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Course Status: Not Currently Scheduled
The next offering of this course is tentatively planned for March 2023. Please join our email list to be notified when registration opens!
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Course Overview
This class is part of the Landscape Management II Certificate Program.
How do you improve a landscape for a client who can’t or won’t spend the money? One way is to improve the “beds and borders,” described by instructor Bruce Neary as “everything on a property that is not turf.”
Using his energetic style, Bruce will take you through the design, installation, and maintenance process. He’ll teach participants to expertly orchestrate and combine herbaceous perennials, bulbs, flowering shrubs, annuals, and small trees to give the residence year-round beauty – and he’ll demonstrate the effect of artistic plant placement and how to maximize the visual elements of garden bed architecture. You’ll get the feel and impact of a mini design seminar!
Featured Topics
- Conceiving the Design
- Laying Out the Plans
- Preparing the Site
- Choosing the Best Plants
- Renovating Established Beds
- Composting and Mulching
- Maintenance Considerations
- Staying Flexible
Meet Your Instructors
Bruce Neary, BCN Horticultural Services

Bruce Neary is the owner of BCN Horticultural Services, where he has provided consulting services to landscape architects, contractors, developers, garden centers, nurseries, educators, and the public since 1994. Regarded as an industry expert, Bruce has written several articles for The Landscape Publication, Grounds Maintenance Magazine, and the American Nurseryman. Likewise, he has been a horticultural lecturer at Barlow Flower Farm and for other landscape organizations for over 30 years. Bruce is a member of the Pennsylvania and American Horticultural Societies, Metro Hort Group, and Perennial Plant Association. He received his bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Rutgers University and his Masters of Agriculture in Horticultural Sciences from Texas A&M.
Continuing Education Credits
The most recent offering of Beds and Borders Seminar was approved for the following credits from professional organizations. We will reapply for similar credits the next time the course runs, but we cannot guarantee credit approval for future offerings.
New Jersey
NJ Certified Public Works Managers (CPWM): 6 Technical Contact Hours
National
Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD): 6 CEUs
International
International Society of Arboriculture (ISA): Certified Arborist: 3.25; BCMA-Practice: 3.25
Attention U.S. Veterans

This course is approved by the New Jersey State Approving Agency for Veterans Training for educational benefits through the GI Bill®. Learn more.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about the Beds and Borders Seminar, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Program Coordinator: Joe Canzano
848-932-7317
joe.canzano@rutgers.edu

Administrative Assistant: Beth Perez
848-932-7483
beth.perez@rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.