Read up wise.
The reference work for the landscape gardening trade: paving and falls, topsoil and growing layers, planting and nursery stock, lawns, measurement and checklists — explained so it can be used on site.
Become a landscape gardenerGet started · 5 minThe landscape gardener builds the green: patios and paving, planting, lawns, walls, steps and drainage. It's a varied outdoor trade with a visible result, professional pride and a direct path from apprentice to journeyman — with pay during training. Here's why you should consider the trade.How to build up a paved surfaceBackground · 9 minA durable terrace or path is built up in layers: formation level, capping layer, base course, levelling layer and surface. NfA 1992 specifies layer thicknesses by traffic class (Standard A–D). Here is how the layers fit together.Topsoil and growth layer — thickness, quality and tolerancesBackground · 9 minThe topsoil layer is the growth base for plants. NfA 1992 specifies 25–40 cm of topsoil, requirements for dry bulk density and tolerances. Here is how to assess thickness, quality and compaction.Fall and drainage on pavingBackground · 8 minFall ensures that the water runs away. Here is how you convert fall between per mille, percent and cm/m, and what NfA 1992 requires as a minimum for different surfaces.Plant spacing and bond patternBackground · 8 minPlant spacing and the bond pattern determine the number of plants. A triangular bond packs them more tightly than a square one. Here's how to calculate plants per m² and per running metre for hedges and shelterbelts.Nursery plants — quality and gradingBackground · 9 minNursery plants are graded and traded according to Plantestandard and Kvalitetsstandard. Here's how to read girth, bare-root/root-balled/container, and delivery sizes.A lawn from scratchBackground · 10 minA dense lawn requires the right topsoil layer, the right seed rate and fertilisation. NfA's establishment requirement is at least 1 grass plant per cm². Here is how you get there.Compaction and settlingBackground · 4 minLoose soil and gravel settle when compacted. Here's how to account for settlement and compaction in your order, and why it prevents low spots and later damage.Measure your area correctlyMeasurement · 5 minAn accurately measured area is the starting point for plant, soil and material quantities. Here is how to measure the four basic shapes and add them up into a composite area.Checklist: handover of pavingChecklist · 4 minA checklist for handing over a finished paving: fall, evenness, joint filling and edges — so the work lasts and is handed over without defects. The figures follow NfA 1992 and DS 1136.Checklist: incoming inspection of plantsChecklist · 4 minA checklist for receiving plants on site: check turgidity, rootball, grading and health before the plants are set out — so you don't plant weak or wrong plants.Standards for the landscaping tradeLegislation & standards · 6 minLandscape gardening is governed by a hierarchy of norms and standards. The primary norm is now Norms and Guidance for Landscape Gardening Work 2023 (10th edition). Paving follows DS 1136:2013, and nursery plants are covered by Plant Standard 2002 and Quality Standard 2019. Here is the overview of what applies – and what has changed in the 2023 edition.Sizing of fastening — step by stepMethod · 12 minSizing a fastening is about matching traffic class subgrade bearing capacity and surface type with the right layer thicknesses. This is how you work systematically from task description to finished fastening construction — with NfA 1992/2023's Standard A–D as framework.Safety and work environment on siteSafety & work environment · 11 minLandscape gardening is physically demanding and the work environment on site requires conscious effort. Here are the most important rules and good habits: lifting technique, machine operation, excavation work, and personal protective equipment – from the Work Environment Authority's guidance and the industry's own practice.Materials for flooring — natural stone concrete and tilesMaterials · 11 minThe choice of surface material is about load, aesthetics, fall and price. Here are the most commonly used materials in landscaping — from concrete tiles and SF stone to granite, roof tiles and grass reinforced stone — with thickness, typical dimensions and main properties.Troubleshooting and typical errors in landscaping tradeTroubleshooting · 10 minMost complaints in the landscape gardening trade are caused by a limited set of