Learning with Experts

Introduction to Garden Design

£85 £51 Save 40%
Level: Peer






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Level: Peer

Course overview

The Introduction to Garden Design online course is taught by expert garden designers Hilary Thomas and Alison Worster. The course will take you through all the basics of garden design, theory and practice.

Garden design is all about organising and shaping spaces and it covers many different elements.

You'll learn about each stage of garden design starting with assessing the site, the soil and the surroundings; how to measure the site and draw up a site survey plan to understand the advantages and restraints of the site.

You'll go through the briefing process from requirements to resources, and then onto the garden design process, experimenting with different patterns, creating positive and negative spaces (or mass and void or planting and features) which will give the garden its character. And you'll learn how to transfer your designs onto a grid and make scale drawings.

Finally you'll look at using hard landscaping and features (including pergolas, paths, sheds and water features. As well as planting including hedges and trees.

At the end of the course you should have the skills that will enable you to design your own or someone else’s garden.

You'll learn:

  • equipment you'll need to create garden designs
  • how to draw and annotate garden designs
  • how to use patterns and shapes, void and mass
  • creating a garden design checklist
  • working with a garden design brief
  • surveying and assessing your garden site
  • informal and formal design
  • balance and asymmetrical design
  • incorporating garden features including paths, steps, water and structural features
  • how to plan hard landscaping
  • working with boundaries
  • garden furniture and features

The course includes:

  • 8 on-demand video lessons - presented by Hilary Thomas and tutored by Alison Worster
  • 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 assignments (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 Introduction to Garden Design course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 28 hours to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 4 hours in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your 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

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Alison on your 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.

Lesson summary

Drawing and Creating Patterns
In this lesson we are going to look at the equipment and basic drawing skills that you will need if you are going to draw your garden design on paper. Your final layout plan needs to be neat, clear and well organised so that it can be used as a working document, either by you or a contractor.
Designing on a grid
In this lesson I am going to take you through the process of choosing and using a grid that relates to a particular house and site. The patterns that you have worked on so far have been developed for an isolated abstract space. Gardens are rarely isolated – they are usually connected to a house or other building which they should relate to and be developed from.
The principles or rules of garden design
To ensure that your finished garden design is really successful, there are a few principles or rules that you need to think about when designing any garden or outdoor space. We'll go through the stages that are involved in developing a preliminary garden layout plan when you have to make decisions about where the patio, paths, lawn, water and other structures are to be sited and how much space they will take up. All good design is built around these basic principles and you need to try and consider them as you develop your design.
Selecting hard landscape materials
To develop your plan further you now have to be more specific so for each of the elements you need to decide on the type of material that is going to be used and refine all the dimensions.
Surveying and site analysis
Before you can produce an accurate layout plan showing your design for a real garden, you will need to carry out a full assessment of the site and produce an accurate scale drawing of the existing site, called a site survey.
Adding interest to your design
In this lesson we are going to consider how water, steps and structures such as a pergola or overhead beams can add interest and atmosphere to your garden design.
Boundaries – walls, fences & hedges
In this lesson we consider the importance of boundaries and how the design and materials that you select should fit in with both the location and the design and theme of the garden.
Features and Furnishings
In this last lesson we look at the extra items such as furniture pots and sculptures that you can use to furnish and enhance the layout of the garden. You will also learn how to to finalise your garden plan so that it clearly expresses and communicates your ideas to you, your family and the contractor.

Choose how you want to learn

Expert-level

Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition:

  • Start the course whenever you like
  • Tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
  • Certificate of completion and CPD learning hours
  • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
  • Lessons with expert videos & notes
  • Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

Peer-level

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
  • Lessons with videos & notes
  • Course assignments
  • Group chat & direct message classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

meet the expert

Alison Worster

Award-winner garden designer and teacher skilled in urban and country spaces.

Read more

Why choose Learning with Experts?

Start whenever it suits you, and immerse yourself in motivational lesson tutorials with expert guidance.
Enhance your learning and personal growth with lesson assignments. Each course includes an optional assignment at the end of every lesson.
Drop a friendly message or respond to your assignment feedback. Our world-class experts are just a click away, ready to help you!
Stay informed about your own progress and those of your peers, and take joy in celebrating achievements along the way.
Chat and share ideas with passionate communities of learners from around the world.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT options?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

  • Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
  • Downloadable lesson notes
  • Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
  • Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

  • Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
  • Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
  • Certificate of completion.
What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

Support and full FAQs

If you need any help with a course, be it one you’ve started already, or one you are looking to purchase, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support email address, or view the full FAQ’s here.

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Awards and accreditations