CERTIFICATE IN GARDEN DESIGN VHT012

• Discuss the principles Garden Design.
• Develop a foundation for systematic identification of plants and systematic determination of cultural requirements.
• Develop an awareness of different styles of gardening, principally through the study of the history of gardening.
• Develop the basic skills of landscape drawing as well as developing a basic understanding of contracts and specifications.
• Identify soil conditions appropriate for a garden design.
• Identify and properly account for environmental conditions within a garden design.
• Determine earthworks required for a garden design.
• Consider the relationship between design and construction when designing a garden.
• Determine appropriate surfacing for different gardens
• Determine appropriate garden structures for a garden.
• Evaluate the functionality of a park design.
• Evaluate the design of a home garden.
• Develop an appreciation for the impact that design can have on the cost of a garden.
• Discuss the functionality and design of surfaced areas in a garden or park, including paths, trails and sporting facilities.
• Discuss the scope and nature of tools used to landscape gardens.
• Discuss ways that plants may be better established.
• Discuss the design of water gardens
• Discuss the use of Rock, Stone, Brick and Concrete in garden designs.
• Discuss the appropriate use of lawns in garden designs.
• Discuss the appropriate use of irrigation in garden designs
• Discuss the design of natural gardens.
• Discuss the design of cottage gardens.
• Discuss the design of children’s play areas.
• Discuss the design of garden beds.
• Identify Management skills required to be a commercially viable garden designer.
• Explain methods of rehabilitation of degraded landscapes.
• Explain methods of dealing with drainage problems in a garden design
• Discuss the relationship between garden design and maintenance.
• Explain how a garden designer should successfully deal with clients.
• Prepare a significant garden design.

Duration:  600 hours

EXAMPLES OF TASKS UNDERTAKEN IN THIS COURSE
The following are only some of the activities that you will undertake in this course.

• Select a site to be landscaped. (It could be a park or home garden; it could be a new development or a redevelopment of an older garden). Visit the site and record pre planning information required to design the landscape.
• Find five examples of the use of landscape principles. Using sketches and written descriptions, describe the way the garden has been laid out in order to achieve those particular effects.
• Find gardens which represent three different styles. Submit a photograph or sketch plan of each along with a half page written description of the style of the garden. Explain any historical influences, including the influence of those who build to owned the garden. The gardens may be gardens you have actually visited, or can be gardens you have seen in a magazine or book.
• Copy the drawings of symbols (ie. drawings which show you how to represent plants, walls, rocks, etc. when you draw plans). Practice drawing these various components of a landscape.
• Using the pre-planning information collected, produce a design for that area. or part of that area.
• Take a sample of soil and attempt to name it using the test given.
• Obtain components of potting or soil mixes; make up different mixes and test their characteristics.
• Survey an area requiring earthmoving. Draw a plan of the area, to scale, showing the area to be excavated.
• Find, observe & report on some bad landscape construction work. (You might discuss a poor rockery, a wall which is falling over, or some playground equipment which is unsafe.)
• Find examples of bad selection of surfaces in a landscape (ie. home garden, park, sports oval, tennis court or whatever). Describe the material used and explain why they are bad. Consider both the aesthetic and functional qualities of the surfacing.
• Develop a redevelopment plan for an existing park. Submit a photograph of the park as it exists at the moment (otherwise submit a rough sketch). Prepare a design for redevelopment in line with the suggested changes.
• Choose an established home garden (your own or a friends), and draw a sketch plan as the garden exists. Explain how well do you think this garden is designed?
• Find another home garden, needing either a new design or redevelopment. Prepare four rough sketches showing the stages you would go through in designing or redesigning that particular garden.
• Develop a detailed explanation of how you prepared your costing in the set task. Show the various components of the costing and explain how and why you costed it this way rather than higher or lower.
• Design a trail. It can be any type of trail (fun & fitness, nature, history, etc.) and may be located anywhere (a street, park, home garden, etc).
• Find and visit some recently landscaped gardens (completed within the last 4 months). Visit up to three different properties. Take note of any problems with the maintenance. Consider what could have been done to prevent these problems occurring.
• Design a perennial border along the front wall of a brick house
• Prepare a plan for the establishment of a large number of trees in a degraded area. This plan should cover at least 5 years. You should indicate clearly what the problem is and how you are going to use the trees to help rehabilitate the area.
• Design a water feature (eg. a pond or creek bed) for a bush or natural garden. Submit plans and a step by step description showing how you would construct such a water feature.
• Design a rockery area for a bush garden.
• Design a natural garden using mainly ferns, for a small courtyard of specified dimensions

