Landscaping I

The ultimate introduction to landscaping. Learn the essential skills and knowledge which underpin landscaping in this comprehensive online course. Understand the use of hard and soft elements.

Course Code: BHT109
Fee Code: S2
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 100 hours
Qualification Statement of Attainment
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Build a Foundation in both Soft & Hard Landscaping

The garden landscape incorporates both soft and hard features. Soft landscaping is concerned with trees, shrubs, lawns, and living components. Hard landscaping is concerned with the solid features such as paths, paving, walls and structures. Most competent landscapers and gardeners have an understanding of both soft and hard landscaping.

Think like a garden designer

Learn to gather pre-planning information on site, how some different garden styles are created, how to make landscape drawings, what goes into making walls and hard landscape surfaces, how to add garden features to designs, how to make small spaces seem larger, lending from the surrounding landscape, and how to design small and large landscapes.

A first step toward being a Professional Landscaper

  • Learn from a team of professional landscape designers in both Australia and the UK
  • Learn about the components that make up a garden and how to arrange them to create affects of your own choosing.
  • Become a Professional Landscape Designer

"This course contains the most essential aspects of a full professional landscape design qualification , condensed into 100 hours. If you are only going to do one short course, and you are really serious about garden design, this is ideal"   - John Mason  Dip Hort Sci, FPLA, FIOH, Landscape Designer since 1971, Garden Writer, Editor Your Backyard Magazine  

“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”

WHAT IS LANDSCAPE DESIGN?

Landscape Design is a multifaceted skill. It allows you to take a vision or "feeling" and transform it into a workable plan. It isn't just making a place look nice, nor mass planting, but is also about suiting the landscape to the climate, land and setting that you have to work with. An understanding of plants, soils, timbers, climate, and other landscape materials are pivotal to the success of a good landscape design.

Lesson Structure

There are 10 lessons in this course:

  1. Basic Design Procedure A. - collecting pre-planning information, landscape elements, principles, etc.
  2. History of Gardening ‑ garden styles and themes, famous designers, garden influences.
  3. Drafting & Contracting - drawing techniques, specifications, details.
  4. Basic Landscape Construction - timber, steps, retainer walls, pathways, play structures, etc.
  5. Surfacings - concrete, asphalt, gravels, mulches, grasses, gradients, etc.
  6. Furnishings & Features - chairs, statues, figurines, birdbaths, skateboards, safety, etc.
  7. Park Design A - good/bad park design characteristics, recreational landscaping.
  8. Home Garden design - good/bad garden design characteristics.
  9. Design Procedure B - development of concept plans and detailed planting plans.
  10. Park Design B - development of park design, fun & fitness trails.
    • plus a Special Assignment - comprehensive landscape design development.

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

  • Create visual effects through the use of different landscape design concepts.
  • Determine pre-planning information required to prepare a landscape design.
  • Determine an appropriate garden style for a landscape, to satisfy specifications for a design project.
  • Illustrate a landscape design through a plan, using legible graphic skills.
  • Determine different hard landscape features, including earthworks, surface treatments and furniture, to incorporate in a landscape.
  • Prepare planting designs for different landscapes.
  • Design different types of landscapes, including domestic gardens and public parks

