Annie Guilfoyle

Designing Small Gardens

  • Recommended

    $1,120

    Includes personal feedback and tuition. More

  • $345

    Learn in an online classroom with no more than 20 classmates. More

Course Description

Award winning garden designer Annie Guilfoyle teaches you how to design small and urban gardens. You'll be designing your own garden and outside space as Annie takes you through the garden design process step-by-step.

Choose Expert option for personal feedback from Annie on your designs.

Whether you're starting from a garden rebuild, redesigning a small backyard or just redecorating a corner of your garden or rooftop, this course will help you make the most of your green space.

You'll look at the restrictions and advantages of designing for a smaller space or an urban garden (including making your garden more private or designing a garden for entertaining), and be guided through garden design process from inspiration, site assessment to survey and planting schemes.

This garden design course for small gardens will help rural and urban gardeners to make the most of your outdoor space.

You'll learn:

  • the design principles for small or urban gardens
  • how to carry out a site survey
  • creating functional plans and detailed garden designs
  • how to plan your planting

The course includes:

  • 6 on-demand video lessons - presented by Annie Guilfoyle
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical garden design projects (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas

Time to complete the small garden design course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 19 hours 30 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 1 hour 30 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your small garden design assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

The course is suitable for all levels of gardeners, from new gardeners looking for a design plan for their garden, to gardening enthusiasts and to those in the horticultural industry looking for inspiration for small space designs.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Annie on your small garden design assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.

Course outline

  • Design principles for small gardens

    Annie will take you through the basic garden design principles and introduce you to useful features she introduces when designing smaller spaces.

    She will demonstrate how you can apply these principles in your own garden and give you inspiration for your own plans.

  • Site survey and analysis

    During this lesson you will learn how you can create an accurately measured plan of your garden.

    The aim of a site survey is to both measure and analyse your garden so that you have all the relevant information prior to starting your own design.

  • Functional layout plans and preliminary design process

    You have now surveyed the garden so at this point it is worth developing and finalising the brief - you may have had more ideas since you completed the survey.

    Consider who the garden is for; do you have pets?

    Do you want a formal or informal design?

    What do you like/dislike about the existing site?

    What level of maintenance do you want the garden to be?

  • Draft design layout

    The aim of the draft design layout is to form a basis for your final layout design.

    At this stage you are ready to choose materials and decide the actual sizes of paths, terraces, steps and features.

  • Detailed design layout

    By the end of this lesson you will be ready to draw up your final master plan layout. The objective of this final plan is to have something that you can confidently give to a contractor from which they can cost and build your new garden.

  • Plants and planting

    The final stage of the design process is the planting plan. During this lesson Annie will arm you with the skills and knowledge you need to create a planting plan for any garden. You will need to consider form, structure, texture, colour and maintenance, which you can then build into your own designs.

Choose how you want to learn

  • The Expert option

    Recommended

    Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition from Annie Guilfoyle

    • Start course whenever you like
    • 6 weeks tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
    • 6 assignments marked by Annie Guilfoyle
    • Certificate of completion
    • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
    • 6 lessons with expert videos & notes
    • Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
    • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom
    Learn more
    $1,120

  • The Peer option

    Discover the benefits of group learning in an online interactive classroom of no more than 20 people. Get the most from shared knowledge and community study

    • Start course whenever you like
    • Practise what you learn with your peers
    • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
    • 6 lessons with expert videos & notes
    • 6 course assignments
    • Group chat & direct message classmates
    • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom
    Learn more
    $345

New
Buy this course for a business or group

You can now buy this course through your business or organisation for individuals and groups up to 20

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Gardening classroom - how it works

  • Start anytime

    Watch video tutorials led by expert tutors

    Watch video tutorials led by expert tutors

  • Test yourself

    Practice what you learn with inspiring assignments

    Practice what you learn with inspiring assignments

  • Personal tuition

    Get assignment feedback from expert tutors

    Get assignment feedback from expert tutors

  • Share ideas

    Collaborate and chat directly to classmates

    Collaborate and chat directly to classmates

Meet Annie Guilfoyle

Annie Guilfoyle - Gardening
For over 18 years I was Director of Garden Design at KLC School of Design, based at Hampton Court Palace. I am the Garden Course Consultant at West Dean College, in West Sussex and I also teach a monthly Garden Design Course at Great Dixter, called the Art and Craft and Garden Design. For the past three years I have been on the judging panel for the Society of Garden Designer's annual, professional awards.

I was instrumental in organising the first Gardens Illustrated Festival and will also be taking part in this years event. Together with Dr Noel Kingsbury we have company called Garden Masterclass, which involves programming lecturers and organising garden courses throughout the UK.

I have a degree in Garden Design from Middlesex University and am the Director of Creative Landscapes, an award-winning design company based in West Sussex. Our design work includes contemporary and traditional, rural and urban gardens.

The RHS asked me to be on the selection panel for the Tatton Park Garden Show this year.

International lecturing and judging:
Teaching garden design at Chanticleer, Pennsylvania, USA
Speaking at The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Conference and the Ukraine Landscape Association Seminar in Kiev.

For the past six years I have been organising an annual design and planting workshop in association with Valfredda Nursery, for the Masters of the Landscape Annual Conference in Bergamo, Italy. Judging includes, The Moscow International Garden Show; Orticolario Show, Lake Como and this summer at the brand new Copenhagen garden show.

Garden writing includes:
A two year series for Gardens Illustrated called Design Solutions focusing on practical advice on many aspects of garden design.
A one year series for The Society of Garden Designer's, aimed at professional designers covering various topical subjects.

I have a degree in Garden Design from Middlesex University and am the Director of Creative Landscapes, an award-winning design company based in West Sussex. Our design work includes contemporary and traditional, rural and urban gardens.

I love teaching through Learning with Experts and meeting garden design students from all over the world. I look forward to helping you on your journey to understand more about Garden Design

Frequently bought as part of this collection

  • Garden Design Diploma

    Master the entire subject and SAVE 32% when you buy this collection

    12 Courses • 10 Expert Tutors

    The Garden Design Diploma include a collection of garden design courses - taught by expert garden designers.

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Awards & Accreditations

  • Good Web Guide
  • Red Herring Winner
  • Royal Horticultural Society
  • Education Investor Awards 2021 - Finalist
  • CPD Accredited (provider 50276)