Understand How to Restore Gardens Authentically
Garden restoration involves trying to return a garden to a similar state to how it was originally conceived. For some gardens old records may be relatively easy to find. For instance, if the design was created by a designer of merit the materials may be archived in a private collection or library. If the company that created the garden is still in existence, records may be available through that company. Sometimes photographs can be found in private or public records. If people who used the property along time ago are still alive, they may remember details.
Learn the techniques behind successful garden restoration
This course is a thorough introduction to restoring old gardens and gardens of historical significance. Learn some garden history to help you evaluate garden styles and cultural influences. Discover how to survey sites and record important information and how to apply historical data to decision making over which plants and landscape features need to be retained or restored. Learn to plan garden restoration projects and bring old gardens back to life.
Despite the complexities and costs involved; there is an ever increasing demand for garden renovation specialists. If you love both gardens and history; this could be an ideal career move for you.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Landscape History and Design Styles
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Ancient Middle Eastern Gardens
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Chinese Garden History
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UK Garden History
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Important English Landscapers
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European Gardens
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Olmsted, Burle Marx, etc
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The Worlds First Plant Collectors
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Surveying the Site
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Survey Problems
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What to Survey
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Measuring Dimensions and Locations
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Triangulation
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Slope
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Levelling Calculating Earthworks; volumes of irregular solids, using triangles, etc
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Assessment of Plantings and Features
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Nature of Garden Restoration
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Assessing Plantings
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Considering Trees
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Assessing Garden Features
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Considering Degradation
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Fasteners
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Water Problems
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Selecting Components for Retention
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What should be restored?
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Renovating areas within a Garden
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Pruning to Renovate
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Windbreaks
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Work Programming and Risk Management
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Where to start renovation
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Be Prepared
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What Order to Work in
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Risks to the Project
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Risks to the Workers
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Drainage
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Water Logging on a Site
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Poor Drainage Symptoms
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Drainage Solutions
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Reducing Erosion
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Drainage Design
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Understanding Gradients
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Moving Existing Earth
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Fixing Leaks
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Hard Landscape Feature Restoration
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Paving and Paving Materials
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Concrete
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Gravel
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Asphalt
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Coloured Surfaces
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Barriers and Walls
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Maintaining Stone and Brick Walls
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Outdoor Furniture
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Protecting Outdoor Furniture
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Painting Outdoor Furniture
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Pond Management
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Planting Restoration and Maintenance
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Improving Existing Plantings
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Tree Surgery
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Trees and Paving
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Replacing Old and Overgrown Hedges
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Rejuvenating an old Hedge
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Rejuvenating Other Plants; controlling shape and size, pruning, etc
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Rejuvenating Old Lawns
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Perennials
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Maintaining Herbaceous Borders
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Controlling Weeds
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Controlling Pests and Diseases
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Conducting Tree Inspections
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Chemical Safety
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
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Outline the history of UK garden design and the influence of plant introductions.
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Evaluate an established ornamental garden in order to determine any particular design style period, or plants of interest.
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Describe basic methods for the survey and recording of the layout and content of an established garden, and explain the importance of detailed information including assessment of site factors.
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Explain processes and the need for assessment and recording of the type, condition and future potential of a range of plantings and features in an ornamental garden.
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Explain the main criteria used to select plantings and features for retention in a restored garden.
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Explain the need and processes of analysis of collected information.
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Prepare a summarised programme for organisation of garden restoration work
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Assess risk and identify safe work practices
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Recognise and explain the visible signs of the failure of old land drainage systems and describe remedial measures
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Describe and explain the practical procedures necessary for the restoration of a range of hard landscape features.
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Explain problems which may be encountered in the improvement of retained hedges, plantings and lawns.
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Describe practical solutions for improving retained hedges, plantings and lawns
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Evaluate the use of modern maintenance techniques in established gardens
Learn to Restore Stone or Brick Walls
The techniques and materials used for cleaning brick and stone walls and also for repairing and sealing are the same.
Major problems are:
- Severe weathering
- Salt laden air
- Stress cracks – usually in the mortar but sometimes the stone or brick
- Efflorescence i.e. salts in the stone dry out and leaves a fine grained crystalline deposit of the surface
- Pollution – deposits of oil, soot or mineral residue
- Environmental – Fungus, moss and mildew
1. Stress cracks – chisel out loose mortar and re-apply new mortar into the effected joints making sure to recess each joint slightly
OR for cracked stone or bricks chisel out all surrounding mortar then remove broken piece using a coal chisel and hammer. Insert new piece and re-mortar the surrounding area (ensure a solid fit).
2. Salt Air – sealants are the best way to prevent damage from salt laden air or severe weathering and efflorescence
Applying a sealer can minimize brick or stone damage from salt air and severe weathering. It can even work to prevent efflorescence. However, just as with concrete, brick and stone should be thoroughly cleaned before applying a sealer.
3. Fungus, moss and mildew are best removed by firstly scraping off as much as possible with a wire brush or putty knife, then using household bleach/water with a 1:4 ratio apply with a stiff bristle brush, leave to penetrate and then rinse with fresh water
4. Oil, soot and mineral residue usually penetrate deeper into the surface of the stone or bricks. Use a solution of 1:9 muriatic acid to water. Apply solution and leave for 15minutes then clean the area using a stiff bristled brush and rinse with fresh water,
5. Remove old paint by sandblasting, chemical paint remover, muriatic acid or a commercial power washer
Re-pointing
As masonry work ages it may need re-pointing from time to time – remove the dried patches and replace with new mortar. The only problem with this is that the new mortar will show up against the old. Colour matched latex paint can be used to overcome this problem – applied with a small artist’s brush.
NOTE:
- Wire brushes can damage some stone surfaces
- Wall surfaces will look better if cleaned regularly rather then once the damage is done
- Ensure that water does not pool at the base of a wall
- Allow air and sun to reach the wall surface as much as possible to prevent growth of moss and lichen
ENROL, STUDY, AND LEARN TO RESTORE MORE THAN JUST WALLS.
WHO COULD BENEFIT FROM THIS COURSE?
Gardens don't stay the same. They are living things; that get affected over time by the environment, plants, pests, weeds, decaying materials and more. If maintenance is regular and routine, they may change but not decline. All too often though; the maintenance is not always what it should be, and gardens do decline.
At some point though; ownership of gardens will change; or the fortunes of an owner will change. As a result, there will come a point when the owners of any neglected, an old garden will be faced with the prospect of either destroying or restoring the garden
This is the Point at which Opportunities Arise for Landscapers
Restoring an old garden is not the same as constructing a new one; particularly if there is a desire to remain true to the original design.
As the years roll on, and more gardens become older; the need for garden renovators grows. This is an area of landscaping that offers increasing opportunity to those who know how to do the job, and do it properly. The clients are often people with money and motivation to do things which the average landscape client might not be wanting to do.
If you are a landscape professional (or aspiring landscaper), with a desire to set yourself apart from your competitors, this course is a very good way of doing just that.
Garden renovation is a specialised area of landscaping; not commonly understood by the average landscape professional -but if you want to learn it, here is your opportunity.
Opportunities After Your Studies
This course is likely to be of value to people who have an interest in garden restoration or conservation. It will also appeal to anyone with a general interest in garden history and design.
People who take this course are most likely those working in or aspiring to work in:
- Garden restoration
- Garden conservation
- Garden design
- Landscaping
- Gardening
- Horticulture
- Parks & gardens
- Botanical gardens
- Garden maintenance
The course will also be of value to people wishing to include garden restoration as a service within an existing gardening or landscaping business.
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