Cottage Garden Design

Learn to design and create cottage gardens. This is a solid foundation course for landscapers, horticulturists, gardeners or anyone passionate about cottage gardens. Add to your garden design skills.

Course Code: BHT110
Fee Code: S3
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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Nurture Your Garden Design Skills

Learn to design a cottage garden, applying broad concepts and principles loosely or rigidly to create a landscape sympathetic to a period in history or style of architecture. This course involves using heritage or old world plants and features (i.e. formal to semi formal designs with an emphasis on flowers, vegetables, archways, arbours, statues, gazebos, picket fencing, sundials and rustic elements).
 

How to Stand Out as a Landscape Professional?

Every client wants a garden that is a little different, and one that will impress their friends.
Every client is a little different in their tastes -likes and dislikes!
 
Landscape designers and contractors who produce great gardens, but always in a similar style, (no matter how popular that style is); will always be competing with each other to "stand out" from the crowd; and convince clients that they can offer that "little bit extra"
 
By learning about a garden style that other landscapers are not so familiar with; you may be able to offer them something that other landscapers cannot offer!

Some landscapers use this course to become a "specialist"; specialising in the design of cottage gardens. Others may still work on a wide variety of gardens; but what they learn here may just give them a different perspective that can be applied to far more than just cottage style 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.” 


Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

  1. Introduction to Cottage Gardens
    • What is a Cottage Garden
    • Components
    • Guidelines for Using Cottage Plants
    • Plant Naming
    • Principles of Landscape Design
    • Preplanning Information
  2. History of Cottage Gardens
    • 19th century Cottage Gardens
    • History of Cottage Gardening
    • Case Study
  3. Design Techniques and Drawing Plans
    • Garden Rooms
    • Positioning Garden Features
    • Framing Views
    • Drawing the Plan
    • Design Procedure
  4. Plants for Cottage Gardens
    • Mixing Plants
    • Designing a Garden Bed
    • Perennial Plants
    • Designing a Perennial Display or Border
    • Bulbs
    • Scented Geraniums
    • Lavender
    • Other Cottage Garden Plants
  5. Planting Design in Cottage Gardens
    • Using Colour in the Garden
    • Shade Trees
    • Repellent Herb Plants
    • Companion Planting
    • Planting Design
  6. Hard Landscape Features and Components
    • Walls and Fencing
    • Pickets
    • Woven Wire Fencing
    • Stick Fencing
    • Stone Walls
    • Garden Art: sculpture, pottery, architecture, wall plaques, sundials, weather vanes, feature tiles, etc.
    • Furnishing; outdoor furniture
    • Paths, Gravel, Coloured Gravels, bark, brick, cobbles, etc
    • Guidelines for Path Design
    • Seating
    • Arches
    • Barriers and Walls
  7. Cottage Gardens Today
    • Where are Cottage Gardens Appropriate
    • Making a Courtyard More Exciting
    • Planning For Perfection
    • Old (disappearing) Garden Skills
  8. Special Assignment
    • Coherence and Contrast
    • Evaluating Cottage Garden Designs
    • Design of A Complete Garden.

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

  • Explain the concept of a cottage garden.
  • Prepare concept plans for cottage gardens.
  • Prepare planting designs for cottage gardens.
  • Plan the incorporation of appropriate non-living landscape features in a cottage garden.
  • Prepare a detailed design for a cottage garden.

