Week 31 on line introduction
- 1. RHS Level 2 Certificate WEEK 31 – TREES, HEDGES AND SHRUBS
- 2. Woody Plants in Design Woody plants – like trees, shrubs and hedges – form the ‘bones’ of the planting scheme. They are always visible – though their form and colour may change – throughout the year. This is why they are used as ‘anchor’ and ‘structure’ plants in design. They can be used to provide focal points, to divide the garden, to control movement through the space, and to provide colour, texture, and above all scale and proportion to a planting design.
- 3. Trees The largest plants in any planting scheme – they occupy space, create a sense of privacy and enclosure, and provide focal points and year round interest. They are the ‘top layer’ of your planting, providing vertical green volume that all the other plants can relate to.
- 4. Hedges Hedges serve a number of functions – they provide boundary security, privacy, and structure. They can also edge planting areas, divide the garden into rooms, or conceal less attractive areas or aspects. They provide habitat for birds, animals, insects and invertebrates as well. They can be formal or informal. The plants used to form hedges can be trees – such as Beech – or shrubs like Rosa rugosa.
- 5. Shrubs A shrub is a woody multi- stemmed plant – it need not be large (though very small plants of this type are sometimes called ‘sub-shrubs’). Shrubs can be deciduous or evergreen. There is a very wide selection available of all sizes and colours of leaf, flower, texture and shape. You will find a shrub that is in leaf and/or flower in pretty much every month of the year – without relying too much on evergreens.
- 6. This Lesson This lesson provides a review of key information about woody plants in design and the range of plants available. There are questions to answer that check factual understanding, and review exercises to allow to practice applying the information to practical scenarios. Read Chapter 3 of the Soft Landscaping Book first (including the sub-chapters on the different groups of woody plants). Open the Book is a separate tab in your browser so you can check anything you are unsure of – this lesson is not a test. Work through the Lesson step by step, you can re-attempt any question that you do not get right first time. You will also find some homework to complete in the Handout Folder.