Garden Design - Become a Garden Designer - (TQUK Endorsed Certificate Course)

Garden Design Online Course.150 Hours Endorsed Certificate Course (TQUK - Training Qualifications UK).

This online distance learning course has been written by Susan Stephenson, a highly experienced horticulturist, already offering advice to garden designers just starting out in the 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!

Benefits of an ADL Endorsed Course?

Endorsed courses are skills based. They have been evaluated and approved by an independent awarding body such as Training Qualifications UK (TQUK).

What makes ADL’s Endorsed courses different?

• Flexible Self-Paced Learning– adjust your learning around your home and work commitments
• Start and Finish at any time
• Courses globally and industry relevant
• Practical Component at the end of most lessons.

Allocated your own tutor relevant to your subject. You can have as little or as much contact as you like with your tutor. They are there to support you all the way through.

This course is endorsed by TQUK -Training Qualifications UK, an OFQUAL awarding body.

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.

Once all the lessons have been completed, there will be a final assessment taken at a time and place of your choosing, or a final project, the subject of which will be agreed between your mentor and you.

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the academy, marked by the academy's tutors and returned to you with feedback, any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Gardening Designers, Home Gardeners, Landscapers, Garden Enthusiasts

A pc or laptop with internet connection

The online course for Garden Design is ideal for:

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

Currently there are no Q&As for this course. Be the first to ask a question.