What You Will Do

  • Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
  • Explain the concept of a cottage garden, both in historical and modern contexts.
  • Explain the influence of one famous landscaper on cottage gardens.
  • Explain the relevance of garden design concepts to cottage gardens, including: *Unity *Balance *Proportion *Harmony *Contrast *Rhythm *Line *Form *Mass *Space *Texture *Colour *Tone.
  • Analyse the designs of three cottage gardens inspected by you.
  • Describe the steps involved, accompanied by a sequence of illustrations, in the planning process for a cottage garden.
  • Develop a checklist of pre-planning information required for a proposed cottage garden on a specific site.
  • Compile pre-planning information for a specific site, for a proposed cottage garden, through an interview with a potential client, and surveying the site.
  • Prepare drawings to represent landscape features on a cottage garden plan, including trees, shrubs, herbs, walls, rocks, buildings and other landscape features.
  • Analyse the designs of three different cottage gardens, inspected by you.
  • Prepare three different cottage garden concept plans for the same site, to satisfy given design specifications and pre-planning information.
  • Prepare a plant collection of fifty-cottage garden plants, which includes: *A photo, drawing or pressed specimen of each plant *Plant names (scientific and common) *Cultural details *Uses/applications in garden design.
  • Prepare a planting plan for a garden bed of 20 to 30 square metres in a cottage garden style, including: *A sketch plan *A plant list.
  • Design a perennial border of 30 metres in length, in an appropriate cottage garden style.
  • Design a 50 to 100 square metre garden bed, which incorporates companion planting principles.
  • Evaluate the companion planting design in a cottage garden visited by you.
  • Design a colour themed garden, such as a white garden, for an area of 200 square metres or less, to suit a proposed garden redevelopment, on a site visited by you.
  • Describe briefly, different non-living features that may be included in a cottage garden, including: *Seating alternatives *Bird baths *Sun dials *Fountains *Statues
    • *Pergolas *Gazebos *Fencing *Ponds *Weather vanes.
  • Determine criteria for inclusion of different landscape features in a cottage garden, including: *Gazebos *Ornaments *Arbors *Tub plants *Water features *Paths.
  • Compare the characteristics, including: *Suitability for a cottage garden *Cost *Availability *Longevity *Appearance *Maintenance, of different landscape materials.
  • Explain the use of plant sculpting, including topiary and hedging, in cottage garden designs; including references to: *Ways of creating it *Ways of using it *Maintenance.
  • Analyse, in a report including photographs, the use of different structures as features, in the designs of two different cottage gardens, visited by you.
  • Prepare three cottage garden concept plans, one each for different specified sites, which incorporate different types of features sympathetic to cottage or heritage gardens.
  • Develop a brief for a cottage garden design, for the redevelopment of an established garden around an old building in your locality.
  • Analyse the designs of two different well established cottage gardens visited by you.
  • Compile pre-planning information for a specified cottage garden development.
  • Prepare detailed plans for a cottage garden (following industry standards), including:
    • *Detailed plans *Materials lists *Costings.
  • Explain the reasoning behind a cottage garden designed by you.

Extend Your Garden Design Skills

Cottage garden style has changed since over recent decades. Today’s cottage garden is about visual appeal with more thought given to complementary colour, texture, form and overall design as compared to  the gardens of the past that were practical spaces created to include a diverse range of plants including vegetables and herbs into as little space as possible.

Where Are Cottage Gardens Most Appropriate?
New generations are buying and renovating old homes in cities all over the world. These inner city properties are frequently small, and have an architectural style that suits the cottage garden. From London to Melbourne, it is not uncommon to find cottage style gardens on properties where space is often limited to little more than a couple of courtyards. The challenge with such properties is often “how to make the most of limited space”, but still create the style that is desired.

 

Opportunities After Study

This course may be studied by itself or along with other modules as part of a higher level qualification.
It is of value to people wishing to work in:

  • Garden design
  • Landscaping
  • Urban Planning
  • Architecture
  • Construction industries
  • Garden maintenance
  • Parks & gardens
  • Horticulture
  • Education
  • Research

 
Principal of ACS Distance Education, John Mason, is fellow of the CIH.
Principal of ACS Distance Education, John Mason, is fellow of the CIH.
Member Nursery and Garden Industry Association.
Member Nursery and Garden Industry Association.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.
Since 1999 ACS has been a recognised member of IARC (International Approval and Registration Centre). A non-profit quality management organisation servicing education.

How can I start this course?

You can enrol at anytime and start the course when you are ready. Enrolments are accepted all year - students can commence study at any time. All study is self paced and ACS does not set assignment deadlines.

Please note that if a student is being assisted by someone else (e.g. an employer or government subsidy), the body offering the assistance may set deadlines. Students in such situations are advised to check with their sponsor prior to enrolling. The nominal duration of a course is approximately how long a course takes to complete. A course with a nominal duration of 100 hours is expected to take roughly 100 hours of study time to complete. However, this will vary from student to student. Short courses (eg. 100 hrs duration) should be completed within 12 months of enrolment. Certificates, Advanced Certificates and Awards (eg. over 500 hours duration) would normally be completed within 3 -5 years of enrolment. Additional fees may apply if a student requires an extended period to complete.
If a student cannot submit their assignments for 6 months to ACS, they should advise the school to avoid cancellation of their student
registration. Recommencement fees may apply.

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What do I need to know before I enrol?

There are no entry requirements that you need to meet to enrol in our courses, our courses are for everyone.
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You sure can. We are here to help you learn whatever your abilities.

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If you have limited computer skills, we can make special arrangements for you.

This is possible, it depends on the institution. We recommend that if you would like to use our courses that you contact the institution first. Our Course Handbook is a good resource for this.

Our courses are written in English and we only have English speaking academic staff. If you can read and complete your assignments in English, our courses are ideal for you.

