Become an Expert in Interior Plantscaping
You will learn about the main family groups indoor plants fall into, the
cultural requirements and general characteristics of each of those
groups, and from there develop the ability to select the right plant for
the right situation. Many types of growing methods are covered (in
pots, baskets, hydroponics, terrariums, greenhouses), as well as soil
mixes, propagation, pest control, feeding and lots more.
- Learn to identify, select, care and use of indoor plants.
- Follow your passion and work with indoor plants as a career.
- A course for nurserymen, florists, interior plantscapers, gardeners, amateur enthusiasts or anyone with a burning interest in indoor plants.
Lesson Structure
There are 8 lessons in this course:
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Introduction
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Plant Naming and pronunciation
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Review of indoor plant families
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Resources
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Indoor Plant Culture - Part A
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Understanding interior environments
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Plants for different light conditions
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Problems with indoor plants
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Potting Media
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Potting up
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Container selection
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Managing plant nutrition
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Pruning indoor plants
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Propagation and caring for young indoor plants
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Indoor Plant Culture - Part B
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Acclimatizing indoor plants
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Helping plants survive neglect
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Managing plant health indoors
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Foliage Plants
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Growing palms inside
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Review of palm genera
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Selecting and Growing Ferns inside
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Review of other foliage plant genera
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Flowering Plants
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Orchids
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African violets
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Poinsettia
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Other genera grown for flowers indoors.
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Other Indoor Plants
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Making The Best Use Of Indoor Plants
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Deciding where to place an indoor plant
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Managing colour
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Using mirrors
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Plants in baskets
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Hydroponics indoors
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Miniature gardens
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The Interior Plantscaping Industry
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Interior Plantscaping Business
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Growing in Greenhouses
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Environmental control
Aims
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Distinguish between different types of indoor plants, including twenty-five different genera and fifty different varieties
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Describe the cultural methods used for growing various indoor plants
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Select appropriate plants for different interior plantscaping situations
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Evaluate a range of plants not commonly grown indoors for their suitability for interior plantscaping
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Develop innovative ways of presenting plants for indoor situations
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Explain the interior plantscaping industry, including it's nature and scope.
TIPS FOR USING INDOOR PLANTS
Where to Place Your Plants?
Look at where the planter can be placed for maximum effect:
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Consider the proportion and scale
of the pot and its surroundings. Even without plants, big planters need
lots of space, so try to place a large elaborate planter where it won’t
look cramped.
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A decorative planter is an
eye-catching feature, so consider placing it at the end of a room or
hall way, where it will be seen frequently and both from a distance as
well as close up (hence can be easily seen and admired).
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Plants placed near windows can
effectively help tie the outside garden to the interior environment (the
garden and the house can visually and psychologically be blended
together).
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Look at its placement in relation
to other pots, and features in the house. Plain formal pots can be
placed in a line, evenly spaced, with the same type of plant. Pots can
be informally grouped, to give a pleasing arrangement of sizes, colours
and textures. Elaborate planters, however, are best placed on their own,
without the distraction of other pots and garden accessories to detract
from their appearance. A large stunning feature plant will loose
potential impact if placed beside another feature (eg. an attractive
painting or wall hanging)
Setting the Pot on a Pedestal
Ornate planters deserve to be seen, and a
pedestal will raise it to a comfortable viewing height. Pedestals can
be bought ready-made, or you can make your own out of brick, stone or
concrete. Whatever you use, choose a material that complements the
planter (eg. don’t use red brick for a stone or concrete planter). A low
wall surrounding a courtyard also makes a good pedestal.
How to Use Colour with Indoor Plants
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Warm colours (eg. red, yellow, orange) create an active mood; and cool colours (eg. blue, green) create a more relaxed mood.
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Using contrasting colours can make
a plant or any other image stand out and be more noticeable e.g. a red
foliage plant (hot colour) against a blue (cool colour) wall; or a gold
coloured foliage plant in a green pot.
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A plant’s foliage colour may change throughout the year.
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In some plants, only the new growth flushes are coloured, so the foliage effects only occur in spring and perhaps autumn.
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Some plants are more intensely
coloured in strong light, so for the best effect you should avoid
planting these in shady places.
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Some foliage plants also produce flowers (which may enhance or detract from the effect you wish to create).
Mixing Colours
As with any colour scheme, take care
mixing the colours. Generally, it’s best to choose one dominant colour
(and perhaps texture) and use one or two other colours in measured
amounts to provide contrasts. For example, a planting scheme could be
based on green or silver broad-leaved plants, with golden or reddish
grass-like plants providing contrasting highlights.
For an exciting contrast, include a few
plants with multi-coloured leaves – but don’t overdo it. They’ll stand
out better if they’re surrounded by plants with more subtle foliage
colours.
