Qualification - Advanced Diploma In Horticulture - Landscaping

Train to be a Landscape Professional

The Advanced Diploma in Horticulture (Landscaping) is a diverse qualification which allows you to work across several professional industry sectors.

On completion this course opens your career up to management positions in landscaping, general horticulture and garden design as well as teaching.

Enrol in one of the most comprehensive landscape horticulture courses available. Understand plant science, plant identification, plant care, irrigation, soils and nutrition,  horticultural management and all aspects of landscaping and landscape design. Choose electives in fields of interest that will help you to realise your ambitions.

“Not too many courses are this comprehensive! When you complete this course you will understand all the aspects associated with landscaping and design. Most landscaping courses only focus on design - but without the fundamental knowledge of plants and landscape construction a designer cannot truly design a workable garden. This course covers all the design and construction aspects plus botany and horticultural skills enabling you to understand how plants will perform and work for you in your designs.” - Adriana Fraser , Adv.Dip.Hort, Cert.Hort., Adv. Cert. App. Mgt., Cert 1V Assessment and Training., Cert.Child Care.,  ACS Tutor.

Modules

Note that each module in the Qualification - Advanced Diploma In Horticulture - Landscaping is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

LEARN TO BE AN EXCEPTIONAL LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONAL

Building a garden should literally be done from the ground up.  The soil type and quality, drainage patterns and natural features of the existing ground must be determined and considered in your planning. Soils can be improved, but in large areas the cost of such an exercise can be prohibitive. Good planning for drainage is also essential, because trying to rectify drainage problems once the garden is established will likely be much more costly than getting the drainage right prior to establishing your garden

Plant growth is directly affected by the type of soil the plants are grown in. The majority of plants depend on soil to provide nutrition, physical support (i.e. a place for roots to anchor), water and air. The exceptions to this are those plants that are known as epiphytes. These grow in such places, as tree trunks, on rocks, on or fallen logs.

Selection of appropriate plant species requires basic knowledge of soils as well as the soil requirements of individual species.

Get The Levels Right
The ground in any garden is always going to have slopes. Even a seemingly flat garden will have depressions and bumps that might not be noticed. Depressions will collect water and higher ground will dry out faster. The soil composition (eg. amount of sand and organic matter) affects the drainage and ability to hold water too.
Changing levels thus can affect the conditions for plants to grow in. Changing levels can also make a garden more or less interesting.
When you begin to create a garden, you need to start with not only the composition of the soil but also soil levels.
Consider what the original levels are; and consider how you want to change them.

Consider whether to create mounds

Small or large, mounds can add visual interest to gardens. They are an easy way to utilise excess soil that may be present from other activities such as building site works. Mounds are often used to provide visual barriers or physical barriers which limit access and reduce excess noise. They are also useful in providing variation to children’s play areas and also as a means of providing improved drainage for plants that may not be suited to the areas original drainage characteristics. Slight mounds can be grassed over, but generally they are better planted. Ground covers should be used if you want to show the line of the mound, otherwise use shrubs and trees which like the improved drainage.

When making mounds a few simple rules should be followed to obtain the best results:

• Never have more than a 30 degree slope on the mound.
• Mulch the surface of the mound if the slope is over 15 degrees.
• Don't use rocks, asphalt or concrete etc. as fill   these can gradually work to the surface.
• It's best not to use heavy clay as fill, particularly where the overlying soil is lighter in texture.
• Heavy clay on top of heavy clay can be ok.
• If putting lighter soil on top of clay, form the clay underneath to provide the right shape for sub surface drainage before filling   water    must be able to freely drain away.
• If using a mixture of filling material, put the lighter (sandier) soil on top.
• Surface any mound with at least 8 cm of good topsoil.
  
  

Fill required for different sized mounds (approximate):

• 1 m high in centre; 7 m long x 4 m wide: requires 15 18 cubic metres
• 1.7 m high, 6 m wide x 10 m long: requires 50 to 60 cubic metres
• 2.8 m high, 10 m wide and 18 m long: requires 200 to 230 cubic metres
  
  

There is of course much more to landscaping than just the ground, but that is the starting point.

This course will explore a great deal about every aspect of landscaping; both designing and building gardens.

• You will know a lot about soils, rock, timber, plants; and so many other types of landscape materials by the time you graduate
• You will also understand how to choose and arrange components to create a functional and aesthetic landscape
• Your knowledge of garden construction will deepen, and your awareness of what is possible in business or employment will grow considerably
  
  

This course can be the beginning of a lifelong passion and rewarding career.