Australian Native Trees 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 8 lessons:

1. Introduction
   • Review of the system of plant identification
   • Genus, Species
   • Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
   • Characteristics of main Australian Plant Families
   • General characteristics of native trees
   • Information contacts (ie: nurseries, seed, clubs, etc.)
   • History of nomenclature
   • International Code
   • Ranks of Taxa
   • Principle of priority
   • Selection and spelling of plant names
   • Changing names
   • Hybrids
2. Culture
   • Planting Procedure
   • Planting on slopes
   • Fertilizer
   • Time of planting
   • Staking
   • Mulching
   • Pruning native trees
   • Steps in removing a branch from a tree
   • Soils (Physical, chemical, biological structure)
   • Soil profile
   • Improving soil profile
   • Colloids
   • Water and air
   • Soil temperature
   • Soil life
   • Soil Problems (Loss of soil fertility, Erosion, Salinity, Soil compaction, Soil acidification, Build up of dangerous chemicals)
   • Improving soils (soil additives etc)
   • Limestone Underlay Technique
   • Fertilisers
   • Fertilising established trees
   • Plant Nutrition
   • Water Problems
   • Drainage
3. Propagation
   • Choosing the right propagating technique
   • Seed
   • Seed sources
   • Hybrid seed production
   • Storing seed
   • Difficult seeds
   • Dormancy facftors
   • Maintaining genetic identity
   • Propagating Media
   • Propagating Eucalypts
   • Propagating Acacias
   • Cuttings
   • Improving curtting success rates
   • Grafting
   • Top graft
   • Whip & Tongue graft
   • Irrigated graft
   • Grafting selected plants ... Eucalypts, Grevilleas, Banksias, Hakeas
   • After care of seed and cuttings
   • Transplanting (seedlings, cuttings)
   • Potting up plants and Growing on
4. Most Commonly Grown Varieties
   • Review dozens of relevant genera
   • Allocasuarina
   • Casuarina
   • Melia
   • Pittosporum
   • Acacia
5. More About Important Groups
   • Eucalyptus
   • Banksia
   • Brachychiton
   • Grevillea
   • Diagnosing Tree Problems
   • Tree Surgery Techniques
6. Other Varieties
   • Rainforest Trees
   • Constructing a Rainforest
   • Acmena
   • Eugenia
   • Mallotus
   • Melicope (Euodia)
   • Neolitsia
   • Nothofagus
   • Schefflera
   • Stenocarpus
   • Syzygium
   • Aracaria
   • Agathis
   • Actinostrobus
   • Callitris
   • Podocarpus
   • Adansonia
   • Agonis
   • Albizzia
   • Alstonia
   • Alphotinia
   • Angophora
   • Barklya
   • Buckinghamia
   • Castenospermum
   • Elaeocarpus
   • Ficus
   • Macadamia
   • Melia
   • Nuytsia
   • Tristania/Lophostemon
7. Making The Best Use of Native Plants
   • Why plant trees in the Landscape
   • Problems with trees
   • Biological controls
   • Parasitism
   • Symbiosis
   • Planting Techniques (Pocket planting, slope serrration, Wattling, Planting arid sites, Direct seeding, Spray seeding)
   • Edible Australian Tree Crops (Davidsonia, Quandong, Backhousia, Citrus, Acacia, Syzygium, Tasmannia, Kunzea)
   • Australian indigenous timber trees
   • Essential oils
   • Useful Australian Conifers (Actinostrobus, Athrotaxus, Agathis, Araucaria, Callitris, Podocarpus)
   • Australian Indigenous Palms
8. Special Assignment
   • You select and conduct an in depth study of one plant genus or group (eg. Timber trees, conifers, trees from a particular region)

• Identify Australian Native Trees
• Describe the culture of Australian Native Trees.
• Propagate Australian Native Trees
• Compare characteristics and cultural requirements of different commonly grown species of Australian Native Trees.
• Compare characteristics and cultural requirements of conifer and rainforest species of Australian Native Trees.
• Describe a range of uses for Australian native trees.
• Investigate one type of Australian Native Tree in depth.

The quality of this course is second to none, from the in-depth learning you will get to the expert individual mentoring you will receive throughout your studies. The mentors for this course are:

Susan Stephenson

BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.

City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)

Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

In 2010, Susan authored a complete module for a Foundation degree (FDSC) in Arboriculture.

Susan holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

Steven Whitaker

Diploma in Garden Design (Distinction) – The Blackford Centre, Gold Certificate of Achievement in Horticulture, Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture, Level 1 NOCN Introduction to Gardening, – Joseph Priestly College, BTEC Diploma in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations (Merit), Trainer Skills 1, & 2, Group trainer, Interview and Selection Skills – Kirby College of Further Education

Steven has a wealth of Horticultural knowledge, having ran his own Design and Build service, Landscaping company, and been a Head Gardener. His awards include five Gold awards at Leeds in Bloom, two Gold awards at Yorkshire in Bloom and The Yorkshire Rose Award for Permanent Landscaping. Steven has worked with TV’s Phil Spencer as his garden advisor on the Channel 4 TV Programme, “Secret Agent”.

He is qualified to Level 2 NVQ in Amenity Horticulture and has a Diploma in Garden Design which he passed with Distinction. Steven’s Tutor and Mentor was the Chelsea Flower Show Gold Award-winning Garden Designer, Tracy Foster. He also works for a major Horticultural Commercial Grower in the field of Propagation and Craft Gardening. Steven lives in Leeds where he is a Freelance Garden Designer and Garden Advice Consultant.