Expand your skills to manage Designed Landscapes and Gardens!

A designed landscape can be described as parks, gardens or grounds that are pre-conceived, designed and constructed for artistic effect. Parklands, woodlands, water and notable formal and informal gardens are included. Some may have significant wildlife, archaeological and scientific interest; they are also often the grounds in which buildings of historical significance are situated.

Notable designed landscapes, of important heritage value occur in the city, in towns and in the countryside. They include:

• Archaeological remains
• The grounds and gardens of large houses
• Notable smaller gardens
• Urban and rural small parks
• Notable parks and green spaces that may have historical significance, i.e. refer to a particular historical figure or event
• Old parks and gardens which may be representative of the period or a style, or can be attributed to a certain designer
• Parks and gardens which may be of value as part of other notable landscapes or buildings
• Large public parks
• Community gardens and allotments
• Civic landscapes
• Churchyards, cemeteries and grounds surrounding public buildings such as hospitals and universities
• Urban green corridors and other green spaces including village greens
• New landscapes

COURSE CONTENT

This course is divided up into nine lessons.

1. Role and Formulation of Conservation Management Plans

• Introduction: types of notable landscapes
• The role of conservation management plans
• Why research is important
• National registers
• Other sources of information
• Gathering and organising the documentary information
• The site survey
• Reporting the research
• Formulating conservation management plans
• Writing the plan

2. Consult Public and Interested Parties, Statutory and Non-Statutory Consultees.

• The consultation process
• Stakeholders
• Community participation strategy
• Collecting and analyzing data
• Primary data research
• Secondary data research
• Steps for collection and analysis of data
• Planning a formal survey
• Designing a questionnaire
• Common problems
• PBL project to formulate criteria required for the successful consultation with all relevant stakeholders, in the implementation of a maintenance program for a notable garden.

3. Role of Public and other Sources of Funding

• Funding restoration and conservation
• Examples of funding objectives
• Large funding bodies
• Other funding bodies
• Grant aid criteria
• Funding applications
• Other sources of funds
• Other cost considerations for sites open to the public
• Plant sales, garden shop, tea rooms, etc

4. Planning for Renewal of Plant Features

• Plant surveys
• Current plantings
• Other considerations
• Using experts
• Trees
• When not to retain a tree
• Sourcing plant material
• Collecting seed
• Selecting a parent plant
• Timing
• Method of seed collecting
• Removing seeds
• Replanting strategies

5. Developing New Features within Existing Landscapes

• Type of actions: preservation, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction
• Principles to follow
• Car parks
• Surfacing
• Pebble and cobble paving
• Fencing
• Dry stone walls
• Steps
• Ramps
• Railings
• Retaining walls
• Brick
• Drainage
• Timber
• Stone
• Rockeries

6. Programming Repair of New and Existing Hard Landscape Features.

• Introduction
• Action plans: preparing maintenance management schedules
• Managing and storing records
• Hard copy information
• Classifying information
• Active and inactive records
• Data protection
• Fundamental maintenance tasks: drainage, paving
• Maintaining stone and brick walls
• Maintaining ponds
• PBL Project to formulate a Maintenance Schedule for the repair of new and existing hard landscape features.

7. Creating New Gardens and Landscapes.

• Principles of landscape design
• Design elements
• Gathering site information
• The base plan
• Basic surveying
• Design drawing
• Completed designs and plans
• Park design

8. Identifying Required Staff Skills

• Staff management, training and associated issues
• Skill set required for workers in historic parks and gardens
• The skills crisis
• Training schemes
• Volunteer labour
• Skills audits and training plans
• Identifying skills shortages
• Conducting a skills audit
• Training programs
• Workplace health and safety
• Identifying hazards
• Risk control methods
• Conducting a safety audit
• Assessing risks

9. Adapt Historic Gardens and Designed Landscapes for Modern Use

• Presenting historic gardens and designed landscapes
• Visitor interpretation
• Marketing and PR
• Visitor facilities
• Equal access
• Access strategy
• Managing wear and tear, vandalism, theft
• Managing legislative requirements (e.g. health and safety, equal access).
• PBL project to adapt a historic garden or designed landscape for modern use.

Course Duration - 100 hours

Learn to Manage the Hard Landscape as well as the Plants

Management of hard landscape features on a site should follow the overall vision and the long term purpose and role (of the site) as outlined in the CMP. The CMP outlines the budget available for on-going maintenance plans and programs - consequently there is an important link with the CMP and everyday maintenance (to ensure that such programs do not fall outside of the funds available).

It can take time (years in some cases) to develop a CMP and subsequently a comprehensive maintenance plan for the restoration, preservation or rehabilitation of a site that will be applicable now, and into the future. However some restoration or maintenance issues may need immediate attention – the CMP will have identified these issues and prioritized maintenance procedures that will address those related to the further decline, wear, decay, or damage of the site’s landscape features. Sometimes maintenance undertaken in the initial restoration phase may be temporary, emergency, or protection solutions in order to reduce the likelihood of further damage, deterioration or loss. This type of maintenance should be undertaken in all cases without altering the site's existing character.

The detailed specifications prepared in a comprehensive maintenance plan relating to the on-going repair, removal, replacement (and also retention) of new and existing hard features should always be used as a guide. Details in the plan should include: 

• Schedules for monitoring all features for routine maintenance and unexpected problems (e.g. storm damage).
• Schedules for routine maintenance.
• The appropriate procedures needed for the preservation maintenance.
• The on-going records of work undertaken.

Maintenance practices will vary according to the age, design or use of the site - they should always be sensitive to the original design principles and character of the landscape. They should also endeavour (as far as possible) to retain existing features including the layout of pathways and the retention of other hard landscape features. Repairs undertaken, should (where possible), use the original specification for materials. If this is not possible, a contemporary equivalent may be used i.e. the overall characteristics of all materials used in repair - should be the same or very similar to the original.