This course is perfect for those who have a new garden with nothing in it, or an established garden in need of changes. It is aimed at enthusiastic amateur gardeners who would like to design their own garden.

The course will begin on the first evening with a talk showing some inspirational images of various gardens and a discussion about your garden and individual requirements.

Day one will cover the essential pre-design work, including the site survey and analysis, enabling you to evaluate your own garden prior to design. You will formulate your own design brief and learn how to create a functional layout plan, which will help with site planning and arrangement.

Day two will be spent designing the garden in the studio.

Day three will focus on the planting design and how to produce a planting plan. You will learn the importance of structure when considering the planting.

During the course, the lecture sessions will include practical demonstrations, illustrated lectures and hands-on workshops. The tutor’s approach is to act as a guide, showing you the mechanics of garden design and giving you the confidence to exploit the endless possibilities that are available. Weather permitting, we will use West Dean Gardens for inspiration and to reinforce the theory of design; the objective being that you will complete the course having an in-depth insight into how to design your own garden and feel confident enough to tackle your own projects.

What students need to bring

• A sketchbook and notebook
• Some inspirational garden books on design and planting that you may find useful at the planting plan stage
• Some drawing equipment
• Photos and images of your own garden
• A measured survey (to scale in metric) of your own garden space – you will need this to do your design; without a survey it is very difficult to base a new design. You may want to consider having a professional survey done or carry out a survey.

If you are in any doubt, please contact the tutor by email: [email protected]

Available to buy

Available from shop:

• A1 tracing paper
• Medium drawing pencil and eraser
• A selection of drawing pens (not essential)
• Metric scale ruler, set square
• Masking tape
• Circle guide
• Compass
• Mechanical drawing pencil

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear (no sandals or open toes).

Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration  
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)

Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm  
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break  
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)  
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break  
Teaching finishes: 5pm    
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)  
Teaching finishes: 3pm  

Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.

Terms & Conditions