Dr Noel Kingsbury
Planting Design with Perennials
- Regular price
- £165.00
- Sale price
- £165.00
- Regular price
-
Tax included.
Learn how to design a perennial garden with expert gardener and horticulturalist Dr Noel Kingsbury.
Noel is a long-time collaborator with the renowned garden designer Piet Oudolf. By the end of the course you will have learnt how to make the right plant selections and gain a solid understanding of the Oudolf approach to a perennial garden.
Noel looks at contemporary approaches to using perennials, with a particular focus on naturalistic approaches.
You will explore how to create planting schemes that suit the particular conditions of your garden, covering a wide range of temperate zone climates; for example if your soil is poor and fast draining, Noel will guide you through the basic principles of choosing plants which survive and flourish in these conditions.
Noel will outline how to make successful planting designs which combine structure, a long season of interest and support for bio-diversity and sustainability by reducing or eliminating irrigation and minimizing maintenance.
The course provides a particularly strong theoretical basis, but with plenty of plant variety tables provided for helping you choose plants.
You'll be suited to this course whether you are an enthusiastic amateur, or a landscaper or designer looking to hone your skills in the particular planting area of perennials. It's a unique opportunity to get personal tuition from a world expert in perennial planting.
What are perennials?
Perennial plants are plants that live for more than 2 years (unlike annual plants which die annually).
Perennials have become the most popular garden plants, not just because of their beauty and the ease with which they can be grown, but because they are at the heart of a planting style which is more naturalistic, more sustainable, and often lower maintenance than many traditional garden styles.
This course aims at helping you understand the connections between perennials as wild plants in their natural environment, and as garden plants, helping you select the right plants for your situation. We look at their long-term performance, and how they can be used alongside other garden plants.
You'll learn:
- about the botany of perennial plants
- how to use perennial plants in garden design
- matching perennials to planting environments - including shaded, dry and damp positions
- using perennial flowers and foliage throughout the seasons
The course includes:
- 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Dr Noel Kingsbury
- lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
- flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
- downloadable lesson notes
- practical (optional) photography assignments
- access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
- small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world
Time to complete this perennial gardening course:
Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 14 hours 20 minutes to complete including:
- Video lesson: 1 hour 20 minutes in total
- Lesson notes: 30 minutes per lesson
- Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
- Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
- Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per assignment
Ready to get started?
Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Noel on your perennial plans.
Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.
Lessons
What You’ll Learn
Explore the lessons and topics covered across the course.
In the first lesson you will learn to take the 'rabbit's eye view', getting down to observe plants at ground level, and even below ground. Noel takes you through the fundamentals of life: perennial lifecycles, longevity and reproduction. You will also take part in a thought experiment, which enables you to get a deep understanding of how perennials survive and colonise. Throughout the first week Noel peppers the lecture with examples including many from the work he’s done with acclaimed planting designer and horticultural writer Piet Oudolf.
In this lesson Noel looks at various types of perennial planting, and some of the basic issues in selecting and combining plants – the basics of how to make an amazing garden!
Topics include the traditional perennial border, ratios of structural planting, cottage garden perennials and foliage plants. Again many examples are given in lecture two – and students are encouraged to ask any questions in the classroom for plant recommendations to suit their own environment.
During this lecture you will look at three situations where careful matching of plant and place is needed: dry environments, wet ones, and shade. Some gardens are dominated by these problems, and many have a small area where careful plant selection is needed. A more positive approach is to suggest that these special environments create opportunities for plants with particular needs or tolerances.
Lastly you will learn about some examples of perennials which make an especially strong impact during particular seasons as a way of exploring some basic principles of what looks good when and why. We also look at some of the less obvious ways in which perennials can contribute to seasonal beauty.
The final lecture and assignment empowers the student to see the world differently, and you should come away being able to put into practice most of the theory you have learnt throughout the course.
Learning options
Choose How You Want to Learn
Recommended
Expert
£165.00
A guided learning experience with expert support, feedback and recognised outcomes.
Peer
£45.00
Learn alongside others with a collaborative, flexible learning experience.
COURSE TUTOR
Dr Noel Kingsbury
SUCCESS
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Common Questions
Answers to the most common questions about learning with us.
Our online classroom is designed to help you learn from experts in a collaborative, social environment alongside a small group of learners.
Each lesson combines expert-led videos with optional assignments, giving you the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and share your work with others. You can take part in ongoing discussions, ask questions, exchange feedback, and learn from a community of like-minded people from around the world.
By learning together in a small, supportive group, you benefit not only from expert guidance but also from shared ideas, perspectives, and experiences—helping you stay engaged and retain what you learn.
You can start your course at any time within 12 months of purchase. Once you begin, you’ll have lifetime access, so you can revisit lesson videos and notes whenever you like.
Courses are designed to fit around your schedule, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Each lesson video is typically 30–40 minutes, and we recommend around an hour for each assignment.
Both Peer and Expert options give you full access to the course content, including lesson videos, downloadable notes, assignments, and a collaborative online classroom with up to 20 learners. You’ll also have lifetime access to revisit the material at any time.
The Expert option includes everything in Peer, plus personalised assignment feedback, direct messaging with your expert tutor, and a certificate of completion.
With the Expert option, you can interact directly with your tutor throughout the course. You’ll typically have one week per lesson to ask questions and receive feedback on your assignments, with as much interaction as you need during that time.
Your tutor access begins when you enter the classroom and follows the course schedule (for example, a four-lesson course usually runs over four weeks). If you need more time or support, our team is here to help.