Walls
In a small room, bare walls can be the
most dominant feature. Generally, the tendency is to make the walls
disappear behind a paintings, furniture and indoor plants. However,
there are some pretty exciting things you can do to walls:
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Paint a wall a single colour. Not
only does it make an interesting backdrop, a painted wall changes the
mood of the room, depending on the colours used. Hot colours (red,
yellow, pink) make the whole garden feel warmer, more vibrant and
active; cool colours (green, blue) are more restful and cool the garden
down (psychologically); dark colours give a feeling of enclosure and
intimacy; light colours open the area up.
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Paint a trompe l’oeil on a wall. A
trompe l’oeil is an illusion, a painted scene designed to deceive the
eye. It gives a quirky, humorous touch to the garden, and makes the
garden appear larger than it really is. Add a pot plant to the side as
if it is part of the painted scene.
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Cover the wall with panels of decorative lattice; and perhaps even grow a climber on it.
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Create niches (shallow recesses)
in the wall to display urns, busts or small sculptures. Niches tend to
give a room a formal, classical look.
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Place a decorative gate or door on
a large wall, even if it doesn’t lead anywhere. A plain solid door set
in a high wall gives the garden a sense of intrigue, a secret retreat
from the outside world, and teases the mind about what may lie beyond
the door.
Mirrors
One of the cleverest tricks for any
small area is using a mirror placed on a wall. The mirror catches and
reflects light, ‘extends’ the view, and gives the illusion that space is
bigger than it really is.
Where to place a mirror.
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At the end of an axis, such as path, to give the illusion of extra length.
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Behind a water feature (e.g indoor pond), to catch the movement and play of light on water.
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Against a dark wall, with some light-coloured plants in front of, and below it, to give a feeling of lightness and space.
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Behind a statue, among a few indoor plants, allowing you to see it from all angles.
It is important to use a good quality mirror with a good backing, as
the backing can peel off cheaper mirrors over time. All mirrors of
course are at risk of breaking; but if placed in a location that is
obscure, perhaps partially protected from children playing ball games,
the likelihood of breaking is far less.
MAKING INDOORS HEALTHIER - Health benefits of using Indoor Plants
Indoor plants can make a significant contribution to the "health" of an indoor environment: they help replenish oxygen in the air and help filter dust particles and pollution from the air.
In a study on indoor pollution conducted by NASA, it was proven that plants help to eliminate what is known as the ‘sick building syndrome’.
Common sources of these pollutants are:
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Carpets.
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Vinyl and rubber.
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Wood made from pressed particles.
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Office machinery (such as photocopiers).
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Gases created by cooking and also cleaning products.
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Pesticides.
Employees affected by the ‘sick building syndrome’ complain of headaches, eye irritation, skin rashes, drowsiness and other allergy-type conditions.
The elimination of these harmful pollutants from work the environment helps to reduce sickness in employees.
It is also suggested that plants improve staff morale - in turn improving productivity and job satisfaction.
Plants in commercial and public buildings can in general also:
- Reduce noise - plants also absorb sound in large spaces.
- Make a space more inviting.
- Project an image – attractive, healthy environment.
- Provide a flexible design element – can be moved around.
More benefits
The benefits are not just associated with the work place: plants in hospitals are believed to aid patient recovery and lower blood pressure.
To heal patients need to reduce stress and relax. Interior gardens provide the calm environment needed by patients during the healing process. Hospital staff too can benefit from the effects.
Plants transpire - which cools the surrounding air and also keeps indoor humidity at a comfortable level. This is particularly noticeable in large interior plantscapes. These larger indoor garden areas sometimes include water and other outdoor landscape design features, to create complete indoor garden environments.
After completion of this course:
Students who have completed this course will have a very good understanding of the benefits and advantages of incorporating living plants into buildings. They will have a very sound knowledge of selecting the appropriate plants for different sites and will be able to design indoor gardens. Employment opportunities can be found in the interior plant industry, nursery industry and will benefit interior designers.
WHAT SETS ACS APART?
Service – We put the student first. Tutors and administration can be contacted 5 days a week, 50 weeks of the year, by phone or email.
We provide Better Learning – We’ve been delivering distance education for over 3 decades, and we understand how people learn by home study.
Our methods are unique, developed through experience with a focus squarely on helping you learn.
Up to Date – We are continually revising and updating courses. We listen to our students feed-back and we always improve the course if a change is identified that will help significantly improve your learning.
More Choice – Graduates need a set of skills that will set them apart and give them an advantage over competition in the world after study. We have a wide variety of study choices, and give you lots of options to choose different paths throughout a course. Doing this has meant our graduates very successful.
No Short Cuts –You can’t take short cuts in learning, and that is why our courses are often longer than you will find elsewhere. You could choose to study a short course, quickly sit an exam (while the information is fresh) and pass, but if you want to really understand something and retain it, that takes time.
More than just Learning Facts – We understand that success in the workplace or business requires you to not only learn things, but also build networks, understand the commercial world, be able to solve problems, communicate with people, and have an attitude that will function in your chosen industry.
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