Water Gardening

Create a water garden or water feature.

“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.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • Scope and nature of water gardens
   • What size water garden
   • Water supply: rain, tanks,etc
   • Water quality
   • Siting the water garden
   • Evapouration rate, water depth, safety
   • Water in garden design: formal, informal
   • Edging, Water sculptures, shade
   • Water effects: sound, reflection, movement, light, cooling,
   • Water life: algae, fish, mosquitos, wildlife, plants
2. Water Garden Construction
   • Introduction
   • Planning the water garden
   • What effect do you want
   • Matching the effect with the type of garden
   • Shape, size and location
   • Type of construction
   • Surrounds
   • Using a liner
   • Pre formed water gardens (Kits)
   • Pond edges
3. Equipment: Pumps, lights, filters
   • Submersible pumps
   • Lighting: power source, DC power
   • Lighting design with water
   • Pond filtration systems: sterile or living water
   • Mechanical or biological filtration
   • Swimming pool filtration
   • Sand filters
   • Diatomaceous earth filters
   • Cartridge filters
4. Ponds and Watercourses
   • Designing a natural watercourse
   • Siting a stream
   • Water circulation
   • Pond design
   • Dams
   • Bog gardens
   • Reed beds
   • Pond management
   • Oxygenating plants
5. Spas and Swimming Pools: Design and aftercare
   • Choosing a swimming pool
   • What sort of pool do you need
   • Structural considerations
   • Cost considerations
   • Types of pools: concrete, fibreglass, vinyl
   • Above or below ground
   • Pump and filtration system
   • What shape
   • Special features in a pool
   • Heating a pool
   • Pool care over winter
6. Indoor and Outdoor Water Features
   • Introduction
   • Pot ponds
   • Water barrels
   • Wall plaques and wall fountains
   • Water walls
   • Water spouts
   • Bird baths
   • Fountains
   • Cobble fountain construction
   • Waterfalls
   • Cascades
   • Canals
   • Using water features in a landscape
7. Water Plants
   • Introduction
   • Waterside trees and shrubs
   • Bog plants
   • Emergent water plants
   • Floating leaf plants
   • Aquatic plants
   • Water lilies
   • Plants to avoid in water gardens
   • Surrounding plants
8. Aquatic Animals
   • Introduction
   • Conditions needed by fish and aquatic animals
   • Maintenance
   • Fish
   • Frogs
   • Tortoises
   • Water snails
   • Insects
   • Birds
   • Troubleshooting

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Understand the nature and scope of water gardens.
• Identify and describe generic construction materials and techniques suitable for water gardens and pools.
• Select appropriate equipment for use with water features.
• Specify the design and construction of a pond or watercourse.
• Specify the design, construction and maintenance of a spa or swimming pool.
• Specify the design & construction of a Water Feature other than a pond or water course.
• Identify the water plants commonly used in water gardens.
• Identify a variety of aquatic animals suitable for water gardens, and their requirements.

WHYCHOOSE US?

• Support:  communicate directly with staff . Answering you is our top priority
• Different:  if your training is different, you stand out
• Resources:  unique collection of people and intellectual property.
• Reputation: A team of a dozen university trained horticulturists led by our principal John Mason, with a 40 year career incl. author of over 50 gardening books, garden editor, landscape, nurseryman and parks director
• Flexibility:  more options for how, where, when and what you study
• Learning is top priority: what you learn changes you for life. Everything else is secondary
• Better value:   Compare our cost per study hour.
• Reliability:  Established since 1979, and being independent means we have avoided the stresses suffered by many other institutions