Landscaping II

ONLINE COURSE IN LANDSCAPING

This course concentrates on the detail of creating individual components in a landscape that are the difference between a good and a great garden.

• learn to design and build such things as walls, rockeries, steps, ponds, and paving; and you develop skills to create specific effects in a garden.
• for those working or looking to work in the industry, or enthusiastic gardeners with good basic landscaping knowledge.

   

Lesson Structure

There are 12 lessons in this course:

1. The Garden Environment
   • The ecosystem
   • Microclimates
   • What do you want in a garden
   • Components of a garden
   • Landscaping with water
   • Choosing a construction method for a water garden
   • Making a pool with a liner
   • Other types of water gardens
   • Water garden effects
   • Creating a waterfall
   • Cascades
   • Fencing and safety
   • Plants for water gardens
2. Landscape Materials
   • Tools
   • Tool maintenance
   • Garden clothes
   • Construction materials
   • Concrete and cement
   • How to mix concrete and mortar
   • Reinforcing, rodding, expansion joints
   • Gravel and mulched paths
   • Outdoor furniture
   • Timber: types, stains, paints, preservatives
   • Plastics, Metal, Ulpholstery
   • Furniture design
3. Using Bulbs, Annuals and other Low Growing Plants
   • Annuals
   • Scented annuals
   • Coloured foliage
   • Flower bed layout
   • Bedding schemes
   • Selecting annuals according to height
   • Annuals in containers
   • Bulbs
   • Scented bulbs
   • Amaryllis
   • Gladioli
   • Narcissus
   • Dahlia
   • Hyacinth
   • Iris
   • Ranunculus
   • Using Herbs
   • Types of herb gardens
4. Landscaping with Trees
   • Introduction
   • Successions
   • Fast growing trees
   • Choosing plants
   • Trees in the landscape
   • Problems with trees
   • Plant applications for trees, shrubs, ground covers
   • Trees with damaging roots
   • Trees with narrow canopies
   • Aesthetic criteria for planting design
   • Procedure for planting design
5. Ground Cover Plants
   • Introduction
   • Ground Covers: conifers, climbers, creepers, ornamental grasses
   • Low grasses to grow
   • How to build raised beds
   • Grevilleas
   • Thryptomene
   • Brachysema
   • Chorizema
   • Ardenbergia
   • Kennedya
   • Herbs: Thyme, chamomile, mint, alpine strawberry, etc
   • Landscaping with ferns
6. Walls and Fences
   • Introduction
   • Getting the style right
   • Different fences
   • Plants to grow on trellis
   • Espaliers
   • Garden arches
   • Choosing the rich arch
   • Timber and metal arches
7. Paths and Paving
   • Introduction
   • Where to use surfacing
   • Paving: different types of materials
   • Selecting materials
   • Concrete
   • Gravel
   • Asphalt
   • Edging
   • Edging materials
   • Maintaining an edge
   • Aesthetics
8. Treating Slopes and Other Problem Areas
   • Erosion control
   • Helping plants establish on a slope
   • Drip irrigation, mulches, tree guards
   • Pocket planting, slope serration, wattling, spray seeding, etc
   • Shade
   • Plants suited to shade
   • Ferns and shade
   • Windbreaks, hedges and screens
   • Gardening in coastal areas
   • Design and planting a firebreak
   • Fire resistant plants
9. Garden Features
   • Colour
   • Complementing colours
   • Outdoor living areas: Patios, seating, garden structures, pool areas, pool surrounds
   • Rockeries
   • Drystone walls
   • Wet walls
   • Garden buildings and structures
   • Siting garden buildings
   • What to build
   • What to do with the floor
   • Planting around a garden building
   • Protective structures
   • Types of greenhouses
   • Decorative planters
   • Choosing and siting a planter
   • Garden lighting
   • Lighting trees, paths, ponds etc
   • Letterboxes
10. Designing for Low Maintenance
    • Introduction
    • The cost of garden maintenance
    • What costs
    • Expensive to maintain areas or features
    • Less expensive to maintain areas
    • Gardening in dry areas
    • Overcoming dry soils
    • Drought tolerant plants
    • Hardy plants for inner city gardens
11. Developing a Landscape Plan
    • The site planning process
    • Site analysis
    • Design concept
    • Master plan
    • Keeping it to scale
    • The importance of space
12. Management of Landscape Projects
    • Introduction
    • Mistakes to avoi
    • Earthmoving
    • Importing soil
    • Workplace safety

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Determine the resources required for a landscape development, including materials and equipment.
• Determine appropriate plants for different locations within a landscape.
• Determine the appropriate design and construction for landscape features, including walls, fences, pavers and buildings.
• Determine treatments for problem areas in a landscape, including slopes and hostile environments.
• Analyse maintenance requirements for a landscape.
• Develop a landscape development plan, in accordance with a client brief, and in liaison with the client.
• Plan the management of a landscape projects.

