Garden Design Online Course

This online distance learning course has been written by Susan Stephenson, a highly experienced horticulturist, who specialises in offering advice to garden designers just starting out in their profession.

Susan is a passionate garden designer in her own right, has written three books and lectures at two further and higher education colleges. Therefore, you can be confident that this course will help you acquire the knowledge and skills needed to become a true professional in this expanding area of horticulture. Start and finish at any time.  Study at your own pace!

There are thirteen lessons to complete and cover what you will need to know to become a successful amateur or professional garden designer. The course is ideal for:

• creatively minded gardeners wishing to extend their range of services
• for beginners looking to forge a career as a garden designer
•  gardening enthusiasts looking to redesign their own garden
• for those wanting to be self-employed

Get qualified and reap the rewards that this course can provide.

There are 13 lessons:

1. Become a Garden Designer

• About your course
• Introduction
• How gardens started (a bit of history)
• The garden today
• Designers today
• Where to find information
• Factors to be considered

2. Designers: What They Do and Why They Are Needed

• Owners requirements
• What a designer does
• Benefits of using a designer
• What a designer doesn’t do
• Providing guidance
• Types of client
• You, the designer
• Taking instructions

3. Getting Started

• Equipment
• Dress
• Suggested Authors
• CAD
• Impressions
• Checklists
• Wants and needs
• The design processes
• Assessment
• Survey
• Rough sketch
• FLP
• Drawing to scale
• Triangulation
• Relative and absolute measurements
• Labelling and keys

4. Soils and Sites

• The site itself
• Climate
• Micro climates
• Light and shade
• Rainfall and humidity
• Shelter
• Soil types and pH Improving soils
• Manures
• Fertilisers
• Lime
• Cultivation

5.  Getting Down to the Design

• Arranging plants
• Height
• Borders
• Beds
• Information sources
• Plants for a particular position: alkaline, acid, shade, sun
• Plants for particular uses: scent, ground cover
• Designs for shapes and sizes: themes, shapes, form
• Principles of garden design: direction, rhythm, harmony

6. Schematic Planning

• Colour Colour wheel
• Getting it right
• Colour patch bedding
• Foliage for colour
• Height Features which need special consideration
• Fruit
• Containers
• Tubs
• Rockeries and alpine

7.  Interest

• Winter in the garden
• Wildlife
• Lighting
• Furniture
• Safety
• Hazards and risks

8.  Water

• Benefits
• Uses
• Siting a pond
• Water features
• Planting a pond
• Construction
• Plans
• Equipment
• Filters
• Maintenance
• Lighting
• Safety

9  Children and Pets

• Play areas
• Children’s gardens
• Marketing ideas
• Equipment and toys
• Plants
• Water and children
• Safer features
• Pets
• Clients
• Other people’s safety

10 . Elderly and Disabled

• Considerations
• Access
• Paths
• Safety
• Features
• Tools
• Other issues
• Safety in general
• Hazards and risk

11.  Upkeep

• General
• Plant maintenance
• Feature maintenance
• Year planner: e.g. lawn
• Schedule of work
• Cost issues
• Variable costs
• Practical issues

12.  Structures and More Designing With Plants

• Walls
• Fences and trellis
• Paths
• Greenhouses
• Sheds
• Stores
• Summer houses
• Other features
• Furniture
• Plants for linking areas
• Direction
• Height
• Trees
• Shrubs
• Groups of plants
• Plant selection criteria

13.  Marketing Your Garden Business

• Expert advice on how to market your garden design venture

Please Note:   Each lesson includes background reading on the essential “must knows” about the subject, a set task or tasks to consolidate and enhance your learning, plus a written assignment, which is marked and graded and then returned with helpful comments and suggestions.

When all lessons have been completed, there will be a final assessment taken at a time and place of your choosing, or a final project ( the topic of which will be agreed upon between your tutor and you).