Landscape 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.
Introduction
Landscape gardening is governed by a hierarchy of norms, standards and official requirements. The main norm for the craft itself is Normer og vejledning for anlægsgartnerarbejde (norms and guidance for landscape gardening work) — now in its 10th edition from 2023. The training regulations call it NOVA («gældende normer og vejledninger for anlægsgartnerarbejde (NOVA)»), so that is the word you will meet at school; many in the trade still say NfA. For paving, DS 1136 is the binding standard, and nursery plants are graded and traded according to Plantestandard 2002 and Kvalitetsstandard 2019.
Standard hierarchy
| Document | Subject | Edition / source |
|---|---|---|
| Norms and guidance for landscape gardening work (NOVA / NfA) | Overall standard for landscape horticulture trades: soil, surfacing, planting, turf, drainage, tolerances | 10th edition, 2023 (Danish Landscape Gardeners / DAG — replaces 2015 and 1992 editions) |
| DS 1136:2013 | Paving / covering — design bidding and execution; joint width finishing layer | 3rd edition, 2013 — still in force (Dansk Standard) |
| Plant Standard 2002 | Sorting and bundling of bare-root, clump, and container plants | Danish Nursery Association / Danish Nurseries (2002, still in force) |
| Quality standard for nursery plants 2019 | Kvalitetskrav til planteskoletræer; handelsstørrelse = stammeomfang i cm målt i 1 m | Danish Nurseries / KU (2019, still in force) |
| AAB Paving + DI Building Brickworks Guild's procurement regulations 2022 | Public areas—standard work description and new tender rules for paving | Vejdirektoratet (Danish Road Directorate) / DI Byggeri (the 2022 tender specification is the latest) |
What is new in NfA 2023?
NfA 2023 (10th edition) replaced the 2015 edition and contains a number of adjustments compared to earlier editions. According to Grønt Miljø's account the main changes are:
- 01Fall from building: reduced to at least 15 ‰ with dense paving (previously 20 ‰ on bare ground / 15 ‰ dense paving as industry recommendation — now 15 ‰ with dense paving is standard).
- 02Topsoil's humus content: changed to minimum 2 wt-% in general, but 3–5 wt-% for grass lawns.
- 03Topsoil layer thickness: may now exceed 50 cm if the soil is porous and has low humus content (25–40 cm is still the typical starting point).
- 04Planting depth (container/lump): lump top must be flush with soil surface ±2 cm — not as previously covered with 2–5 cm soil.
- 05Drainage slope: one-directional slope is the basis, but changing slopes can be accepted under certain conditions.
- 06Plinth height: maintained at 10 cm as professional tradition, supplemented with reference to 15 cm.
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