Assessment

You must satisfactorily complete all assignments and pass two 1.5 hour exams.

Fee Payment Options

You can pay either

• Full Fees
• As a two part payment plan
• As a four part payment plan

If you pay in full on enrolment, the fees are discounted.

If you pay in 2 parts, the first half of the course is supplied initially; and the second part payment is not made until you have completed the first half (at which time the second half of the course is supplied).

If you pay in 4 parts, the first half is still supplied; you are then billed a second payment (due 2 months later). The third payment becomes due when you commence the second half of the certificate.The fourth part is due 2 months after that.

Enrolment fees do not include exam fees

What is Covered by Each Lesson?

1. Introduction to Landscaping

• Scope and Nature
• Principles of Landscape Design
• Design Elements
• Creating Landscape Effects
• Using Space
• Making a Small Garden Look Larger
• Choosing Plants
• Using Colour
• Decorative Touches
• Light and Colour
• Pre Planning Information
• Healthy Gardens

2. Plant Identification

• Plant Classification and Taxonomic Hierarchy
• Binomial System
• Botanical Classification
• Phyla, Classes, Families
• Genus, Species, Hybrids, Cultivars
• Differentiating important Ornamental Plant Families: A basis for learning plant names
• Plant Culture
• Garden Renovation: Methodology and Tasks
• Pruning
• Weed Management
• Dealing with Plant Problems

3. History of Gardening

• Formal, Informal and Natural Gardens
• Garden Styles
• Japanese Gardens
• Naturalistic, Eclectic, Permaculture, Minimalist Gardens
• Gardens through Time, Ancient Middle Eastern, Chinese, Roman, Spanish, Monastery, Elizabethan, etc
• Recent Influences ; Le Notre, Rose, Brown, Kent, Jekyll, Burle Marx, etc
• Some Modern Trends; Bush Gardens, Permaculture Gardens,

4. Drawing Plans

• Elements of a drawn garden
• Scale
• What to Draw With
• Lettering
• Landscape Symbols
• Design Procedure
• Step by Step Drawing a Plan
• Introducing Computer Aided Design

5. Soils and Nutrition

• Importance of Soil
• Soil Composition, texture, horizons
• Naming a Soil
• Improving Soils
• Landscape Supplies
• Terminology

6. Understanding the Environment

• Ecological Concepts
• The Ecosystem –abiotic and biotic components
• Environmental influences on soil production
• Types of Australian Flora; Indo Melanesian, Antarctic, Australian Sclerophyl
• Review of Australian Plant Families

7. Earthworks and Surveying

• Moving existing earth
• Settling Soil
• Soil Degradation
• Erosion
• Soil Compaction
• Chemical Residues
• Basic Surveying
• Triangulation
• Slope
• Levelling Terminology
• Levelling Procedure
• Earthworks Calculations
• Using Triangles
• Horizontal Measurements
• Horizontal Angles

8. Basic Landscape Construction

• Specifications and Contracts
• Contract Terminology
• Drainage and Erosion
• Walling
• Rockeries
• Steps
• Types of Playgrounds
• Making Stable Mounds