Our courses are designed to build knowledge, hands on skills and industry connections to help prepare you to work in the area, running your own business, professional development or as a base for further study.

This course has been designed to cover the fundamentals of the topic. It will take around 100 hours to complete, which includes your course reading, assignment work, research, practical tasks, watching videos and anything else that is contained in the course. Our short courses are a great way to do some professional development or to learn a new skill.

It’s up to you. The study hours listed in the course are a rough guide, however if you were to study a short course (100 hours) at 10 hours per week, you could finish the course in 10 weeks (just an example). Our courses are self-paced, so you can work through the courses in your own time. We recommend that you wait for your tutor to mark and return your assignment before your start your next one, so you get the benefits of their feedback.

The course consists of course notes, videos, set tasks for your practical work, online quizzes, an assignment for each lesson (that you receive feedback from your tutor from) and ends in an exam (which is optional, if would like to receive the formal award at the end), using our custom built Learning Management System - Login.Training.

Our courses are designed for adults to gain professional development and skills to further their careers and start businesses.

Our custom online learning portal allows you to conduct your learning online. There may be practical tasks that you can do offline. You have the option of downloading your course notes or print them to read later.

There is also the option to pay an additional fee for printed course notes and or USB (availability limited to location and deliverability).

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We offer printed notes for an additional fee. Also, you can request your course notes on a USB stick for an additional fee.

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We are more learning focussed, rather than assessment focussed. You have online quizzes to test your learning, written assignments and can complete an exam at the end of the course (if you want to receive your certificate). You will not receive a pass/ fail on your course work. If you need to add more details on your assignment, we will ask you to resubmit and direct you where you need to focus. If you need help, you can ask your tutor for advice in the student room.

Each module (short course) is completed with one exam.

Exams are optional, however you must sit an exam if you would like to receive a formal award. You will need to find someone who can supervise that you are sitting the exams under exams conditions. There is an additional cost of $60 incl. GST for each exam.
More information is here

There are practical components built into the course that have been designed to be achieved by anyone, anywhere. If you are unable to complete a task for any reason, you can ask your tutor for an alternative.

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You can bundle the short courses to create your own customised learning bundle, Certificates or Advanced Certificates. More information is on this page.

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Employers value candidates with industry skills, knowledge, practical skills and formal learning. Our courses arm you with all of these things to help prepare you for a job or start your own business. The longer you study the more you will learn.

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Who are ACS Distance Education?

ACS Distance Education have been educating people for over 40 years.

We are established and safe- we have been in education for over 40 years.
We are focused on developing innovative courses that are relevant to you now and what you will need to know in the future.
We are focused on helping you learn and make the most of your experience.
You can enrol at any time, you can work on your course when it suits you and at your own pace.
We are connected to many industry bodies and our staff participate in continuous improvement and learning activities to ensure that we are ahead of what learning is needed for the future.

Our courses are not accredited by the Australian Government. However many of our courses are recognised and held in high regard by many industry bodies.

Our courses are written by our staff, who all have many years experience and have qualifications in their speciality area. We have lots of academic staff who write and update our courses regularly.


How do I enrol my staff/ sponsored students?

Yes, you can do a request for a bulk enrolment and request an invoice on our Invoice Request Form

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We can arrange bulk discounts for your course enrolment, please get in touch with us to discuss your needs.

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Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

John Mason

Writer, Manager, Teacher and Businessman with over 40 years interenational experience covering Education, Publishing, Leisure Management, Education, and Horticulture. He has extensive experience both as a public servant, and as a small business owner.
John is a well respected member of many professional associations, and author of over seventy books and of over two thousand magazine articles.

Diana Cole

B.A. (Hons), Dip. Horticulture, BTEC Dip. Garden Design, Diploma Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, PTLLS (Preparing to Teach in the Life Long Learning Sector), P.D.C.
In addition to the qualifications listed above, Diana holds City & Guild construction qualifications and an NPTC pesticide spraying licence (PA1/PA6). Diana runs her own landscape gardening business (Arbella Gardens). Active in many organisations including the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.

Adriana Fraser (Horticulturist)

Over 30 years working in horticulture, as a gardener, propagator, landscape designer
, teacher and consultant. Adriana has spent much of her life living on large properties, developing and maintaining her own gardens, and living a semi self sufficient lifestyle. She has decades of practical experience growing her own fruit, vegetables and herbs, and making her own preserves. She is well connected with horticulture professionals across Australia, and amongst other things, for a period, looked after Australia's national collection of Thymus. Advanced Diploma in Horticulture, Advanced Certificate in Horticulture.

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