About our Landscaping & Garden Design Courses
For detailed information on what you will learn on this course please download our Landscaping & Garden Design Course Prospectus. However for a brief summary of what you will learn with our Landscaping & Garden Design Courses please click on one of the following links:
Assessing the Garden
Experimenting with landscape garden designs is exciting and fun, but before real plans can be made it is vital to assess what you have to work with.
The best way to begin is by taking a proper survey of the garden you are working with and objectively assessing all the major components and environmental factors. By drawing out your plan to scale, you will have a realistic picture of what you have to work with. Then you can begin the process of planning what you want to achieve by experimenting with layouts and designs. A properly planned design will help you to get the job right first time, saving unnecessary heartache and expense from mistakes that could have been avoided with a little extra foresight.
This is the essential key to success if you plan on working in the landscape garden industry. Among the topics covered on this course you will learn...
- Surveying the Garden – how to carry out an accurate survey of a garden, no matter what shape & size it is
- Drawing a Plan – how to draw up a scaled plan & present it professionally
- Environmental Considerations – understanding how local climatic conditions, wind direction and aspect will affect the layout of the garden
- Windbreaks & Noise Barriers – how trees & structures are used to protect the garden
- Soil Evaluation – what is the soil type and how can you improve it
- Permanent Structures & Trees – how to objectively assess what to work with and what to remove.
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The Elements of Garden Style
What is it that makes a great garden design?
Many people have a natural instinct for selecting plants, features and details, but they may be unable to explain their ideas or define exactly why a style does or does not work.
Good design is certainly instinctive, but the inability to justify your design ideas can cause doubt in a client’s mind, and besides, if you don’t fully understand what works and why, then how can you ensure repeated success every time…?
The elements and principles of design represent universal ideas that are relevant to all areas and disciplines of design. These can help you to objectively assess what it is about a garden that works, and what it is that doesn’t.
By understanding how a successful style is constructed, you will be able to recreate any style effectively, whatever your own personal preferences, and you should be able to do so with your own unique twist! In addition to “training your eye”, this section of the course will teach you the terminology to communicate your ideas effectively and professionally. This will help you make a plausible and confident case for your creative suggestions, both to clients and to other design professionals.
Topics covered include the following:
- Assessing Style – training your eye to notice the details
- The Elements of Style – identifying the individual components of style and exploring how and where to use them
- Harmony – working with scale, proportion and symmetry to achieve balance and harmony in your design whatever the style preferences
- Building a Mood – using the right combination of elements to create the mood you want.
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Structures, Features & Focal Points
When we think of gardens we naturally imagine plants and greenery, but the garden walls, fences and other structures will determine the garden layout and the materials selected will set the style.
There are numerous outdoor structures to choose from but when you consider that hard landscape structures can cost 60% to 70% of the total cost of a garden, you can see why it’s important to get it right. The key to success is to design structures thoughtfully, so that they compliment the house and that the proportions and colours are balanced.
In addition to these structures, there are many additional features that can be also be added, focal points are essential in any space and the garden is no exception. When positioned correctly, these details entice the viewer to explore the garden further and create a sense of mystery and surprise. These are the little treasures that make the difference between a “good” garden design and one that is “spectacular”.
Some of the topics you will cover include…
- Boundaries – walls, fences and other ways of marking boundaries
- Changing Levels – whether you are dealing with a sloping garden or merely creating visual interest, split-levels can create an attractive design detail
- Walkways & Seating Areas – choosing between patios, decking or gravel areas etc…
- Water Features – using ponds, pools and fountains to stimulate the senses
- Garden Ornaments & Accessories – how to accessorise your outdoor space and use these important style details effectively.
- Finishing Touches - Using garden lighting and furniture to make the garden an outdoor area of comfort and relaxation.
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Principals of Planting
Clearly there is a lot more to garden design than choosing plants &endash; yet plants, shrubs and greenery are essentially what makes the difference between a garden and a yard!
While aesthetic features are important, so too is an understanding of how plant properties will change throughout the year, as all too often a garden that presents a stunning riot of blooms and colour in the summertime, can look bleak and barren throughout the winter. A skilled garden designer will have the knowledge and ability to co-ordinate plants successfully…
Like every area of landscape garden design, there are no hard and fast rules to a planting scheme, except that they should be developed to complement hard landscaping structures and that plants should work with the natural climatic conditions. However, for long term success and enjoyment of the garden, the clients attitude towards maintenance issues must also be taken into consideration, as should any individual concerns such as choosing plants that are child and animal friendly.
Some of the things you will cover include:
- Climatic Conditions – choosing plants according to soil type, climatic location and aspect
- Shape & Proportion – understanding plant shapes and how to plan and co-ordinate them successfully
- Colour & Foliage – choosing and co-ordinating plants for an attractive garden throughout the seasons and all year round
- Planting Areas – rockeries, raised planters and containers
- Family Friendly Planting – recognising which plants can be harmful to children and animals
- Trees – growing and pruning deciduous and evergreen trees
- Pests & Diseases – tips to avoid problems before they arise and controlling garden pests
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Prioritising Your Design
In our modern world we are extremely fortunate because there are more choices available to us now than at any previous time in history. While this is wonderful in many ways, unlimited options often make it harder to choose and it’s easy for a novice designer to make a mistake.
Design is not just about making things look good, it is about combining aesthetics with practical solutions to create designs that work and function on an everyday basis. The key to success is to clearly define the design parameters through proper assessment and then work with them rather than against them…
We may all dream of having a tropical oasis at the back of our home, but the reality is that most of us are limited by functional requirements, maintenance issues, budget and the existing size and shape of what we have to work with. Certain aspects will clearly take priority and a skilled landscape garden designer will ensure the best fit by creating a plan and then objectively selecting design components that work with that plan, while ignoring all others.
It’s not that difficult to achieve, but it does require discipline and a methodical approach. Among the topics covered you will learn…
- Establishing the Requirements – objectively determining needs and desires.
- Working with Space – making the best use of the garden space, position and layout.
- Maintenance Issues – selecting the right components for maximum long-term enjoyment.
- Budgets – how to create a realistic budget and spend it to get maximum impact.
- Special Considerations – designing family gardens to cope with children and pets.
- Unsightly Garden Accessories – how to work with details such as clothes lines, oil tanks and refuse bins.
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