This section is the worst part of this paper, in my opinion. The syllabus tells you to learn the names of plants for a variety of situations. In some cases the syllabus tells you that the list is "to include" a particular plant, and in other cases they say "could include". I'm not sure what… Continue reading R2111 – plants and decorative merits
Author: esthersym
Welcome to my blog! I decided to do what I interests me and that is plants, so I started home-studying the RHS level 2 theory exams but found very limited free resources online. This blog is going to record the things I have learnt to hopefully help other people trying to study on a budget. These are my notes. I am not a teacher, and there may be mistakes here for which I apologise, but - well, knowledge must be shared to be worth anything.
R2111 Surveying
2 definitions: Site appraisal = a visit to a site to gather physical information such as soil pH, aspect, soil drainage, depth of topsoil, contours, prevailing wind etc. Site survey = measurements of the site to draw up a plan. It also may include a risk assessment. Apparently, surveying does not come up all that… Continue reading R2111 Surveying
R2111 Lawns
There is a section on Lawns in this paper. You will need to be able to name grasses and their use in lawn seed mixes. ornamental lawn = Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra subsp. commutata shade tolerant = Poa trivialis, Poa nemoralis, Festuca rubra rubra utility = Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis
R2111 – materials used in gardens
For some reason, there is a section about the materials you might use in a garden. For example, you might use the following horizontal hard landscaping materials: Wooden deckingconcrete paving slabsyorkstonepoured concreteblocksgravel Vertical hard landscaping might include: Fences made of wood or woven willowTrellises made of woodscreenspergolas You will need to be able to talk… Continue reading R2111 – materials used in gardens
R2111 Hazards and Risks
Hazard = a potential sourse of harm or adverse health effect on a personRisk = the likelihood that someone might suffer harm or an adverse health effect from a hazard You will need to be able to give a few examples of hazards and risks, as well as what you could do to minimise them.… Continue reading R2111 Hazards and Risks
R2111 Understanding Garden Features, plant selection and planning
This paper is made up of hazards/risks, design principles, surveying, lawns and some plant names. Garden Planning Principles In the context of the RHS exams, this means "one of a number of widely recognised design concepts following accepted rules and conventions to produce designs that work and are pleasing to the eye". This means that… Continue reading R2111 Understanding Garden Features, plant selection and planning
Seedy Sunday!
Seedy Sunday is coming! It feels like the start of a new gardening year and I get far too many seeds just because they look interesting! Oh, and they're cheap so you can get them even if you aren't swapping. The event is sponsored by Infinity Foods, and supported by The Real Junk Food Project,… Continue reading Seedy Sunday!
A miracle!
I am so excited! This is my first ever flower from my tea plant - Camellia sinensis assamica. I got it as a twig, basically, from the Eden Project. It hasn't looked too good or happy so I was surprised to see the buds. And my, aren't the flowers pretty??!
Practical level 2
Stanmer Park I've just started the level 2 practical course at Stanmer Park - looks nice, doesn't it? The college is behind the house and is a series of portacabins. There is a re-development going on though, and the old walled gardens belonging to the house are being restored and the college will be sited… Continue reading Practical level 2
Yay! I passed!
The exam results were posted online yesterday (you have to set up an account but they send you the details when you register for the exams), and I passed! Phew. I'm going to celebrate with this: Just need to start studying for the next lot now.
Gardening studies 