9. Surfacing

• Gradients
• Surface Materials; gravel, mulch, lawn etc
• Choosing the appropriate lawn
• Pavers, stone and gravels
• Types of Paving Materials
• Methods for Laying Pavers
• Concrete
• Gravel
• Asphalt
• Coloured Surfaces
• Artificial Sports Surfaces
• Substrates
• Performance Considerations

10. Garden Structures

• Understanding and Designing Garden Rooms
• Furnishing a Garden Room
• Sculpture
• Walls
• Mirrors
• Water
• Fountains and Water Displays
• Feature Pots; Container Plants
• Layout Problems with Garden Structures
• Motorised Vehicle Parks
• Skate Facilities
• Outdoor Furniture

11. Park Design

• User Friendly Gardens, seating, shelter, fragrant plants, etc
• Recreational Landscaping
• Park Design Criteria
• Playgrounds
• Making Community Participation Work

12. Home Garden Design

• The Entrance
• Designing a front Garden
• Scale in a Design
• Techniques to maintain scale
• Creating space in small gardens
• Garden Features for small gardens
• Outdoor Living Areas; patios, seating, garden structures, etc
• Pool Areas
• Barriers
• Fences

13. Costing and Specifications

• Buying Plants; what to look for
• Cost of Garden Maintenance
• Expensive Areas in Gardens; lawns, containers, annuals, vegetables
• Less Expensive to Maintain areas; shrubberies, paving, natural bush areas
• Costing Jobs
• The Market for Landscape Contractors; government sector, developers, commercial sector, private sector

14. Trail Design and Sporting Facilities

• Paths
• Advantages and disadvantages of gravel and bark paths
• Planting in Paving
• Trails
• Designing a Trail
• Trail Types; environmental, fun and fitness, sensory, cryptic
• Design of Sporting Facilities; slope, gradient, dimensions
• Sports Courts

15. Tools and Machinery

• Choosing the right tools
• Manual Tools and Equipment
• Rakes
• Spades and Shovels
• Wheelbarrows
• Rollers
• Sprayers
• Tool Maintenance
• Manual Handling
• Power Tools
• Safety and Maintenance with Power Tools
• Chain Saws
• Mulchers
• Rotary Hoes
• Tractors and tractor mounted equipment
• Buying equipment

16. Plant Establishment Techniques

• Timing
• Soil preparation
• Plant and pot size
• Planting technique
• Establishing Trees
• Physical Plant Protection; staking, frost protection, protecting from animals, etc

17. Ponds and Pools

• Types of Ponds; formal, informal
• Position, water quality, depth etc.
• Water effects
• Finishing Touches
• Planning a Water Garden
• Alternative Types of construction
• Aesthetic Affects
• Plants for Water Gardens; oxygenating plants, deep water plants, edge plants etc.

18. Rockwork and Masonry

• Building rock walls
• Dry Stone Walls
• Wet Walls
• Retaining Walls
• Concrete; mixing, reinforcing, rodding, etc
• Rockeries
• Making Artificial Rocks
• Coloured Pebbles and Gravel

19. Lawn Construction Techniques

• Common Turf varieties
• Selecting Turf for lawns; what to grow where
• Wild Flower Meadows
• Turf Establishment
• Soil Preparation, seeding, sodding, stolonising, plugging, etc
• Mowing and Fertilising Turf

20. Irrigation Design and Installation

• Planning an irrigation system
• Micro irrigation
• Sprinkler irrigation
• Using a watering system
• Automated Systems
• Maintenance of Irrigation Systems

21. Bush Garden Design

• Scope and Nature
• Birds in a Garden; attracting, feeding, etc

22. Cottage Garden Design

• Scope and Nature
• Components
• Paths and Fences in a Cottage Garden

23. Playground Design

• Planning for Play
• Playing at Home
• Play Equipment; sand pit, cubbies, swings etc

24. Garden Bed Design

• Making Garden Beds; size, shape, edges, topography, soil, surfacing, irrigation,
• Raised Beds
• Sunken Beds
• No Dig Beds
• Plant Application; trees, shrubs, ground cover
• Aesthetic Criteria in Garden Bed Design , line, form, texture, colour, balance, repetition, etc
• Procedure for Planting Design

