Design your own garden
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Learning modes and locations may be different depending on the course start date. Please check the location of your chosen course and read our guide to learning modes and locations to help you choose the right course for you.
- Start Date: 03 Oct 2025End Date: 24 Oct 2025Fri (Daytime): 10:30 - 16:30In PersonFull fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Recognise how the basic principals of garden design can help you create an ‘extra room’ in your garden. Learn how to select materials and plants suitable for your needs and environment to harmoniously link the house with the garden. Add interest and drama to create a well planned, considered layout while still designing a functional space.
What will we cover?
- The principles and styles of garden design
- How to measure and analysis your space to draw your plan to scale
- How to research for inspiration and create a mood board for your style
- How to combine hard landscaping with planting for your garden
- How to successfully integrate the house and garden with design techniques to maximise your space.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Draw your garden plan to scale 1:50
- Create a mood board as your style guide for hard landscaping and planting
- Recognise the rules that help make a successful garden design
- Suggest methods of creating privacy and reducing noise for your design
- Create a simple planting combination for your garden.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is a beginners’ course and no previous experience is necessary. This course is for anyone with an interest in garden design and looking to improve their own garden.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion. You should be able to use numbers and be able to do simple measurements and calculations.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This course will be delivered via Zoom. The course will involve practical workshops, tutor presentation, informal class discussion and handouts. Student preparation and homework outside class times is strongly encouraged.
We use Google Classroom E-learning platform which will store all tasks, notes and resources. You will be sent an email with the necessary information for Zoom and Google classroom and will need to login into your Google classroom before each sessions starts.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
For working at home you may wish to buy yourself several sheets of graph paper, A4, a pad of tracing paper or greaseproof paper, masking tape, a notebook, pencil, eraser and a long tape measure. You will be provided with printable graph paper and scale rule as part of the handouts.
We use Google Classroom E-learning platform which will store all tasks/notes/resources/ demo videos You will need to login into our Google classroom before each sessions starts.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
City Lit offer a range of Garden Design courses and your tutor will be happy to advise you about courses to suit your individual progression. We also run courses in sketch up pro, vector works, perspective drawing, scale drawing as well as traditional drawing and watercolour to help you develop and present your ideas to clients.
Alison Worster has a BA Hons degree in graphic arts and Diploma in Garden Design. Alison’s first career was in commercial design and illustration, with many diverse clients ranging from Natural History Museum, National Trust to Paperchase, John Lewis, and exhibitions of her own artworks. After managing a design studio Alison’s love of drawing nature and plants, and the importance of her own garden, led her to retrain in garden design, allowing her to combine her experience of colour, texture and layout with living plants and outside spaces. Within months of graduating Alison gained a gold medal for the Ideal Home Show ‘Reclaiming London’ garden and won an RHS competition to exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show ‘Fresh Talent’. Alison now runs her own garden design business, and specialises in making the most of typical, small London spaces. Alison teaches both drawing and garden design and her main aim is to enthuse, demystify and inspire her students in either of her subjects.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.