Turf Grasses 100 Hours Certificate Course

1. Introduction

• Introduction
• What is Grass?
• Structure of a Typical Grass
• Description of Grasses
• Grass Terminology
• Culivar Selection Criteria
• How are Turf Grasses Genera Classified Scientifically?
• How are Turf Grasses Developed?

2. Fescues

• Introduction
• What are the More Important Cultivatars
• Leaf Shapes
• Chewings Fescue
• Tall Fescue
• Hair Fescue
• Meadow Fescue
• Sheep Fescue
• Slender Creeping Red Fescue

3. Bentgrasses

• Introduction
• Creeping Bent Grass
• Velvet Bent Grass
• Redtop Bent Grass
• Highland Bent Grass (Dryland Bent)
• Idaho Bent Grass
• Bent Grass Cultivatars

4. Ryegrasses

• Introduction
• Perennial Ryegrass
• Italian Ryegrass
• Annual Ryegrass
• Darnel
• Rye Grass Cultivatars

5. Bluegrasses

• Introduction
• Kentucky Bluegrass
• Annual Bluegrass, Annual Meadow-Grass or Winter Grass
• Supina Bluegrass
• Rough Bluegrass
• Canad Bluegrass
• Upland Bentgrass
• Wood Bluegrass
• Bulbous Bluegrass
• Blue Grass Culivatars

6. Couch grasses

• Introductiom
• Overview
• Bermuda Couch Grass
• South African Couch
• Hybrid Couch
• Queensland Blue Couch or Crab Grass
• Salt Water Couch

7. Buffalo and Zoysia Grasses

• Introduction: Buffalo Grasses
• Introduction: Zoysia Grasses
• Buffalo Grasses
• Stenotaphrum
• Buchloe SPP. (Grama)
• Bouteloua
• Zoysiagrass

8. Other Warm Condition Grasses

• Introduction
• Centipedegrass
• Seashore Paspalum or Seashore Couch
• Bahiagrass
• Pennisetum
• Carpet Grass
• Sweet Smoother
• Comparing Drought Tolerance

9. Other Cool Condition Grasses

• Introduction
• Hairgrasses
• Timothy Grass
• Beach Grass
• Wheatgrass
• Crested Dogtail
• Salt Marsh Grass
• Brome Grass
• Phalaris

10. Turf grass Mixes

• Introduction
• Seasonal Variations
• Research
• Advantages of Blended Mixes
• Problems with Blended Mixes
• What Mixes With What?

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.