A Foundation in Landscaping
- Learn the basics to work in landscaping
- Relates equally to public, private and commercial landscaping
- Relates to both design and construction
This is a particularly broad based course, for anyone who has not studied landscaping before. If you have a serious interest in working in this industry; this could be the ideal place to begin - it covers design both also many aspects of landscape construction.
What this Course Covers
Ten lessons as follows:
1. Basic Design Procedure A - This lesson lays the foundation for understanding how to design a landscape, from collecting information about an undeveloped site, to understanding the principles and elements of design. It also introduces or revises the way in which plants are identified: something that every good garden designer needs a sound understanding of.
2. History of Gardening - Understand how different types of gardens have developed through history. This knowledge underpins your ability to develop varying gardens, from the natural to the formal and the oriental to eclectic. By studying different gardens and garden designers, you will expand the range of ideas you can draw from, to incorporate into gardens you develop today, and in the future
3. Draughting and Contracting - Learn the procedures and techniques that can be used to draw a landscape plan.
4. Basic Landscape Construction - This lesson explores the possibilities for building different parts of a landscape, from forming the earth in a way that is stable (eg. guarding against erosion), to understanding the possibilities for paths, walls, rockeries, steps. play structures and more.
5. Surfacings - Learn about the options for treating the ground surface in a landscape. Every type of surface from paving to lawn, has it's advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to understand how the options compare in terms of not only functionality, but cost, durability and aesthetics. This lesson helps you to make the right choice for each part of a landscape.
6. Furnishings and Features - Choosing appropriate furniture and features is just as important to the final landscape, as are your choices for surfacings. Furnishing a garden is akin to furnishing a house in many respects; with the potential to change something that is relatively mundane and useless into something that is very functional and aesthetically special.
7. Park Design A - Learn to design parks and playgrounds to fit the needs of the users and match the capacity of management to maintain them. Parkland development is a significant section of the landscape industry; and having an insight into this aspect of landscaping, will broaden your awareness of where you may find employment opportunities, and how you might successfully tackle the landscape development of commercial or public sites.
8. Home Garden Design - Explore how to design home gardens, from small courtyards to larger urban or country gardens. Understand the relationship between the garden and the house; and how to tie the two together.
9. Design Procedure - Expand your understanding of landscape design in challenging situations including long narrow sites. Explore the possibilities for using water in a garden, for a range of different effects.
10. Park Design B - Explore a range of different types of facilities that may be developed in a landscape from trails to porting facilities; then undertake a Special Assignment, designing a landscape of your own choosing in detail
Workload
Study when, where and however much you want. For most students, the course can be completed with a total of around 100 hours of study; and a commitment close to that may be needed to achieve desired learning outcomes.
Extra Reading
The following books, available through this web site are relevant supplementary reading for this course
- Garden Design I
- Garden Design II
Assessment
Self Assessment Tests are presented throughout the course. These are essentially an automated quiz. When you undertake a "SAT" or "Self Assessment Test", you will be able to see what you got correct, and what was incorrect; and in that way, you can identify your weaknesses.
Assignments are given at the end of each lesson. You should complete this assignment, paying careful attention to follow what is asked of you. It can be just as important to learn to work to specification, as it is to learn about the topic you are studying. Graduates who develop a habit of working to specification in the field of human behaviour, will impress employers, and will be more efficient when self employed.
A Final Exam is offered upon satisfactory completion of all assignments. This is optional. If you choose to apply for and do this exam, you will have the possibility of obtaining a "formal credit" or "Pass Certification" for this course. A fee applies. The exam may be sat under prearranged conditions anywhere in the world. This college will award you a formal transcript, upon successful completion of the exam, as proof of your results.
Recognition and Ethics
This college is a member of the ACS Affiliates Network; a group of colleges from several countries, affiliated with each other through ACS Distance Education.. Courses are developed with input from all of these colleges, aspiring to reflect internationally accepted standards and needs.
A strict "No Plagiarism" and "No fraud" policy exists. Assignments are checked for plagiarism, and assignments will not be deemed to have been completed, if work is not your own original creation, and is found to have been copied from elsewhere. If the person doing the course is discovered to be different to the name enrolled, the enrolment and any results will be recorded as invalid and any fees paid will be forfeited.
Refund Policy
A full refund less expenses (up to 15% of fees applied) is provided to anyone wishing to withdraw from a course, within 2 weeks of enrolment. This does not apply after the first assignment has been submitted and marked; or after the two weeks has expired.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS INSTITUTION?
We believe that we have an ethical responsibility to make good use of the fees you pay and the time you invest into an education through our college. To this end, our first priority is always your learning. This comes before issues such as formal accreditations, speculative marketing and bureaucratic processes which all too often add considerable costs to the running of colleges, and take resources away from the provision of more valuable services to the student.
This college focuses on facilitating your learning and support to optimise that learning. We recognise that learning is all about improving knowledge and skills in your long term memory. While some colleges may focus on getting you to pass exams, by committing knowledge to short term memory; we understand that such an approach is not true education, and does little to improve your long term career or business prospects.
How This Course Could Help You
This course is ideal for gardeners and landscape gardeners alike. It is an ideal module for people wishing to gain insight into landscaping for purposes of setting up in business or as a self-employed landscape gardener.
Study this course by itself or along with other landscaping or horticulture modules as part of a certificate or higher level qualification.