errors: incorrect fall incomplete compaction too thin growing layer wrong plant material or poor drainage. Here are the typical errors how you discover them — and what it takes to fix them.Quality assurance and documentation in landscapingQuality assurance · 6 minQuality assurance in landscaping is about controlling and documenting that the work meets standards and tender documents — during and at completion. Here is the systematic approach: receipt inspection, self-inspection and completion inspection.Landscape gardening in Denmark – from garden passion to garden constructionThe craft's history. · 7 minLandscape gardening grew from Danish garden tradition to a modern, norm-driven craft. Here we follow the trails that can be documented: garden and park tradition, the development of vocational education, standardization with Norms for Landscape Gardening Work, focus on stormwater and drainage, and today's combination of craft and digital tools.Beskæring og pleje af træer og buskeBackground · 11 minBeskæring er en kernedel af anlægsgartnerens plejearbejde. Vælg beskæringstype efter formålet, tidspunkt efter arten, og skær i grenkraven med de rigtige snit — så træet lukker såret selv. Her er metoden fra opbygningsbeskæring til arborist-grænsen.Regnvandshåndtering og LARMethod · 12 minLAR (lokal afledning af regnvand) håndterer regnen dér, hvor den falder, i stedet for at sende alt i kloakken. Her er metoderne, dimensioneringsgrundlaget (Spildevandskomiteen og Rørcentret), afstandskravene til faskiner og de praktiske løsninger — regnbede, faskiner, permeable belægninger og wadier.Dræn og afvandingsteknik i grønne anlægMethod · 10 minDræning fjerner overskudsvand fra plæner, sportsanlæg, plantehuller og befæstelser. Her er drænteknikken: drænrør og materialer, fald og dybde, sandfang og spulebrønde, omfangsdræn og tilslutning — og de faldgruber, der oftest giver drænsvigt.Trapper, kantsætning og støttemureMethod · 11 minUdendørs trapper, kantsætning og støttemure er klassisk anlægsgartner-håndværk med egne mål-, fundaments- og drænkrav. Her er skridtlængdeformlen for behagelige trin, frostfri fundering, kantsætning i mørtel og den vigtigste regel for støttemure: dræn bag muren.Maskiner, værktøj og motorredskaber på pladsenMaskiner & værktøj · 11 minAnlægsgartneren bruger minigraver, minilæsser, pladevibrator, motorkædesav, buskrydder og hækklipper dagligt — og flere kræver lovpligtig oplæring eller certifikat. Her er maskinvalget, certifikatkravene, det daglige eftersyn og de værnemidler, der hører til hver maskine.Jordbundslære og jordtyperBackground · 11 minJordbunden binder muld-, plante- og befæstelsesarbejdet sammen. Her er jordbundslæren: jordens bestanddele, kornstørrelser og tekstur, JB-klassificeringen, jordstruktur, plantetilgængeligt vand og hvordan jordtypen afgør dræning, bæreevne og telefare.Plantekundskab og plantelæreBackground · 11 minPlantekendskab er grundlaget for at læse en planteliste og vælge rigtige arter til voksestedet. Her er plantegrupperne, de botaniske navne (slægt, art, sort), voksestedskravene og de danske hårdførhedszoner.Plantebeskyttelse, ukrudt og sprøjtecertifikatBackground · 11 minPlantebeskyttelse er lovreguleret kernestof: de otte IPM-principper, kravet om sprøjtecertifikat ved erhvervsmæssig brug, mekanisk og termisk ukrudtsbekæmpelse samt de vigtigste skadedyr og sygdomme, anlægsgartneren møder.Vintertjeneste og glatførebekæmpelseBackground · 9 minSnerydning og glatførebekæmpelse er fast driftarbejde for anlægsgartnere. Her er ansvaret, tømidlerne (salt, CMA, kaliumformiat), grus nær beplantning, saltskader på vejnære planter og arbejdsmiljøet ved glat og mørkt vejr.Træterrasse, hegn og pergolaBackground · 11 minTrædæk, plankeværk, hegn og pergolaer er klassisk anlægsteknik. Her er trykimprægneringsklasserne (NTR A/AB/B), frostfri stolpefundering, bjælke- og strøafstand, ventileret opbygning og valg af skruer og beslag i rigtig korrosionsklasse.Vanding og kunstvandingBackground · 10 minVanding afgør, om nyplantninger og græs overlever. Her er vandingsbehovet (fordampning mod nedbør), etableringsvanding, drypvanding og automatiske anlæg med magnetventiler og styring — samt vandbesparelse og genbrug af regnvand.Gødningslære og plantenæringBackground · 10 minGødskning giver planterne den næring, jorden ikke selv leverer. Her er makro- og mikronæringsstofferne, NPK-tallene og hvordan de læses, forskellen på organisk, mineralsk og langtidsvirkende gødning, dosering ud fra jordanalysen og de vigtigste mangelsymptomer.