Institute of Gardening

1. Welcome to the course

2. Lawns and Grasslands (Part 1)

• Sites - Clearing, levelling and preparation for planting a lawn
• Different kinds of lawns and their uses
• Grass seeds, principal grass genera and species used in lawn seed mixtures and their characteristics
• Sowing, after care and maintenance

3. Lawns and Grasslands (Part 2)

• Maintenance of lawns
• Floral meadows
• Lawn weeds
• Assignment

4. How plants work

• Cells
• Roots
• Stems
• Leaves
• Buds
• Other structures
• Assignment

5. Vegetables

• Siting vegetables, Soil and fertility, Drainage
• The vegetable garden (layout)
• Climate
• Cropping
• Seeds
• Sowing vegetables
• Thinning, Planting
• Water, Feeding
• Weeds, Mulching, Crop protection
• Assignment

6. Ornamental plants and propagation

• The different types of flowering plants
• Propagation methods
• Assignment

7. Soil

• Types of soil
• Structure
• Mulches
• Fertilisers
• Organic matter and manures
• Base and top dressings
• Lime
• Water
• Assignment

8. Trees and shrubs

• trees
• shrubs
• climbers

9. Flowers

• General structure
• Sepals and petals
• Stamens
• The Carpel - ovary, style and stigma
• Types of inflorescence
• Nectaries

10. Pollination and fertilisation

• Pollination
• Fertilisation
• Fruit
• Assignment

11. Fruit

• Types of fruit
• Planting and requirements
• Cultivation
• Pruning
• Assignment

12. Genetics and breeding

• The genetic code
• Chromosomes
• Genes
• Mitosis and Meiosis
• Mendelian inheritance
• Mono and dihybrid inheritance
• Genotype and phenotype
• F1 hybrids (hybrid vigour)
• Heterozygosity and homozygosity
• Dominance and recessiveness

13. Pests, Diseases and Disorders

• Damage caused by pests, diseases and disorders
• Identification, symptoms and modes of attack
• Control - Chemical
• Control - Biological
• Control - organic
• A large pest
• A mollusc
• Insects with incomplete metamorphosis and complete metamor­phosis
• A mite
• A nematode
• A fungus
• A virus
• A bacteria
• Environmental disorder
• Nutritional disorder
• Assignment

14. Plant Physiology

• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Photoperiodism
• Nutrient cycles

15. Plant protection and artificial environments

• Plant protection
• Why protect?
• Types of protection
• Controlling environmental factors
• Artificial environments
• Container growing - air filled porosity, stability
• Non-soil growing mediums - composts, loam and non-loam based
• Types of containers, modules
• Hydroponics
• Assignment

16. Water

• Transpiration
• Uptake of water by plant roots
• Conduction of water
• Relative humidity
• Turgor - permanent wilting point
• Water in the soil - availability, field capacity
• Soil structure, water and nutrients
• Assignment

17. Weeds

• What are weeds? Invasive plants, cultivated plants as weeds, and why they are successful
• Types of weed
• Treatments and control - organic, chemical and biological
• Assignment

18. Ecology and the environment

• A brief background to ecology
• Changes in agricultural practices and their effects
• Conservation in the garden
• Encouraging wildlife and ‘green’ practices
• Large-scale practices to help

19. Garden planning - Part 1

• The importance of safe, healthy and environmentally sustainable practices
• Basic surveying techniques
• Site appraisal and collection of data for planting purposes

20. Garden planning - Part 2

• The skill of designing
• Schematic planning
• Structures in the garden
• Assignment

21. Preparing for the exam

Read more: What you'll find in the pack