25. Management

• Scope and nature of Office Work
• Office equipment; selection and use
• Information Technology
• Business Letters
• The Law and Business
• Work Scheduling

26. Land Rehabilitation

• Soil Degradation
• Earth Works Different types of equipment (Cat, Rotary Hoe, Dozer, etc)
• Importing or Improving Soil
• Plant Establishing Techniques (pocket planting, slope serration, wattling, etc)
• Planting Arid Sites

27. Drainage

• Scope and Nature of Drainage
• Sub Surface or Surface Drainage
• Types of Sub Surface Drains
• Water Outlet

28. Maintenance

• Maintenance Decisions
• Making Compromises between costs and garden style
• Construction decisions
• Design for minimising pests
• Using Timber in a Garden
• Choosing a Timber
• Managing Termites
• Wood Preservatives
• Keeping a Garden Clean
• Garden Maintenance Equipment
• Designing for Low Maintenance
• Review of Garden Pests and Diseases

29. Dealing with Clients

• Effective Communication Skills
• Awareness
• Reactive Patterns
• Understanding Communication Processes
• Introduction to Marketing
• Making Contact with potential clients, communicating, then convincing
• Writing an advertisement or promotion
• Effective Selling
• Cost and Clients
• Garden Investments

30. Major Garden Design Project

Exams: There are four exams for the course; one after lesson 7, another after lesson 15; a third after lesson 22 and the final at the conclusion of the course.

 What qualification will I achieve for completing this course?

This is an individual module course. The individual module courses are 100 hour long usually and can be taken on their own or as part of a larger program of study.

If you wish to take an individual module course as a stand alone course, you can elect to sit an optional exam at the end of it.

If you successfully pass the exam and all assignments, you will receive a Statement of Attainment. You can take examinations at a time and location to suit you. If you enrol, you will be sent further information on how to arrange examinations at the end of the course.

If you do not wish to take the exam, you will receive a Course Completion letter when you have passed all assignments.

There is an assignment at the end of each lesson. So for example, if an individual module course contains ten lessons, you will need to complete ten assignments. Assignments can be sent to us via email, post or fax.

Other qualifications, such as certificates, diplomas etc may require examinations to be taken as part of the overall assessment process.

You can find further information on the examinations process by clicking on the “Enrolment” link above.

You can find further information on other courses by clicking on the “Courses” link above.

More Information on ACS Distance Education and our courses

Who are our tutors?

Our tutors are all highly experienced and professional, knowledgeable in their field of study. We have staff from around the world, enabling us to gain a wide variety of perspectives. We have a school in the UK and in Australia. If you would like to have a look at our tutors, then click on the “The School” in the boxes above and choose “The Staff” option.

Sample Course Notes

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”.

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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 “Enrolment” 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 “Enrolment” option above, then “Student Testimonials”.

I don’t think this is the right course for me.

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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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Home Study Garden Dign Certificate

This course has operated for many years as an effective training program for people working, or wishing to work, in the landscape industry; either in their own business, or at a supervisory level for someone else. It is a course which both develops the students design skills (drawing plans, landscape principles, history and styles, planting design, etc), as well as basic knowledge in other areas of concern to the landscaper (eg. horticultural practices, management, plant identification and use, and marketing). On completion of this course the student should be able to draw landscape plans, compile specifications, and prepare cost estimates. There are thirty lessons taking around 6-700 hours to complete.

• Accredited through International Accreditation & Recognition Council
• Ideal Training to work as a Garden Designer

"If your focus is on design rather than contracting or construction, this or our Diploma in Landscaping are the best options you are likely to find anywhere" 

Principal: John Mason FIOH, author of Starting a Garden or Landscape Business (Simon & Schuster), designer of over 500 gardens, & parks.