What will I learn on the Garden Design Course?
The course is divided into 3 parts: design, construction and planting. Here’s an overview:
- Design – Courtyard gardens, large town gardens, right up to rural country estates. In addition, a thorough grounding in commercial landscape design will allow you to confidently work with architects, contractors and local authorities. You’ll complete 15 different gardens during the course, an invaluable start to your sales portfolio on graduation.
- Construction and professional practice –How to run your business from the ground up, including contract law, client relations and how much to charge. You’ll also be confident and capable with other professionals, specifying how to build and which materials to use.
- Planting design – This is the reason why you’re here. It’s the firm foundation of knowledge that will grow with you for life. We cover planting design techniques and philosophy, and you’ll gain a deep understanding of the plants that respond to your designs. You’ll graduate with knowledge of over 200 species – more than enough to get you started.
Garden Design Course full curriculum
Designing space
This module will teach you how to think and design in 3D. You’ll learn to manipulate simple shapes into coherent patterns, and then use this approach as a tool for designing in three dimensions. You will be encouraged to exploit art to expand your repertoire of responses to design assignments.
SketchUp training
Architecture, design, and media professionals the world over use SketchUp to create detailed 3D models efficiently and quickly. You’ll cover the fundamentals of the application, the interface, and how to use the Sandbox extension to create realistic organic shapes and terrain.
Garden history
You have to understand the past before you can design for the future. This module explores manmade landscapes, from early Middle East agricultural societies to the present day. We’ll explore trends in design and their relation to art, architecture and socioeconomic activity in different societies.
Image manipulation
These tutorials are packed with tons of useful tips on managing your photo library. You’ll quickly learn how to organize, sort, rate, and locate specific pictures as well as how to rotate images, remove red-eye, and adjust exposure settings. You’ll also learn how to share your photos via email, the internet, across a network, and even how to organise prints and books online.
Urban garden design
Urban spatial development. In two separate exercises you’ll survey a courtyard and a small garden using running dimensions and triangulation, making note of all relevant site details. Site data will be evaluated, including the potential for fulfilling the client’s brief.
Hard landscaping theory & practice
A detailed look at construction and specification in landscape and garden design. You’ll be able to specify and instruct contractors to build all manner of landscape features including ponds, pools, pergolas, arbours. walling, fencing, paving, drives, steps, drainage, decking and concrete.
Landscape construction
Design detail and creative planning. This module covers hard landscape construction – working drawings, surveying, levels, drainage, construction details and setting out, as well as the properties of construction materials.
Garden photography
Comprises a series of photographic lectures and practical exercises. The module is very hands on, with the core segment revolving around creating photos of plants and gardens suitable for your web presence, fine art and magazine publication.
Soft landscape form and colour
You will explore the relationship between plants and their optimal living environment. The module includes plant physiology, form and structure, and their inter-related variables. You will also analyse the different planting styles used by leading designers.
Garden design masterclasses
Exclusive lectures from top designers and artists such as John Brookes, Anthony Paul, Luciano Giubbilei and Jilly Sutton.
Country garden design
Using your design knowledge, plus the full range of skills learnt on the course, you’ll draw up a proposal for a large country garden.
Business and professional practice
The fundamentals of contract law governing the relationship between designer and client, and between client and contractor. You’ll receive lectures on setting up, marketing and sustaining a design business – a step by step guide from working professionals on how to maximise your chances of success.
Computer modelling & Vectorworks training
3D modelling and Vectorworks Landmark training are an absolute necessity if you want to follow a professional career in garden and landscape design.
