Magazine - Horticulture Students design and build Three New Gardens

By Louise Day in Training on 20th Jun 2007 17:30

Final year students studying the BTEC National Diploma in Horticulture at Writtle College have successfully completed the design and build of three new gardens on the grounds of the College.

The students, who carried out the build as an assessed unit within their course, had to design a garden to a client brief, draw up the specifications and detail drawings, quantify the materials required and then build the 6x6 metre garden in ten days.

All materials were supplied by Writtle College and included recycled materials from previous projects. The plants were sponsored by Hanging Garden Nurseries Ltd, Premier plants UK and Grenville Nursery, all local employers located within a couple of miles of the College.

Writtle College's Simon Grundy, lecturer in landscaping, said: "The students responded to the challenge with vigour. They were in college from early morning until after 6pm and worked through the recent heat and torrential rain. They were always looking for ways to produce the best they could inline with the brief they were given. It was a pleasure to see how they got on with the task and should feel proud of their accomplishments. They will be an inspiration to future groups when their turn comes to create a garden on site."

The Gardens will be used as outdoor classrooms, showing design principles, use of materials, construction issues and horticultural maintenance tasks. Horticulture Students Design and Build Three New Gardens

Read more articles in Training, by Louise Day or from June 2007.