Unlock your creativity and transform outdoor spaces with our Certificate in Garden Design. This comprehensive program provides you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to design beautiful, sustainable gardens. Perfect for aspiring garden designers, professional landscapers, and passionate hobbyists, our course covers everything from basic design principles to advanced landscaping techniques. Gain hands-on experience and expert insights, and elevate your career or personal projects to new heights. Enroll today and start shaping the landscapes of tomorrow.
£599.00
Once your enrolment has been received you will receive your enrolment confirmation email which contains your login details within one working day
This course has been producing very successful landscapers and garden designers for over 25 years
“People working in garden design or as landscape gardeners will find this to be a very comprehensive course. Not only will you learn about construction techniques, garden features, and landscape detailing, but you will also learn how to draw plans and design different types of gardens. Add to that; plant, soil, and maintenance knowledge, and you can appreciate the diversity and completeness of this compelling course.”
There are 30 lessons in this course:
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Often something very simple can create an enormous impact in a garden. A sculpture strategically placed to catch the eye, or a courtyard wall painted in a vibrant colour might do more to enhance the garden than a whole garden bed full of flowering plants. Here we show you some simple but effective ways to create an impact in your garden using sculpture, water and walls.
Sculpture
A well-placed sculpture is probably the easiest way to create a focal point in the garden. The classical designs have an enduring appeal, and there are many excellent reproductions available. A popular trend is the use of Roman and Greek-style classical columns. The taller columns are used as a decorative feature in their own right, often placed against a wall, while the shorter ones can be used as a plinth for an urn or sculpture.
Contemporary sculptures work well in the minimalist garden or courtyard. Designs are often abstract or eclectic and may be geometric in form, crafted from metal, plastics, fibreglass and other refined materials not usually used in the garden.
For maximum impact, make sure the sculpture has plenty of room around it. Don’t crowd it with a mass of different plants and textures. If you do want to include some greenery for a softening effect, use uniform plantings, either as massed ground-covers around the base or a hedge or wall of neatly clipped climber behind the sculpture.
Walls
In a small courtyard, bare walls are the most dominant feature. Generally, the tendency is to make the walls disappear behind a screen of climbers and shrubs. However, there are some pretty exciting things you can do to walls:
Mirrors
One of the cleverest tricks for small outdoor areas is using a mirror placed on a wall. The mirror catches and reflects light and thereby ‘extends’ the view giving the illusion that the garden is bigger than it really is.
It is important to use a good quality mirror with a good backing, as the backing will soon peel off cheaper mirrors when they are exposed to the weather. You can buy purpose-made outdoor mirrors. All mirrors, of course, are at risk of being broken – but if they are placed in a location that is obscure, perhaps partially protected from severe storms, weather extremes, and away from where children play ball games, then the likelihood of breakage is significantly reduced.
Water
Most professional designers consider that water is an essential component of the garden – and for good reason. Water adds an extra dimension to the garden bringing movement, sound, and a sense of coolness which is both psychological and real.
The water feature doesn’t have to be elaborate to create an impact. Generally, simple water features work better in small spaces. Some of the most effective water features are based on geometric designs including: circular or rectangular pools set in ground-level paving, raised rectangular water channels, and spheres with bubbling water.
For a real sense of drama a water wall is hard to beat – with water cascading over the wall in a smooth sheet, or catching and splashing over bowls or receptacles embedded in the wall, or spouting from wall jets. Underwater lights add a further exciting dimension to the garden at night.
Small gardens don’t always need to seem small; after all, big gardens are often simply made up of lots of small garden areas linked together. The trick is to make it seem like your neighbour’s garden is simply the next section of your own garden.
1) Take stock – look at the gardens backing onto your property. Consider their features that can be seen from your garden e.g. walls, pergolas covered with climbers, large trees, and so on.
2) Consider the things that are separating your garden from the surrounding gardens such as fences, buildings etc.
3) Work out how to hide the features that separate your garden from your neighbours using plants and trellis screens.
4) Use visual tricks to extend the garden and link it with the surrounding properties.
Use Plants to Screen the Boundaries
The idea is to make your garden look bigger than it is. Fences, walls, garden sheds or other man-made objects in the line of view will quickly shatter that illusion. The solution is to plant shrubs and climbers so that they screen the boundaries and hide unsightly features, but without drawing undue attention to the boundaries.
Don’t place plants in a solid line along the fence – this will only draw the eye to the boundary, creating a sense of enclosure. Instead, plant shrubs of varying heights in small groups in front of the fence, so that you look out onto foliage that merges with taller trees and shrubs behind the fence.
Allow climbers such as Wisteria sinensis, Rosa filipes ‘Kiftskate’, Bougainvillea sp., Clematis montana and Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’ to spread through trees and large shrubs from one garden to another, so that their flowers disappear into the distance.
Other Ways to ‘Enlarge’ the Boundaries
Tricks that Landscape Designers Use
You can make a garden seem bigger by creating the illusion that something beyond the garden is within your property. Alternatively, you can make the garden seem as though it is inside the house.
How to Extend Your Garden
Deciding How to Extend Your Garden
Think about the type of room and the type of view you get from that room:
A Certificate in Garden Design is an excellent investment for a wide range of individuals and professionals. Here are some groups who would particularly benefit from this certification:
Enrolling in a Certificate in Garden Design program provides a blend of artistic creativity and practical skills, making it valuable for anyone interested in the creation and maintenance of beautiful, functional, and sustainable gardens.
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