Landscape Design

Lesson 1: The Landscape Industry and You. What landscape designers do; the scope of landscape design projects; professional organizations; principles of good landscape design; qualities that make a great landscape designer.

Lesson 2: Lettering and Drawing Tools. Using drawing tools; reading architect's and engineer's scales; measuring and interpreting dimensions to scale; lettering; using pen and ink; drawing plans.

Lesson 3: Graphic Techniques. How to show elevation, perspective and plant placement in plans; rendering symbols for plant materials and hardscape features; labeling plans; listing plants.

Lesson 4: Site Analysis and the Design Process. Site evaluation; reading and grading the terrain; project development; functional diagrams; preliminary drawings; final plans; the design cycle.

Lesson 5: The Outdoor Room. The outdoor wall, floor and ceiling; understanding balance; focal points of interest; simplicity; rhythm; line; unity; architecture, plants and hardscapes in the design.

Lesson 6: Plant Selection and Flowers. Woody and herbaceous plants; selecting trees, shrubs and ground covers; creative ways to use flowers, annuals, perennials and biennials; bulbs.

Lesson 7: Xeriscaping and Landscape Enrichment. Natural and fabricated enrichments; tangible and intangible enrichments; the economic, environmental, and aesthetic advantages of creating landscapes that conserve water.

Lesson 8: Hardscapes. Designing enclosures for protection, privacy, climate modification, and directing foot traffic; enclosure styles and materials; the four basic surfacing types; ramps and steps.

Lesson 9: Using Computers and Pricing a Design. 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.

Lesson 10: Landscape Calculations. Calculating quantities from plans; taking linear and surface measurements; calculating volume and time, soil compaction; "pit and ball" calculations.

Lesson 11: Contracts and Specifications. 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.

Lesson 12: Installing Plants and Grass. 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.

Lesson 13: Landscape Irrigation. Trickle and sprinkler irrigation systems; sprinkler heads; precipitation rates; matching water flow and pressure with pipe size; locating sprinklers; parts.

Lesson 14: Interior Plantscaping. The growing medium; creating containers for plants; interior plant installation; fertilization; controlling humidity, water, air pollution, insects, diseases and vandalism; grouping compatible species.

Lesson 15: Maintaining Plants and Lawns. 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.

Lesson 16: Pricing, Maintenance and Customer Service. 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.

Lesson 17: Human Resources and Safety. Staffing challenges; career opportunities; potential hazards and dangers of landscape practices; industry and government efforts to promote safety.

Lesson 18: Starting Your Own Business. Being the boss; acquiring the necessary supplies; starting a landscaping business; administrative matters; advertising services; maintaining a professional image; hiring a crew.