Landscape Design
Career Diploma
Program Outline
The Landscape Design Courses are comprised of 18 comprehensive lessons. They are easy to follow, yet challenging and stimulating at the same time. Each lesson in the Landscape Design Classes begins with a subject matter preview and objectives, an introductory note from your instructor and a vocabulary builder of new words and terms.
Next comes the reading assignment. Practice exercises help you check and review what you've learned. At the end of the lesson is an open-book exam, which you may take online.
What landscape designers do; the scope of landscape design projects; professional organizations; principles of good landscape design; qualities that make a great landscape designer.
Using drawing tools; reading architect's and engineer's scales; measuring and interpreting dimensions to scale; lettering; using pen and ink; drawing plans.
How to show elevation, perspective and plant placement in plans; rendering symbols for plant materials and hardscape features; labeling plans; listing plants.
Site evaluation; reading and grading the terrain; project development; functional diagrams; preliminary drawings; final plans; the design cycle.
The outdoor wall, floor and ceiling; understanding balance; focal points of interest; simplicity; rhythm; line; unity; architecture, plants and hardscapes in the design.
Woody and herbaceous plants; selecting trees, shrubs and ground covers; creative ways to use flowers, annuals, perennials and biennials; bulbs.
Natural and fabricated enrichments; tangible and intangible enrichments; the economic, environmental, and aesthetic advantages of creating landscapes that conserve water.
Designing enclosures for protection, privacy, climate modification, and directing foot traffic; enclosure styles and materials; the four basic surfacing types; ramps and steps.
Using the computer in the design process; popular software for landscape designers; CAD systems; video imaging; figuring cost vs. price; preparing estimates, bids and specifications.
Calculating quantities from plans; taking linear and surface measurements; calculating volume and time, soil compaction; "pit and ball" calculations.
Components of the design contract; common contractual arrangements; dealing with competitive bids; estimating labor and material costs; types of specifications; performance bonds; forms and documents for specifications; project manuals.
Essential planting tools; soil conditioning methods; how to install trees, shrubs and ground covers; bedding plants and bulbs; turf grasses; blending grasses; single-species lawns; seeding, sodding and plugging; mulching; sprigging; cutting water loss.
Trickle and sprinkler irrigation systems; sprinkler heads; precipitation rates; matching water flow and pressure with pipe size; locating sprinklers; parts.
The growing medium; creating containers for plants; interior plant installation; fertilization; controlling humidity, water, air pollution, insects, diseases and vandalism; grouping compatible species.
Watering and fertilizing trees, shrubs, flowers and lawns; edging the lawn; pruning methods; mulching; controlling lawn weeds and pests; aerating and mowing techniques for lawns.
Reducing injury to plants in winter; features of a landscape maintenance cost analysis; unit pricing; preparing a complete cost estimate; total quality management; improving service.
Staffing challenges; career opportunities; potential hazards and dangers of landscape practices; industry and government efforts to promote safety.
Being the boss; acquiring the necessary supplies; starting a landscaping business; administrative matters; advertising services; maintaining a professional image; hiring a crew.
Advantages and disadvantages of the major types of lighting systems; effects of downlighting, uplighting, backlighting and shadowing.
Working efficiently and productively as a student and in your career.
Helpful tips for locating job opportunities and starting your new career.
Don't wait to further your career! Enroll online now.