The Garden Design Course is our flagship online course, perfect for those wishing to start a professional career in garden and landscape design. No previous design or plant knowledge is needed – just a passion to learn, artistic flair and a good grasp of English. You’ll gain a comprehensive knowledge of the industry from the ground up, ready to charge professional fees from day one.
There’s no commuting, and you’ll never miss a lecture. Unlike other online garden design courses, this is not a correspondence course. (i.e. lectures are not just text based) All our lectures are pre-recorded videos. They’re identical to our former classroom seminars, except everything is available to replay 24/7 on your smartphone or computer.
Taught over 3 Semesters (40 weeks) it’s the most thorough landscape design course of its kind, so there will be no gaps in your knowledge. You’ll learn everything you need to start and run a successful business.
This course represents a huge life change, the new career you’ve always wanted. But rest assured that you’ll be supported every step of the way, even after graduation. Besides this, our reputation within the industry will give you an automatic head start. Our graduates are seen as the most employable in the country.
The most important requirement is a passion to learn and some artistic flare. No previous design experience is required as this will be taught during the course. An art background is useful, but not essential, but some sort of creative ability would be beneficial. This doesn’t mean you can draw or paint, but knowing when something looks and feels right will certainly help. Plant knowledge is not required, as this will be taught on the course. In addition, you will need a good grasp of English and some basic computer skills. If you can email and download a file then you can do this course! We set out to produce students with the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to become professional garden designers who can offer a professional service and charge professional fees.
The professional course is modelled on our one-year postgraduate level course and is based on the notion of 1200 hours of your effort to complete, including all online/studio contact teaching time and private study.
This is a very inexact science but is based on years of experience. The time required to complete tasks will vary according to your personal organisation, ability and application. Feedback mechanisms are used regularly to monitor all aspects of the course including levels of effort required to successfully complete each section.
Assessment is by coursework together with continual assessment of design projects and associated technical studies. The course is student led, with ongoing evaluation over one to two years. Assignments make up 60% of the possible marks, research work accounting for 40%.
Design work carried out through studio projects and taught by online tutorial, form the heart of the course.
The course is divided into 3 parts: design, construction and planting. Here’s an overview:
Take a look at the full curriculum below, and if you have any questions just give us a call on +44 (0)1491 628950 or send us an email.
Students will be able to survey a small site using running dimensions and triangulation making note of site details such as the position of trees, buildings, simple level changes, and services etc. They will be able to evaluate the data collected on site and produce a scale drawing at 1:50 to accurately portray the site’s characteristics. They will write a simple client brief and produce a sketch proposal based on that brief. Students will apply pattern analysis concepts which have been taught concurrently. The proposal will be drawn using pencil and then draughting pens, on architectural blanks using the title blocks to display appropriate information. Students will demonstrate an understanding of special concepts and design philosophy and demonstrate a reasonable knowledge of landscape graphical symbols.
Students will complete project 2 in the same manner as for project 1 with the additional use of Survey Analysis and Design concepts (S.A.D). Students will be provided with all the survey information required and will produce an additional site evaluation plan. Using this information, they will produce functional diagrams for the site and its layout. With this information, a sketch plan will be produced. Having completed this, they will then use CAD to produce a Key Plan and layout drawings containing spot heights, dimensions and specification on paving materials and construction details.
Design project 3 is as above with the students having to produce full plans and details for the whole site to include construction details, specification documents, costings and schedules of work. Full planting plans will be required. These will include a plant list containing descriptions, maintenance information and plant numbers to facilitate ordering.
Using CAD, students will produce a hard landscape portfolio comprising of 10 constructions details. Aim – To develop an understanding of how landscape elements are constructed and to enable students to provide the contractor with specific graphical design instructions. Garden elements will be organised in the following categories:
Students will be taught to illustrate their work using 2D & 3D computer modeling software to produce life-like representations of their design. These will be used both in the design process and also to aid client appreciation and understanding of the design. Advanced CAD Workshop Having learnt the basics of the software you will now cover planting design and how to product detail layout and construction detail to print and use on site for both planning applications, tendering and onsite as working drawings for the contractor.
Part 1 How to Use a Camera You will be taught how to use a DSLR camera and cover the basics of both aperture and shutter speed, to control exposure, focusing depth of field, and sharpness.
Part 2 Documentary Garden Photography You will be taught what is required by magazines and news media for a garden documentary story. You will be able to photograph a garden using different images from wide-angle story-telling shots to macro close-up detail images. This will allow you to photograph your own gardens and get valuable media coverage to help promote your business.
The college has two intakes per year the first at the end of April and the second at the end of September. Places are limited to a max of 8 students per tutorial and are supplied on a first come first serve basis.
To secure your place, all students will be required to pay a non-refundable enrolment fee of £500 which guarantees them a place and includes immediate access to two modules of the course. Once approved, a reading list and your first CAD lectures will be issued, for students to make an initial start. In order to be awarded the college’s Diploma, students will be required to complete and pass all sections of the course within 12-36 month period from the course start date. Additional 12-month extensions to the course can be purchased at an additional cost of £650 pa if required.
Once you have paid your enrolment fee, you will be invoiced for the balance (to be paid via bank transfer), prior to the start of the course. In the event of illness or other crises, the college will do its best to assist students, by moving them to the next subsequent course, so allowing them to complete their studies. It is regretted that no fees can be refunded for whatever reason including non-attendance, once the course has commenced. (As per our Terms of Enrolment) The college reserves the right to change the course dates and structure without notice.