What You Will Do

  • Explain the complete range of principles, elements and concepts used in landscape design.
  • Visit and analyse a broad range of landscape styles, themes and components.
  • Perform methods utilised to develop concepts and to create affects.
  • Identify, record and utilise pre-planning information for the purpose of design development, and to use a checklist as a guide for surveying a site for a proposed design.
  • Perform site survey and client interview with the site owner/manager.
  • Explain the significance of effective client liaison, in a specific landscape job.
  • Identify historical influences on landscaping.
  • Explain the influence on modern garden design, of work by three garden designers who have been prominent in world garden history.
  • Develop and compare the appropriateness of three design options for one specific landscape project.
  • Draw an extensive range of different landscape symbols on paper, covering soft and hard landscape features.
  • Transpose two different landscape drawings, reducing the scale by a specified amount.
  • Draw a plan for a landscape, using legible graphic techniques.
  • Determine site preparations required for a specified landscape site, including:
    • clearing/cleaning
    • earthworks.
  • Explain the legal requirements for cleaning up after a landscaping job in your locality.
  • Determine suitable timbers for construction of four different types of garden structures.
  • Compare the suitability of different materials for surfacing paths, including:
    • Asphalt
    • Concrete
    • Local gravels
    • Local mulches
    • Timber
    • Ceramics.
  • Collect, catalogue and determine appropriate use for different items of garden furniture.
  • Design a paved area for a garden surveyed, including: scale drawings and construction instructions.
  • Prepare a plant collection of at least eighty different plants incorporating:
    • Pressed plant specimens
    • Scientific and common names
    • Cultural details
    • How to use each of these plants in different landscape situations.
  • Evaluate established landscapes based on:
    • Costs
    • Maintenance
    • Function
    • Aesthetics
  • Develop detailed planting designs, including plant lists, for three landscape plans, to satisfy given job specifications.
  • Analyse and compare the landscape designs of numerous selected homes and public parks.
  • Develop and prepare concept plans for landscape areas such as:
    • Outdoor living area
    • Kitchen garden
    • Courtyard
    • Childrens playground
    • Entry to home
    • Neighbourhood park
  • Draft a series of four conceptual plans, showing stages in the design of a home garden surveyed.
  • Prepare a professional standard landscape design for a client in the learner's locality, including:
    • A landscape plan drawn on tracing paper.
    • Materials specifications, including types and quantities.
    • Budget details.

A DISCIPLINE THAT STRADDLES BOTH ART AND SCIENCE
 
Landscape planning is both an art and a science. It's a process in which you need to consider the physical requirements of building a garden, and at the same time strive to create something which is artistic and pleasing to the eye.

Don't Be Put Off By The Challenge

Planning your garden can be a lot of fun, and remember it's a lot cheaper to make your mistakes on paper!

Follow a step-by-step process and you can't go too wrong:

  1. Draw a sketch of your property (preferably to scale) as it is now. A builder's plan is often good to work off (all you have to do is trace over it).
  2. Make up a list of things you want to put in the garden (e.g. washing line, shed, BBQ, lawn area, vegetable garden, children's swing etc).
  3. Draw in pencil where you think the best place would be to put each of these things.
  4. Now stand back and think for a week or so. If you like, ask friends or relatives what they think about where you plan to put things. Use a bit of common sense and consider whether each of these things is located in the best place.
  5. Rearrange the location of these different components, and settle on final locations.
  6.  Fill in the gaps - placing lawn, shrubs, paving, mulch, gravel, etc. between the various components.

What’s Your Style?

Before you start, it helps if you decide which of the following garden styles appeals to you: 

  • Formal
  • Informal
  • Natural
  • Oriental
  • Permaculture
  • Mediterranean
  • Cottage/country.

 Fill in details after you settle on the big picture.

 HOW TO DESIGN A GARDEN ROOM STEP-BY-STEP

Even if you only use one garden style, you will still have distinct areas within the garden. These 'garden rooms' can have an ambience of their own. 

First, take measurements and make drawings as you did for your macro design. Then work out what components you need to realise your idea.  

1.      Structures and hard surfaces - e.g. pergolas, decks, paving stones, railway sleepers, ponds, etc. These will decide the structure of the garden room. A formal garden will have geometric lines whereas an informal garden might include an irregular or curved path. Consider views when deciding where to build. You don’t want to see the back of the garden shed from the lounge room window! 

2.      Soil – does it need fertiliser, cultivation, etc? 

3.      Plants – will you need a creeper to cover the fence, flowers for colour and scent, trees for shade, or grass for a lawn? How long will they take to grow? How big should they be? How many do you need? What species will grow well in your area? 

4.      Statuary, garden ornaments and seating – use these sparingly i.e. just enough to set the mood and create areas of interest in the garden room.    

