many job opportunities and the level of education necessary to pursue them varies. That said, botany is a great career path if you love plants, agriculture, or jungles!
Extra Credit
Knowing which botany courses are the best is helpful but many of you will need some more information before you jump in. That’s what our extra credit section is all about. We’re going to take you through everything you need to know about botany to help you narrow down your options. In doing so, you’ll have a more well-rounded understanding of botany, the courses, and which course is the best choice for you.
Getting Started
Botany is a complex field with many areas of study. While it’s easier to find a field in other studies, botany requires more guidance. This is why we have two great beginner-level courses to get you started. Both options vary in purpose but can help you along the path to becoming a botanist.
First and foremost, we have Houseplants101. Houseplants101 is an entry-level botany course that scratches the surface of botany. The course will take you through the basics of plant biology and help you keep your houseplants tended to.
Next, we have Plant Science: An Introduction to Botany. This course is designed to teach you about the complexities of botany in a simplified format. While it does into detail about the scientific aspects of botany, the course does a great job breaking things down without using complex jargon. Overall, it’s one of the best choices if you’re interested in getting started.
Advanced Botany
Don’t be intimidated by advanced botany. In many cases, advanced botany introduces interesting ideas and concepts. For example, some courses will educate you on the medical or agricultural applications of botany. In fact, we have a few courses that help you develop a deeper understanding of botany and its uses.
Herbology
Herbology and herbalism are some of the most interesting fields in botany. Herbology has many applications but the most common is for medical purposes. This is because plants have many medicinal properties and a lot of modern medicine is made from plants, to begin with. That said, one of our favorite herbology courses is Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants.
Herbalism: Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants is a well-rounded herbology course that shows you what plants have medicinal value and why. Furthermore, the course will help you pick the right herb if you have access to it.
Agriculture
Agriculture is one of botany’s most practical uses. With agriculture, you can learn about the history of plants, how to grow plants, and how to run a farm. In fact, agriculture is one of the many things that makes botany profitable to begin with. When it comes to agriculture, you want a comprehensive course that covers all the bases.
That’s why we recommend Botanist Agriculture of Plants. The course is 3 hours long and takes you through everything you need to know about agriculture and boosting your garden or farm’s yields.
Other Botanical Applications
While botany is the study of plants, people have gotten creative with its applications. There are many ways to use botanical knowledge, so we’re going to take you through some niche botanical applications and classes that help you master them.
Growing a Garden?
Botany knowledge is excellent for gardening –have you ever heard of botanical gardens? That said, having botanical knowledge can help you grow your garden, improve your harvests, and take things to the next level
When it comes to gardening, one of our favorite courses is Gardening 101. The course takes you through the steps you need to take to improve your green thumb. You’ll learn about how to improve your yields and gain some insight into which plants will work best for your garden.
Looking For a New Plant?
Botany has many practical applications. While many people focus on the science aspect of botany, botany courses can also help you improve your interior design skills. This is because some botany courses teach you about what plants are good in certain areas of your home. These courses take you through design aspects like colors, lighting, and location.
If you’re here because you’re looking for a new plant to spruce up your home’s look, you’re in luck. Happy Houseplants is a short and simple course that helps you with this process. It makes finding a plant simple, easy, and hassle-free because you’ll know what to look for.
Trying to be Creative?
While many botany courses focus on plants and their biology, we know that some of you might be interested in getting in tune with your creative side. This is why we featured a creative botany course. Creative botany courses show you how to trace plants and create your own artistic creations on paper or even digitally.
These classes can be complex but if you’re into photography or drawing they’re worth it. Plus, some creative botany classes like Botanical Illustrations also teach you about the plants you draw. So, while botany is great for applying to real-life plants, you can also use your botany skills to create wonderful artwork.
Get Ready to Grow!
Botany is one of the most interesting fields around. Learning about botany will help you understand the world around you and give you new perspectives about nature. While the field is broad, it’s easy to find a course that fits your needs as long as you know where to look. We hope you found everything you were looking for and hope you’re ready to grow your knowledge of botany!