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Another exam connentary for revision, this one from Level 2 Garden Planning
by Janet Prescott - Thursday, 23 May 2019, 9:14 AM
 

From June 2018  unit 2112, on everyone's 'favourite' topic, bedding displays!

a)      Describe what is meant by the term groundwork (infill) suitable for a traditional spring bedding display, giving TWO distinct plat examples.  [4 marks]

b)     NAME ONE pest and ONE disease that affect plants suitable for spring bedding displays. [2 marks]

c)      Describe how TWO distinct NAMED materials are used during soil preparation when planting summer bedding. [4 marks]

This question relates to the following part of the syllabus:

1.1 Describe, in the context of seasonal displays, what is meant by the terms: bedding, hardy, half-hardy, tropical, edging, groundwork (infill) and dot plant; give TWO plant examples of EACH. 

State what is meant by seasonal displays including when the plants can be planted out. The terms Hardy and Half-hardy should be defined in relation to temperature tolerance (either in degrees Celsius or Zones) as well plant husbandry.

1.5 Name FIVE plants suitable for spring bedding displays, including TWO bulbs (or corms or tubers). 

Examples could include:  Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’Myosotis sylvatica Viola x wittrockiana Bulbs Hyacinthus orientalis and Named Tulipa Cultivars, e.g. Tulipa ‘Queen of Night’

1.9 Describe the routine maintenance of seasonal bedding, including control of weeds and common pests and diseases (aphids, slugs and snails, vine weevil, grey mould, powdery mildew) for the situations listed in 1.3 – 1.7 

Appropriate seasonal maintenance tasks to include irrigation (hand watering, sprinklers and drip systems), deadheading, feeding. 

Methods of weed control to include Physical (Hand weeding methods) control of pests and diseases listed for appropriate situations. 

Control of ONE appropriate weed, pest and disease for each situation.

 

For part a) you need to make sure you include both the description of the term ‘groundwork’ and the two plant examples. For any description or definition of a term it is important to describe or define using different words to those already included. You have already been given the term ‘infill’ so you need to describe it in a different way. Also make sure you include the plant examples that are required – it can be useful to highlight or underline important words in the question, such as ‘spring bedding’.

The examiners; comments suggest:

‘...the mass planting forming the bulk of the display, usually providing the main colour of the border and of medium height’.

Always make sure you provide very typical plant examples for whichever category you are given. Some suitable examples for this were suggested in the examiners’ comments, including  Bellis perennis and Myosotis sylvatica.

Part b) requires a very short answer of one pest and one disease. Again, make sure you use very typical examples. The examiners’ comments suggest slugs or aphids for the pest and botrytis or powdery mildew for the disease.

Part c) asks you for two distinct materials, so make sure these are quite different. Suitable examples were given as well rotted organic matter or garden compost, fertiliser and coarse grit. The description could include when they are incorporated, e.g. during primary cultivation/digging of the soil, and could also include the rate of application.