Course Spotlight: Certificate in Garden Design

The Ultimate Garden Design Course

For more than 30 years, our Certificate in Garden Design has helped produce successful landscapers and garden designers. It was originally developed by John Mason, a garden magazine editor and experienced landscaper, with input from more than 20 professional garden designers and horticulturists from Australia, the UK and beyond.

Today’s version of the course is the culmination of regular revisions and modern components to ensure that students learn current information, practical techniques and industry-relevant skills. You will also have access to a wide range of resources, including videos, photographs, online library articles and, most importantly, one-on-one interaction with highly qualified and experienced landscape professionals.

If you want to develop the knowledge and confidence to design gardens that are attractive, practical and achievable, the Certificate in Garden Design provides a comprehensive foundation.

What’s Covered?

The course covers a wide range of topics, including:

Principles of garden design

Plant identification and plant cultural requirements

The history and styles of gardening

Drawing landscape plans

Soils, nutrition and environmental conditions

Earthworks and surveying

Basic landscape construction

Surface materials and garden structures

Park and home garden design

Costing, quoting and specifications

Trail design

Tools and machinery

Plant establishment techniques

Ponds, pools and water features

Rockwork, masonry and brickwork

Lawn construction

Irrigation design and installation

Bush, cottage and natural garden design

Playground and garden bed design

Drainage, maintenance and land rehabilitation

Management and dealing with clients

A major garden design project

There are many learning outcomes from taking this course – and the practical experience is just as important as the theory.

What will you do during the course?

This is not a course based solely on reading notes and answering questions. You will be encouraged to observe real gardens, practise design techniques and apply your learning to practical projects.

You may find a site to landscape, such as a home garden, park or redevelopment area, then visit and record the information needed to prepare a design. You will practise drawing landscape symbols and plans, analyse different garden styles and investigate how design principles are used in real gardens.

You will also undertake practical activities involving soil testing, soil mixes, earthmoving calculations, landscape construction, surface selection and garden maintenance. Other projects include designing a trail, preparing a park redevelopment plan, creating a perennial border, planning the rehabilitation of a degraded area and designing water features, rockeries and bush gardens.

By the end of the course, you will have worked through a significant garden design project and developed a better understanding of how a garden moves from an initial idea to a practical, workable design.

This school has well established relationships with many industry bodies in both Australia and beyond. Some offer free student memberships to students studying this course. We encourage students in this course to take up those offers and become involved with the industry beyond just the essential requirements of the course. Students who excel are more likely to be those who get involved in this way, expanding their knowledge beyond what is necessary, and forging relationships that can lead to real career opportunities. 

What will you gain?

The course will provide you with:

A sound understanding of garden design principles

The ability to prepare landscape drawings and plans

Knowledge of plants, soils, construction and maintenance

An understanding of how environmental conditions affect design

Experience with costing, quoting and specifications

Improved confidence when communicating with clients

Practical skills for designing a variety of gardens

A foundation for establishing a garden design or landscaping business

Garden design is about more than making a garden look attractive. The course explores how to create gardens that function well, suit their environment and can be built and maintained within a realistic budget.

Lessons

The Certificate in Garden Design has 30 lessons. Throughout the course, you will develop your knowledge through:

Detailed course notes

Practical and research-based tasks

Landscape observations and design exercises

Assignments submitted for assessment

Feedback from experienced tutors

Four one-and-a-half-hour examinations

A major design project

The course is substantial in both content and duration. It may take longer to complete than some other landscape certificates, but it is designed to give students a broad and practical understanding of the industry.

Why study the Certificate in Garden Design?

Many garden design courses focus primarily on creating plans. However, a successful garden designer also needs to understand plants, soils, construction methods, drainage, irrigation, maintenance and costing.

Without this knowledge, it can be difficult to create a design that is realistic, affordable and capable of thriving over time. This course brings all these areas together, helping students produce better plans, work with a wider range of plants and approach projects with greater confidence.

Ready To Take the Next Step?

If our Certificate in Garden Design sounds like the right course for you, we're here to help you get started. You will not be alone as you study. Our landscape and horticulture staff treat every student as an individual and can help you develop practical skills, build industry contacts and discover opportunities to gain experience.

Start developing your garden design skills today and take the first step towards creating gardens – and a career – you can be proud of.