Garden Design

Take Your Horticulture Skills to the Next Level with Our Level 3 Diploma in Garden Design

If you're looking to refine your garden design skills and take your passion for horticulture to a professional level, our Level 3 Garden Design Programme is the perfect opportunity. This comprehensive course will equip you with the core practical skills, in-depth knowledge, and business insights needed to excel in the competitive field of garden design. Whether you're looking to enhance your portfolio, prepare to work in the industry, or set up your own design business, this programme has you covered.

What You'll Learn:

Garden Design Detailing
Learn how to carry out site surveys, assess site characteristics, and incorporate these factors into your design. Understand how to refine your designs with hard landscaping details that enhance functionality and aesthetics.

Garden Design Principles
Explore the fundamental principles of garden design, including standard graphics, the relationship between mass and void, and how to create balanced, harmonious spaces.

Hard Landscaping Materials
Gain in-depth knowledge of hard landscaping materials, how to calculate quantities, and how to select the right features to complement your design vision.

Garden Design Process and Development
Master the full garden design process, from creating presentation plans to capturing images and generating section elevations that bring your designs to life.

Setting Up in Garden Design
Learn the essential aspects of starting your own garden design business, including understanding legal requirements, marketing strategies, and key steps to launching your career in the industry.

Garden Design Customer Service
Develop effective communication strategies for working with clients, including verbal and non-verbal communication, confidentiality, and ensuring respectful professional relationships.

Garden Design Solutions
Learn how to create site-specific design solutions that meet client needs and work within specified timelines, ensuring your designs are both practical and innovative.

Plant Studies
Study the design qualities of plants, their associations, and how plants adapt to different environments, helping you select the best plant varieties for your designs.

Focus Units:

Planning for a Garden Design Project
Learn how to develop action plans, allocate resources, and create budgets to manage garden design projects effectively from start to finish.

Garden Design in Context
Explore the relationship between architecture and garden design, and evaluate the influence of outdoor space on the broader environment.

Garden Design Styles
Dive into the history of garden design styles, studying the work of famous designers and applying those influences to your own projects.

Garden Design Documentation and Legislation
Understand how to build a comprehensive plant schedule, costing summary, and maintenance plan, while also becoming familiar with plant passporting legislation.

Plant Observation and Analysis
Develop an illustrated sketchbook to document plant associations, observations, and critiques, strengthening your design rationale and observational skills.

Planting Design Appraisal
Review written proposals, analyze existing designs, and assess how to enhance or modify designs for improved functionality and aesthetic appeal.

Plant and Garden History
Analyze the socio-political and economic factors that have shaped garden design through history, giving you deeper insight into current design practices.

Plants and Their Environment
Evaluate how different environmental factors, such as site and climate, influence design decisions and plant selection, ensuring your designs are sustainable and site-appropriate.

By the end of this Level 3 Diploma, you will have the advanced skills to refine your design portfolio, understand the business of garden design, and confidently step into the industry. Whether you want to work for an established firm or run your own design business, this course prepares you for success in the dynamic and rewarding field of garden design.

• You'll need to have achieved 4 or more GCSEs between grade 9-4 (previous grade structure A-C) including English, Maths and a Science
• Successful completion of a related Level 2 qualification at Merit or above and GCSE maths or English at grade c/4 or above
• Mature students without the above requirements will be considered.

This is a portfolio-based course, where you'll gather evidence of your learning through practical assignments and projects. This approach ensures you gain real-world experience while building a professional portfolio that you can showcase to future employers or clients.

Course Cost

£3,452.00