What You Will Do

• Determine landscape materials readily available in the learners locality, including: soils, gravels, mulches and timbers.
• Differentiate between landscape applications for twenty different types of timber.
• Compare a range of materials in terms of function and aesthetics, including five types of mulches and five types of gravels.
• Determine applications for five different specific items of machinery in landscape construction including a chainsaw, an earth moving machine, a rotary hoe and a tractor.
• List minimum equipment required to construct two different landscapes in accordance with project specifications.
• Determine criteria for selecting plants to be planted in 3 specified locations.
• Explain the impact of trees in two specific landscapes, on both the environment and aesthetics of those landscapes.
• Determine twenty different herbaceous plants, to grow in three different specified locations within the same garden.
• Prepare a design for an annual flower display bed of 50 sq. metres.
• List five groundcovers suited to plant in four different situations, including full shade, half shade, full sun and hanging baskets.
• Prepare a planting design for a 100 sq. metre area of garden, using only groundcovers and trees.
• List ten trees suited to each of the following cultural situations, in your locality: waterlogged soil; sandy soil; heavy soil; saline soil; fire prone sites and near drainage pipes.
• Explain local government regulations which are relevant to landscape design and construction.
• Develop design criteria for different garden structures, in specified situations, including: a pergola, swimming pool, steps and a garden seat.
• Compare the design and construction of six different types of barriers, including walls and fences.
• Design a fence for a landscape designed by you, including: construction detail drawing(s), materials specifications and a cost estimate.
• Compare ten specific surfacing materials, in landscapes visited by you, including paving products, stone and gravel.
• Design a set of steps, including construction detail drawing(s), materials specifications and a cost estimate.
• Design a set of retaining walls, including construction, drawings, materials needed and a cost estimate.
• Compare different types of garden buildings observed by you, including sheds, gazebos, car ports and garages, in terms of cost, durability, aesthetics and maintenance required.
• Determine two different methods to treat a specified erosion problem.
• Determine landscape preparations required for different soil types including clay, sand, shale, rocky soil and loam.
• Describe four interim stabilisation techniques, including hydromulching and jutemaster.
• List fifteen plant species which will adapt well to problem situations.
• Determine ten plants suitable for each of a range of different soil types, including: clays, sands, acidic soil and alkaline soil.
• Develop landscape plans, including illustrations and written instructions, for three difficult sites.
• Determine landscape features that contribute towards the reduction of maintenance requirement on a landscaped site.
• Compare the weekly maintenance requirement of a specific low maintenance garden, with that of a specific high maintenance garden.
• Compile pre-planning information for a an existing landscape, which owners require to be redeveloped in order to reduce the maintenance requirement.
• Prepare a detailed landscape design to achieve low maintenance.
• Develop a ten week maintenance program, for a specific landscaped area visited by you.
• Compare copies of two landscape briefs for projects advertised in the tenders column of a newspaper.
• Develop a "client" brief, through an interview with a potential landscape client.
• Survey a landscape site to confirm details in a client brief.
• Develop three alternative concept plans for a landscape, in accordance with a client brief.
• Determine the preferred option, from three concept plans presented to a client at a tape recorded meeting.
• Prepare a detailed landscape design, conforming to decisions made during a discussion of alternative concept plans.
• Prepare a quotation, based on a specified landscape plan.
• Analyse the design of a landscape in comparison with the "Brief".
• Prepare a work schedule according to both specifications and plans.
• Monitor the progress of landscape work on a project, by keeping a logbook or work diary.
• Assess standard of work carried out on a completed landscape project, against landscape plans for that project.
• Select appropriate equipment, including tools and machinery, for a specified project.
• List occupational health and safety regulations when dealing with machinery and equipment, which is relevant to a specified project.
• Schedule the supply of materials and equipment for a project, in the logbook.
• Develop contingency plans for a landscape development which addresses different possible irregularities including bad weather, security problems, weekend watering.
• Explain how to finalise a specified project prior to handing over.
• Explain the importance of monitoring a contract, through a specified project.
• Develop guidelines for supervision of construction for a specified landscape project.

Some of our Horticulture Tutors

Maggi Brown Cert.Ed.(Environment)
Maggi is regarded as an expert in Organic Growing throughout the UK, having worked for two decades as Education Officer at the world renowned Henry Doubleday Research Association (now Garden Organic). She has been active in education, environmental management and horticulture across the UK for more them three decades.

