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- Description
- Course Details
- Qualification
Our Garden Design Course gives you plenty of information on how to plan, design and create new and exciting features for your garden. If you want to take it a step further, it could even be the foundation of your own garden design business.
The course is designed for anyone who has an interest in horticultural activities and who enjoy spending time taking care of their garden. The course will teach you about landscaping, seating areas, decking, paths and those all important water features. You will also learn about the types of plants, their suitability for different garden types and weathers, as well as how they look alongside other plants.
So whether you are planning to make a career out of it or you simply want to make new and exciting changes to your garden, this is the course for you!
Distance Learning Support
As a valued student of Start Learning you will have the facility to use our personal tutor service. At Start Learning we have a friendly team of highly qualified and experienced tutors. A tutor will be allocated to our student for 12 months, starting from when study materials are received. The tutors are contacted via email and are responsible for marking assignments and guiding you through the course to ensure you are ready for your examinations.
Entry Requirements
There are no entry requirements for this course. At Start Learning we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and study further, so we try to keep our entry requirements to a minimum.
Recommended Hours of Study
Students will receive tutor support for 12 months. The pace of study is up to the student.
Course Contents
Unit One – Garden Design & You
The following topics are covered: Introduction to design; History and development; How gardens started; The beginnings; The garden today; Designers; Types of garden designers today; Where to find information; factors to consider; The gardens around you; And Unit 1 Summary.
Unit Two – What Good Design Achieves
The following topics are covered: Designers, what they do and why they are needed?; The design process; The owner’s requirements; What the designer does; The benefits of using a garden designer; Providing guidance; Types of client; You as the designer; Taking instructions; Drawing skills; and Unit 2 Summary.
Unit Three – Starting to Design
The following topics are covered: Getting started – Equipment & Dress; Design by computer (CAD); Impressions of the garden; The initial visit; The client checklist; The design recipe; Site assessment; Surveying and measuring; Slopes; The rough sketch; The FLP (Functional Layout Plan); Triangulation and chain surveys; drawing to scale; Labelling, heights, number charts and keys; The design principals of Direction, Rhythm and Harmony, and what they mean; and Unit 3 Summary.
Unit Four – The Importance of Soils & Sites
The following topics are covered: Soil and horticultural potential; soil and sites; climate (oceanic, etc); temperature; Light, shade and shelter; Rainfall and humidity; Soil types and pH; Topography; The soil environment and horizons; profile pits; Improving the soil with manures, fertilisers, line and mulches; Cultivation and drainage; Soil life – good and bad; and Unit 4 Summary.
Unit Five – Starting Real Design Work
The following topics are covered: Getting down to design; Arranging plants; practicalities; function and form; Right plant, right place; Height, borders and beds; Information sources; Plants for problem positions; Plants for alkaline and acid soils; Shade; Sunny; Dry; Plants for particular uses (focal points, climbers, ground cover); Designing for shapes and sizes (formal, informal); Linking shapes; Playing with ideas and concepts; Problem sites; Downward slope; Upward slope; Long and narrow; Short and square; L-shaped; Corner; and Unit 5 Summary.
Unit Six – Planning
The following topics are covered: Planning for themes – ideas, styles and how to enhance; Plants for colour and height; The colour wheel; Getting the planting mix right; Colour patch bedding; foliage; Features needing thought; Fruit growing in small areas; Containers, tubs and patios; Plants to define areas and give direction; Rockeries and alpines; Hedges; and Unit 6 Summary.
Unit Seven – Designing for Interest
The following topics are covered: The garden in winter; Attracting wildlife; Managing wildlife; Herbs and weeds; Other services; Lighting; Furniture; and Unit 7 Summary.
Unit Eight – Water in the Garden
The following topics are covered: Introduction and uses; Siting a pond; Materials, depths and size; considerations; equipment; safety; filters; planting the pond; planning for timing and colour; Maintenance; Lighting and lighting design for water; Water features; construction diagrams; and Unit 8 Summary.
Unit Nine – Children & Pets
The following topics are covered: Children; Play areas; Children’s gardens; Equipment and toys; Plants, poisonous plants and other potential threats; Safety - water and children; Pets in the garden; Clients’ dogs; Dogs; Cats; and Unit 9 Summary.
Unit Ten – Gardening for Users with Disabilities, the Elderly and Garden Safety
The following topics are covered: Access; Paths; Safety, features other issues; Watering; Tools; Visually and sensory impaired sensory gardens; Conclusion; Safety checklist; and Unit 10 Summary.
Unit Eleven – Upkeep & Maintenance
The following topics are covered: Introduction; Assessing maintenance; Builders, diggers and landscapers; Plants; Ponds; Structures; Lawns; Beds; Schedules of work; Maintenance schedules; Cost issues; Practicalities; Plant schedules; and Unit 11 Summary.
Unit Twelve – Structures in the Garden
The following topics are covered: Walls, fences and trellis; Timber; Iron; Wire; Paths and patios; Green houses, sheds and stores; Other structures; Summerhouses; Furniture; and Unit 12 Summary.
Unit Thirteen – Marketing Your Garden Design Business
The following topics are covered: Where are the clients; How to reach clients, Word of mouth, Advertising; Portfolio and plant files; Shows and fairs; Visiting potential clients; Clarifying your service; Charging; Keeping records; Tax and accounts; Help; VAT; Insurance; Unit 13 Summary and Final Course Project (Full Design).
Unit Fourteen – Tricks of the Trade
An additional unit crammed with useful hints and tips for garden designers.
Qualifications
Upon successful completion of this course students will be awarded the NCFE Level 3 Garden Designer Award. This award is a Level 3 award (Comparable to working at A Level or NVQ Level 3). That means it is independently accredited at a level of learning equivalent to level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Language of Course
English
Assessment
This course is marked through a process of continuous assessment guided by your tutor. This means that your qualification will be awarded according to your performance on assessments rather than by taking an examination.
