"This is a fantastic course for anyone with an interest in cottage gardens or for landscapers and designers wishing to broaden their repertoire. All aspects of cottage gardening are covered from the historical perspective through to plant selection and plans, and students are able to exercise their knowledge by designing their own cottage garden." - Gavin Cole B.Sc., Psych.Cert., Cert.Garden Design, MACA.

This course is for the home gardener or landscape designer that loves to have the magic touch a cottage garden can create. Learn what a cottage garden is, and how to apply the principles of this concept to garden design and garden renovation. Learn about the Horticultural aspects of creating a sucessful garden and the landscaping techniques to establish it.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction To Cottage Gardens
2. History Of Cottage Gardens
3. Design Techniques and Drawing Plans
4. Plants For Cottage Gardens
5. Planting Design In Cottage Gardens
6. Landscape Features and Components
7. Cottage Gardens Today
8. Special Assignment - Design Of A Complete Garden.

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.

• On successful completion of the course you should be able to do the following:
• Explain the concept of a cottage garden.
• Prepare concept plans for cottage gardens.
• Prepare planting designs for cottage gardens.
• Plan the incorporation of appropriate non-living landscape features in a cottage garden.
• Prepare a detailed design for a cottage garden.

• Here are just some of the things you will be doing:
• Explain the concept of a cottage garden, both in historical and modern contexts.
• Explain the influence of one famous landscaper on cottage gardens.
• Explain the relevance of garden design concepts to cottage gardens, including: *Unity *Balance *Proportion *Harmony *Contrast *Rhythm *Line *Form *Mass *Space *Texture *Colour *Tone.
• Analyse the designs of three cottage gardens inspected by you.
• Describe the steps involved, accompanied by a sequence of illustrations, in the planning process for a cottage garden.
• Develop a checklist of pre-planning information required for a proposed cottage garden on a specific site.
• Compile pre-planning information for a specific site, for a proposed cottage garden, through an interview with a potential client, and surveying the site.
• Prepare drawings to represent landscape features on a cottage garden plan, including trees, shrubs, herbs, walls, rocks, buildings and other landscape features.
• Analyse the designs of three different cottage gardens, inspected by you.
• Prepare three different cottage garden concept plans for the same site, to satisfy given design specifications and pre-planning information.