Yvonne Sharpe RHS Cert.Hort, Dip.Hort, M.Hort, Cert.Ed., Dip.Mgt.
Over 30 years of experience in horticulture, education and management, Yvonne hastravelled widely within and beyond Europe, and has worked in many areas of horticulture from garden centres to horticultural therapy. She has served on industry committees and been actively involved with amateur garden clubs for decades. Yvonne is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG).

John L. Mason Dip.Hort.Sc., Sup'n Cert., FIOH, FPLA, FAIH, MACHPER, MASA
Mr Mason has had over 40 years experience in the fields of Horticulture, Business, Education and Journalism. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner. He has held positions ranging from Nurseryman and Landscape Designer to Director of Parks and Recreation (City of Essendon) and magazine editor.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over forty books and of over two thousand magazine articles. Even today, John has written a number of best selling reference texts used by horticultural courses at universities and colleges internationally. His publishers include Simon and Shuster, and Landlinks Press (CSIRO Publishing

Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA
Gavin has over 20 years of industry experience in  Landscaping, Publishing, Business and Psychology. He was operations manager for a highly reputable British Landscape firm (The Chelsea Gardener) before starting up his own firm. He has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show, and designed gardens across England and Australia.  He spent the best part of three years working in our Gold Coast office, partly as a writer for Your Backyard (gardening magazine), and partly as a tutor in both psychology and horticulture.

Martin Powdrill, Bsc (Hons) Applied Science (Resources Option), MSc Computer Studies, Permaculture Design Certificate. Martin’s goal as a catalyst for sustainable change brings together his strengths and experience in his environmental, project management, and business backgrounds. For 25 years, Martin has been involved in Telecommunications, IT, Organisational Development, and Energy Conservation & Efficiency, prior to setting up his own Permaculture consulting business. He wishes to make a real difference to people and the planet, by actively bringing new perspectives to current challenges and exciting opportunities. To realise this, he enables diverse groups of people to flourish and release their untapped potential, by re-igniting their passion and creativity. Additionally, Martin volunteers with many local environmental and community groups, and facilitates discussions on climate change, peak oil, and transition towns. Martin has an allotment, and is currently enrolled in the Scottish Mountain Bike Leader Award programme.

Rosemary Davies Dip Hort Sc.    Rosemary trained in Horticultural Applied Science at Burnley, a campus of Melbourne University. Initially she worked with Department of Agriculture Victoria as an extension officer (Garden Advisory Service), taught horticulture students, worked on radio with ABC radio (clocking up over 24 years as a presenter of garden talkback programs, initially the only woman presenter on gardening in Victoria) and she simultaneously developed a career as a writer. She is author of several booka and hundreds of articles.

Diana Cole B.A. (Hons), Higher Dip. (Garden Design), RHS Advanced Cert. Horticulture, Cert Admin.Mgt., Dip. Inst. Personnel Management In addition to her RHS horticulture, garden design, City & Guild construction, NPTC pesticide/legislation and business/management qualifications, Diana has a variety of skills drawn from setting up Arbella Gardens, a landscape gardening business. She also has administrative, management and training delivery experience drawn from her employment in other organisations such as the NHS and other educational institutions such as schools & universities. She has augmented her training expertise having gained the Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector qualification. She also has experience gained through working as a volunteer in a number of different roles including amenity style gardening in parks and practical conservation work. Diana is also a member of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Limited (NSALG).

Our courses are all written by highly qualified tutors and writers, who also teach on the courses, so know them well. We strive to update our courses and improve them with new information, methods and knowledge on an ongoing basis. If you would like to see examples of some of our courses, then choose the “Enrolment” option above, and then click on “Sample Course Notes”.

What learning method should I choose?
We offer three learning methods – e-learning, correspondence and online. If you are not sure which is the right choose for you, then click on the “Learning” box above, then “Learning Methods.”

How Long will it take to complete the course?
This obviously varies from student to student. Some students will have more time for study than others. Some students may work quicker than others, so it is an individual thing. We estimate that most students will take, for example, 4 – 6 months to complete a 100 hour individual module, but we allow up to 12 months for you to complete it.
Longer courses will obviously take longer. You can find more information on the length of time required and so on the “Enrolment” box, then selecting “Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.”

What Do Our Students think of us?
If you would like to read comments from our previous students, then choose the “About Us” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.

I don’t think this is the right course for me.
If you’re not sure about this course, then why not look at our wide range of other courses. Click on the “Courses” box above.
You may also wish to design your own course to fit in with exactly what YOU want. To do so, click on the “Enrolment” box, then “Design your Own Course”.
If you would like more advice on a course, then you can contact us and ask a tutor about the courses. You can contact us by calling 0800 328 4723 or +44(0) 384 442752 or emailing info@acsedu.co.uk

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Who is ACS Distance Education?
If you want to know more about ACS and our history, then please click on “The School”, then “About us.”