Landscaping Courses

Create flowing Cottage Gardens!  “This is a fantastic course for anyone with an interest in cottage gardens or for landscapers and designers wishing to broaden their repertoire. All aspects of cottage gardening are covered from the historical perspective through to plant selection and plans, and students are able to exercise their knowledge by designing their own cottage garden.” - Gavin Cole B.Sc., Cert.Garden Design, MACA, ACS Tutor.

This course is for the home gardener or landscape designer that loves to have the magic touch a cottage garden can create. Learn what a cottage garden is, and how to apply the principles of this concept to garden design and garden renovation. Learn about the Horticultural aspects of creating a sucessful garden and the landscaping techniques to establish it.

LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT GARDENS AND GARDENERS

What is Landscaping?

Landscaping involves designing and constructing home gardens, commercial sites and public open spaces (sportsgrounds, parks, playgrounds, streetscapes). Through distance learning, and with mentoring from experienced professionals you learn the principles that underpin both design and construction for all types of landscapes.

At the end of this 100 course you will be able to design a garden, and will have a foundation for further studies in specific areas of landscape design, development or management.  See how garden styles have evolved over the centuries, and broaden your understanding of how to use different garden components to create varying effects.

“This is the essential know-all for budding garden designers and landscape gardeners alike. It will also hold some sway for the home gardener and enthusiast. The course covers the history of garden design, principles of design, landscape detailing, and construction through to drawing techniques, plans and then encourages the student to design their own detailed landscape design. This is a wonderfully creative course”
- Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA, ACS Tutor.

What are the components that make up a garden?

.... and how do you use them.

“Less generic than Landscaping I, this course is more heavily weighted towards individual landscape components such as specific types of plants, paths, paving, walls, and garden features. It also covers landscape planning and management. This course need not follow its predecessor as it serves well as a stand alone module for landscapers, designers, and garden enthusiasts.” - Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA, ACS Tutor.

A natural progression from Landscaping I, but a self contained study unit in its own right, that concentrates on the detail of creating individual components in a landscape. You learn to design and build such things as walls, rockeries, steps, ponds, & paving; and you develop skills to create specific effects in a garden.

ADVANCE YOUR LANDSCAPING STYLING SKILLS

Learn to apply the principles, design features and elements that make up many types and styles of gardens. This is an outstanding course for even experienced landscape designers, developing skills in developing everything from a formal to an eclectic garden, and a mediterranean to an oriental landscape.

This course explores the many styles of garden that can be found across the globe; and the ways in which a garden designer can recreate gardens that reflect a particular style.

Learn to Design Gardens in a Natural Style

• Learn to design all types of natural gardens
• Develop your ability to design a bush garden (totally native, or using a mixture of both indigenous and other plants).
• Start a business, get a job, or learn to create a great garden for your own property
• 100 hr, self paced course, for landscape professionals or students training to work in landscaping.

After developing an understanding of the workings of natural environments you learn to create innovative plans for low maintenance bush gardens.It is ideal for the modern garden as it encourages the use of minimal maintenance and allows for habitats to grow without the need for triming and hedging. You will find more birds and insects coming back into your garden. 

Natural Gardens are popular both because they can require less maintenance, and because they create a more "relaxed" ambience. It today's fast paced world; the natural garden has become very popular. This course shows you how to create all types of natural gardens, from woodlands and rainforests, to xerophytic landscapes. Over more than 20 years, I've seen many a person take this course, and go on to a very successful career in landscaping  -John Mason Dip.Hort.Sc. FAIH, FIOH, FPLA, garden author and principal

A Course for Landscapers or Garden Designers who want to build on existing knowledge.

Develop an in depth understanding of the principles and procedures for all aspects of planning for development of a hard landscape; including: site assessment, plan drawing, plan interpretation, project specification and construction planning.

• It assumes a foundation knowledge of landscape and horticultural management.
• It is a valuable study program for even those who have worked in landscaping for some time, but whio seek a deeper and broader knowledge of garden renovation.
• This course has been developed by professionals in both Australia and the UK, with the aim of being relevant throughout the world

Are you selecting the best plants for the job? Develop a firm basis for the selection, establishment and maintenance of a range of commonly used garden plants. There is more than meets the eye when selecting plants and establishing them successfully. Learn more so that you can create the best reputation for eye catching gardens.

“It’s interesting how much difference the correct establishment of plants can make to the long term health of a garden. Learn how to get it right the first time with this course.” - Tracey Morris Dip.Hort., Cert.Hort., Cert III Organic Farming, ACS Tutor.

Learn to Design Playgrounds

This course emphasises the design and construction of playgrounds and small community parks; but is equally relevant to homes, schools and child care centres. 

This is a seven lesson course of approx. 100 hrs study This is a valuable course for parks managers or landscape designers. It includes playground philosophy, design of play structures (for function & safety), materials selection, community participation and park design.

"Children learn more from play than they do from school. It is crucial to their social, physical and intellectual development. Anyone (Parent to landscaper) who develops a landscape that is to be used by children, has a responsibility to understand the full implications of what they are creating. It is critical that we enhance the play opportunities for future generations; and that involves understanding what play is, how children play, and then applying that knowledge to forming a play friendly environment" John Mason Author, the Environment of Play, former Playground Designer with Playgrounds and Recreation Assn of Vic. 

Become an Expert at Garden Restoration

Learn to survey, analyze and plan sensitive and appropriate renovation of established gardens, generally of 2 hectares or less in size. This module has been developed and accredited in the UK as an elective in the RHS Diploma in Horticulture.

This course develops your skills in designing, constructing and maintaining water features and gardens -everything from ponds to fountains and waterfalls..

“If you are keen to learn about creating gardens with water features, this is a good place to start! It is not as simple as it seems to create a water garden, and it is imperative to learn the basics of how to create and care for them before you begin.” - Tracey Morris Dip.Hort., Cert.Hort., Cert III Organic Farming, ACS Tutor.