- Learning objectives
- Articulate the benefits of using a certified native plant maintenance professional
- Understand what a four-year garden and beyond time frame looks like
- Discussion: Value of certification
- Job qualification
- Job advancement
- Marketing
- Bigger picture
- How to use your certification
- Program benefits
- Financial aspects
- Discussion: Life of a garden (a hypothetical example)
- Overview of content through four years’ garden maintenance, stressing practical application of knowledge
- Year 1: Weekly to semi-monthly visits of 1-2 hours to weed, water, prune, adjust sprinkler heads, sow wildflowers, stake, create a plant list, mulch
- Schedule dependent on clients and size of garden
- Year 2: Monthly to semimonthly visits of 3-4 hours visits to prune, cut grasses, adjust sprinkler heads, weed, stake, water, replant
- Year 3: Monthly to semimonthly visits of 3-4 hours to mulch, prune, pull overgrown plants, replant, adjust sprinkler heads, water, weed
- Year 4: Monthly to semimonthly visits of 3-4 hours to prune, monitor, weed, replant, adjust sprinkler heads, apply to be on Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour!
- Year 1: Weekly to semi-monthly visits of 1-2 hours to weed, water, prune, adjust sprinkler heads, sow wildflowers, stake, create a plant list, mulch
- An important note throughout this curriculum is that all gardens are different and require individualized management, planning, and care
- Overview of content through four years’ garden maintenance, stressing practical application of knowledge
- In-class activity: Hypothetical garden: what would you potentially do each year in this garden?
- Homework
- Take three pictures of native plants and upload them in the Assignment section below before the next class. Allowed file types are pdf, doc, jpg, or png.
- Resources
- Planting demonstrating:
Watch Video: Planting California Natives: Preparing and Planting- Alternatively go to the Theodore Payne YouTube Channel for several videos on initial analysis of garden site conditions and planting technique
- Planting demonstrating:
- Key figures, graphs, and concepts
- This certificate program:
- Is the only program that has an exclusive focus on California native plants
- Meets the practical, real-world oriented needs of gardeners to learn specialized techniques – you build on your existing skills and knowledge
- Improves the marketability of certified gardeners
- Makes your resume stand out
- Provides customers and vendors with validation that you have demonstrated experience, knowledge and skills in the complex specialty of native plants
- Is backed by TPF and CNPS – the two most respected names in native plant gardening
- How you use your Certificate
- Confirm that your business cards, publications, conference brochures and social media profiles show your current certification status.
- Identify yourself as having obtained a certificate on your name badge and when talking with customers, vendors, colleagues, and other professionals
- Include a reference to your successful completion of the certificate program by applying the program logo in all customer proposals
- Place your certificate in your vehicle in a clear sleeve and show it at initial meetings with potential clients
- Logo your vehicle with the program logo decals
- Plan how to increase visibility with your new certificate
- Planting in seasons other than fall
- Water early in the day and in compliance with local watering restrictions
- Add temporary shade as necessary – shade cloth, cloches
- Provide deep and infrequent watering – see the lesson on watering
- Evaluate signs of wilting closely – for each hydrozone or valve
- This certificate program:
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