Fundamentals of Garden Design

This is a beginner/intermediate level course in landscape Architecture and Design.

Landscape design is more than selecting plants for a project, it is the integration of all the elements and spaces that affect our outdoor living environment.  In this course you will be introduced to the objectives and principles that are essential to developing a strong design solution for either yourself or for a paying client, all the while you’ll be introduced to new garden and design ideas to help grow your design company.  With lessons covering how to interview the client, design contracts, form composition and selecting a design approach this course is a comprehensive and in-depth journey into the world of truly creative landscape design.  

Because I have students taking this course from all over the world with a wide range of climates and plant palettes this is NOT a course on planting design.  The basic concepts of how plants can be used within the landscape are discussed, but individual plant species and their use or placement will not be addressed.

The practical skills of drafting to scale, and site surveys will be explained. Finally, how to take these skills, draw your garden design and create a conceptual garden plan for yourself, family or client will be covered in detail.

For those of you working in metric, you’ll want to jump straight down to Lecture 75 for a lesson on using the metric scale in design.

This is a course on garden design – not gardening.  It is also NOT  a course using computer aided design (CAD).  The instruction will be in using pen, ink and paper – what I believe is the starting point for all design even if you choose to use a computer program later on.  CAD is simply a tool, but if you do not know the basic principles and objectives of design, CAD won’t help you.  You’ll simply do poor designs faster!

The conceptual plan is the starting point for any design project, opening discussion and refining the plan before construction drawings are prepared and it is this approach to design that I will be explaining, demonstrating and clarifying for the student.

What you will get out of this course:

74 lectures walking you through the entire process of creating a conceptual garden plan including garden design basics

Approximately 7 hours of instruction

Lifetime access to the instructor for advice, plan critique, contract review and encouragement

Lifetime access to  the course and resources

30-day, money back guarantee

Certificate of Completion when you’ve finished the Course

Pure and practical advice

Personal guidance and mentoring from someone (me!) who has been designing and creating gardens for over 35 years

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• 1 stars: 31 votes
• 2 stars: 99 votes
• 3 stars: 448 votes
• 4 stars: 1422 votes
• 5 stars: 2164 votes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!