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, Debudding, 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 Significant 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