Garden Design II (Landscape Features) Online Course
| Full Fee | $595.00 incl GST - Best Value! |
| Payment Plan | $800.00 incl GST |
Exam Optional
Tutor Support Yes unlimited by email
Qualification Certificate
This online garden design course can either fine tune the important landscaping skills you acquired upon completion of the Introduction to Garden Design course, or it can be taken as a self contained study unit. It is equally suited to those already working or looking to work in the industry, or enthusiastic gardeners with good basic landscaping knowledge. In this course you 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.
Course 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.
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Detailed Course Outline
This course is made up of a number of lessons or units. Each of these has self assessment questions, a set task (practical homework) and an assignment which you can upload online. Click below to read about each of the lessons and what you will learn.
There are 12 Lessons in this course:
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
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, Upholstery
- Furniture design
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Developing a Landscape Plan
- The site planning process
- Site analysis
- Design concept
- Master plan
- Keeping it to scale
- The importance of space
Management of Landscape Projects
- Introduction
- Mistakes to avoi
- Earthmoving
- Importing soil
- Workplace safety
When you have completed the lessons of your Certificate course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It's okay if you don't want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.
Course Tutor(s)
Barbara Tremain BSc. (Hons) Horticulture, RHS Adv. Cert,. RHS General, City & Guilds Garden Design, Permaculture Level 3 (UK)
Barbara brings to Careerline a wide range of horticultural experience and knowledge Barbara has a keen interest in herbalism, edible wild plants and has lead into studies of many plant based complementary medicinal systems, qualification as a Bach Flower remedy practitioner and studying Ethnobotany. Barbara has practiced and studied horticulture as well as combining it with her love of travel in many countries including the UK, US and Australia and has also studied Permaculture and runs her own horticulture business. Within the past two years she have also worked for Groundwork SW with 18-24 year old unemployed people, this work and the mentoring scheme has allowed me to teach informally. It has been a delight to nurture the interests of keen learners in horticulture and garden design. Meanwhile the business has covered a variety of Garden Design projects, from wildflower gardens to seaside situations, and has included some work with Chelsea Gold multi-winner John Moreland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay in installments?
Yes! We offer great payment plans, however full payment up front is the cheapest. You can choose the best payment plan for you from the course page, or call us on 07 55368782 to talk to one of our course consultants for a custom plan.
Can I study from anywhere in the world?
We have many international students. Careerline's range of courses are suitable for any one, anywhere in the world.
Do I get a discount if I enroll in a second course?
Yes. You may claim a 5% fee discount when you enroll in a second course, and a further 10% off a three-course package.
Do I have to sit an Exam?
No. If you are enrolled in a Certificate course (100hrs), the exam is optional. You will be issued with a certificate which proves that you are competent in all units, if you choose not to sit the exam.
Do you have set start dates?
There are no set start dates, you may start at any time. Our courses are all self-paced. As our home page says, ‘Courses for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime’. ‘Anytime’ includes the start time of your choice. However, we do encourage our students to submit assignments on a regular basis. Wherever possible, we suggest developing a study routine.