Gain Foundation Certificate in Residential Garden Planning and Care Level 2 Online

Home Studies Course -Start your Gardening or Landscaping Career in Horticulture Here!

There are 10 lessons here, spread across 4 units:

Unit 1 – Garden features, plant selection and planning.
Unit 2 – The choice, establishment and maintenance of garden plants and lawns.
Unit 3 – The production of outdoor vegetables and fruit.
Unit 4 – Protected environments and their use in plant cultivation.

There are 10 lessons in this course:

Principles of Garden Design
- Introduction
- Landscape Principles (Unity, Balance, Proportion, Harmony, Contrast, Rythm)
- Design Elements (Line, Form, Mass, Space, Texture, Colour, Tone)
- Landscape Effects
- Colour in Garden Design
- Formal Gardens
- Informal Gardens
- Cottage Gardens
- Minimalist Gardens
- Natural Landscapes
- Oriental Gardens
- Mediterranean Gardens
- Tropical Gardens
- Plant Identification, Culture and Use -Reviewing a range of plants
Conducting Garden Surveys and Planning
- Appraising a Site and Collecting Data for Planning
- Components of the Pre Planning Phase
- Use of Hard Garden Features and Hard Surfaces
- Scale for Landscape Plans
- Triangulation
- Surveying Slope
- Direct Contouring
- The Grid System
- Levelling Terminology and Procedure
- The site Plan
- Concept Plan
- Final Plan
- Other Plans
- Design Procedure
- Landscape Graphics
- Putting Pen to Paper
- Lettering and Graphics
Use of Hard Landscaping Features
- Hard and Soft Landscaping
- Surfaces in the Garden
- Paving
- Using Pebbles
- Rockeries
- Mulching and Erosion Matting
- Barriers and Walls
- Trellis
- Types of Fencing
- Patios
- Seating
- Garden Structures
- Garden Art, Features and Furnishings
- Pools, Ponds and Water Gardens
- Environmental Sustainability
Use of Soft Garden Features
- Choosing Plants
- Purchasing Plants
- Trees in the Landscape (Deciduous, Semi Deciduous, Evergreen)
- Shrubs
- Perennials and Herbs
- Types of Herb Gardens
- Wildflower Meadows
- Perennial Displays
- Annuals
- Flower Bed Design
- Cottage Gardens
- Scented Plants
- Climbers and Growing plants on Trellis
- Lawns and Turf varieties
Plant Establishment and Maintenance
- Plants in the Landscape
- Plant Selection
- Environmental Factors
- Improving Environmental Conditions
- Selecting the Right Plant
- Which Plant to Buy
- Understanding Soils and Fertility
- Plant Nutrition
- Preparing a Garden
- Transplanting Techniques
- Fertilising and Staking
- Planting Bare Rooted Plants
- Time of Planting
- Planting Mistakes to Avoid
- Gardening in Dry Areas
- Colourful Year Round Foliage
- Establishing Annual and Herbaceous Plants
- Seed
- Selecting Herbaceous Plants and Bulbs
- Dividing and Separating Perennials
- Herbaceous Borders
- Maximising Flower Displays
- Selecting Woody Plants
- Trees and Tree Health
- Selecting Flowering Shrubs
- Hedges
- Climbers
- Water Plants and Pond Management
- Plant Health
- Weed Management
Pruning
- What, Where and Why Prune
- Removing Dead and Diseased Wood
- Controlling Type of Growth
- Distinguishing between Bud Types
- Controlling Shape and Size
- Pruning to Rejuvinate a Plant
- Winter Pruning
- How to Prune
- Pruning Different Specific Plant Genera
- Espaliers
- Dead Heading
- Tree Pruning
- Stopping, Disbudding, Root Pruning, Dead heading etc.
Lawns; Establishment and Maintenance
- Turf Establishment
- Soil Preparation
- Seeding, Stolonising, Sodding, Sprigging, Plugging
- Mowers and Mowing Turf
- Fertilising Turf
- Renovation: aeration, scarification, top dressing etc
Outdoor Food Production; Vegetables
- Introduction to Growing Outdoor Food Crops
- Growing Techniques for Vegetables
- Planning a Crop
- Starting a Vegetable Garden
- Managing the Crop (Weed Control, Pests, Water etc)
- Special Techniques: No Dig, Green Manure, Cover Crops, Compost etc)
- Sustainable Cultivation Techniques
- Planting Techniques
- Review of major Vegetable Crops
- Managing Water and Irrigation
Outdoor Food Production; Fruit
- Choosing a Site and Establishing an Orchard
- Location, Climate, Rainfall and other Site Considerations
- Deciding what to Grow
- Scope of Fruit Growing
- Pest and Disease Management on Fruit -Chemical and Non Chemical
- Environmental Problems and their Management
- Pruning Fruit Trees
- Pollination
- Review of Sigificant types of Fruits, Berries and Citrus
- Developing a Production Plan
Protected Cultivation
- Introduction to Protected Growing
- Types of Growing Structures
- Factors Affecting Light Transmission in Growing Structures
- Management of Greenhouses: Benches, Hygeine, Watering, Temperature Control etc
- Shade Houses
- Computerised Environmental Control
- Heating Systems
- Controlling Light
- Irrigation & Nutrition Control
- Feeding Plants
- Pest and Disease Control in Greenhouses
- Containers for Growing in
- Potting Media
- Indoor Plants and their Management

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.

For more information on this course, please request your free course information pack.