5.      Be realistic – will the tree you want to plant grow into power lines or have roots that will get into the drains?


Garden Room Components – What to Put in Your Garden Room

You may find it helpful to decorate your garden room in the same way as you would decorate a room inside the house. Every room has walls, a ceiling, a floor, furniture and ornaments, each of which gives the room a distinct character.  

In your ‘garden room’ the components include:

  • Walls – the ‘wall’ encloses and defines the space. It gives a strong vertical element to the design and sets the area apart from the rest of the garden. It could be a fence or solid wall, a lattice panel, a screen of plants, or even a small garden bed.
  •  Floor – this is most often a grass lawn, but it could be paved or surfaced with loose gravel.
  •  Ceiling – the sky is the most obvious component but overhead branches, pergolas, arbours, etc can also be used. 
  •  Furniture – this is not essential for every garden room, but most areas could have at least one comfortable bench to encourage people to linger and enjoy the garden.
  •  Ornaments – plants are the most essential decorative features of the garden room but also statues, birdbaths, ponds, etc will add charm and interest. 
Creating Garden Effects

You can achieve different garden effects if you keep these things in mind:

  •  Close mowing and smooth boundaries make areas seems larger.
  • Shadows or openings at one side of an area will make it seem larger.
  •  Looking downhill makes distances seem longer.
  •  Looking uphill makes a distance seem longer.
  •  Too much repetition will be monotonous.
  • Small spaces can be oppressive.
  •  Coarse textures decrease the apparent size of spaces.
  •  Flowing, curved lines are passive, soft and pleasant.
  •  Geometric lines and shapes are bold and formal.
  •  A garden can be made to appear larger by making trees and other features from adjoining areas seem like they are part of the garden.
 

Opportunities Post-study

This is landscaping 101. It serves as an ideal foundation for people wishing to work in landscaping. It will not lead to a construction license but should provide basic skills needed to undertake small scale landscaping projects which do not require council approval.  

It could serve as a platform for further study or be taken in conjunction with other modules to enhance your learning experience. People who should take this course are those working in or wishing to work in:

  • Landscape construction
  • Landscape design
  • Garden design
  • Garden maintenance
  • Garden restoration or conservation

It could also add to the skillset of people wanting to start a landscape business, or be of value to people wishing to renovate a home garden.

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.
If you are under 18, we need written permission from your parent/ guardian for your enrolment to continue, we can arrange that after you have enrolled.

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We aim to teach you the essentials without you having to purchase any specific computer program.
We recommend that you have access to a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs, so that you can easily complete and submit your assignments.

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).

Yes, if you don’t have access to the internet, you can receive the course as paper notes or on a USB stick for an additional fee. We can also make alternative arrangements for you to send your assignments to us.

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.

When you complete the course work and the exam and you will be able receive your course certificate- a Statement of Attainment. Otherwise, you can receive a Letter of Completion.

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.

Yes, we have many students who are in locked facilities, such as prisons or hospitals. We can cater by also offering paper notes at an additional cost.


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If students require a reproduction of their certificate, an electronic copy can be provided at a cost of AUD$35 incl GST. Printed copies are not available.




Course Contributors

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

John Mason (Horticulturist)

Parks Manager, Nurseryman, Landscape Designer, Garden Writer and Consultant.
Over 40 years experience; working in Victoria, Queensland and the UK.
He is one of the most widely published garden writers in the world.

Jacinda Cole (Horticulturist)

B.Sc., Cert.Garden Design. Landscape Designer, Operations Manager, Consultant, Garden Writer.
She was operations manager for a highly reputable British Landscape firm (The Chelsea Gardener) before starting up her own landscaping firm. She spent three years working in our Gold Coast office, as a tutor and writer for Your Backyard (gardening magazine) which we produced monthly for a Sydney punlisher between 1999 and 2003. Since then, Jacinda has contributed regularly to many magazines, co authored several gardening books and is currently one of the "garden experts" writing regularly for the "green living" magazine "Home Grown".

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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