Garden Design Diploma Course (April 2023)

Course Duration 1-3 Years

  • You agree to spend a minimum of 15 hours per week on the course.
  • You could graduate in 12 months with a minimum of 25-30 hours of study per week.
  • *After graduation, you’ll receive a further 12 months of business mentoring to get you started.
  • Alternatively, you can take a break for up to 1 year and rejoin the course where you left off.
  • The video tutorials are always in your pocket, available to playback at any time.
  • You’ll have weekly webinars with your tutor – individual feedback, advice, and support for your projects and assignments.
  • Tutors are on call 7 days a week. We’ll usually get back to you within a few hours.
  • Log into our virtual classroom and chat with other students, talk through any problems, and share ideas.

*To be eligible for 12 months mentoring, the course must be completed within 24 months of the start date.

  • GD100 | Introduction to design composition
    • GD101 | Introduction to draftmanship
    • GD102 | The design principles
    • GD103 | Graphical communication
    • GD104 | The design process
    • GD105 | Genius loci: spirit of place pt.I
    • GD105/pt II |  Genius loci: spirit of place pt.II
    • GD106 | Geometry of shape
    • GD107 Exercise 1 | Setting up the drawing board
    • GD107 Exercise 2 | The circle & the square
    • GD107 Exercise 3 | Freehand letters
    • GD107 Exercise 4 | Drawing equipment letters
    • GD107 Exercise 5 | Picture frame template
    • GD107 Exercise 6 | Modern art
    • GD107 Exercise 7 | Exercise 1 & 2 interlocking shapes (slide show)
    • GD108 | Exercise 3 & 4 patterns to gardens
    • GD109 | Introduction to section elevations
  • GD200 | Sketchup make essential training
    • GD201 | Introduction to Sketchup Make for Windows
    • GD202 | Introduction to Sketchup Make for Mac
    • GD203 | Manipulating objects
    • GD204 | Drawing in Sketchup Make
    • GD205 | Measure & labelling
    • GD206 | Organising your workspace
    • GD207 | Understanding components
    • GD208 | Working with colour & texture
    • GD209 | Importing images
    • GD210 | Rendering & animation
  • GD300 | Evolution of the modern landscape
    • GD301 | Early landscapes tutorial
    • GD302 | Medieval and Renaissance gardens & the English landscape movement
    • GD303 | The Victorians
    • GD304 | Modern garden movement
  • GD400 | Basic photo manipulation & Picasa
    • GD401 | Introduction to image manipulation
    • GD402 | Introduction to Picasa
    • GD403 | Editing with Picasa
    • GD404 | Importing photos from the Web
    • GD405 Introduction to Photoshop Elelements
  • GD500 | Urban spatial development
    • GD501 | The site in its setting
    • GD502 | Recording space: tools and techniques
    • GD503 | The Psychology of Space
    • GD505 | Intuition and analysis
    • GD506 | Plotting and scale (drawing up the survey)
  • GD600 | Hard landscape portfolio
    • GD601 | Introduction to the hard landscape portfolio (HLP)
    • GD602 | Free standing rendered wall
    • GD603 | Terrace and retaining wall
    • GD605 | Raised bed & brick pergola
    • GD606 | Formal pond
    • GD607 | Raised brick pond
    • GD608 | Timber jetty
    • GD609 | Terrace, pergola & water feature
    • GD610 | Deck, pond and patio
  • GD700 | Design detail and creative planning
    • GD702 | Levels, survey and setting out
    • GD703 | Technical drawing
    • GD705 | Concrete for garden design
    • GD706 | Fences: design and function
    • GD707 | Garden paths and drives
    • GD708 | Introduction to stone
    • GD709 | Materials for walls
    • GD710 | Timber: construction
    • GD711 | Timber: the material
    • GD712 | Wall design and workmanship
    • GD713 | Formal water gardens
    • GD714 | Natural ponds & lakes
  • GD800 | Garden photography
    • GD801 | Using a DSLR camera
    • GD802 | Making not taking photographs
    • GD803 | Garden documentary photography
  • GD900 | Soft landscape and colour
    • GD901 | Introduction to planting plans
    • GD902 | Plant form & habit
    • GD905 | Principles of planting design
    • GD906 | Design considerations and plant selection
    • GD907 | Planting plans pt.2 lesson 1
    • GD908 | Colour theory
    • GD909 | Planting plans pt.2 lesson 2
    • GD910 | Trees in relation to buildings
    • GD915 | Planting plans pt.2 lesson 3
    • GD916 | Buying & supplying plants
  • GD1000 | Masterclasses
    • GD1001 The Gardens of Piet Ouldolf
    • GD1002 | John Brookes garden plans
    • GD1003 | Anthony Paul masterclass
    • GD1003 pt.II | Anthony Paul masterclass pt II
    • GD1004 | Sculpture from the landscape
    • GD1005 | Luciano Giubbilei masterclass
    • GD1006 | John Brookes masterclass
    • GD1007 | Designing with John Brookes lesson 1
    • GD1008 | Designing with John Brookes lesson 2
    • GD1009 | Designing with John Brookes lesson 3
    • GD1010 | Designing with John Brookes lesson 4
    • GD1011 Garden Plans – Background & Rational
  • GD1100 | Rural spatial development
    • GD1101 | Plan of works
    • GD1102 | Specification writing
    • GD1103 | Setting out plans
    • GD1105 | Steps and ramps
    • GD1106 | Standard draft specification
    • GD1107 | Site safety
    • GD1108 | Contour manipulation
    • GD1109 | Surface and water drainage
    • GD1109a | Drainage revision webinar
    • GD1110 | Piped drainage and soak-a-ways
    • GD1110 A Professional Drainage Plan Explained 
    • GD1111 | Land drainage
    • GD1112 | Swimming pool design
    • GD1113 | Tennis court construction
    • GD1115 | Irrigation design
    • GD1116 | Garden lighting design pt. 1
    • GD1116 | Garden lighting design pt. 2
    • GD1116 | Garden lighting design pt. 3
    • GD1116 | John Cullen Lighting Design
  • GD1200 | Business and professional practice
    • GD1202 | Setting up a design business
    • GD1203 | Marketing for garden designers
    • GD1204 | Contract law
    • GD1205 | Professional practice and fee scales
    • GD1206 | Written communication for professional practice
    • GD1207 | Town planning and consents
    • GD1208 | Costing projects
    • GD1209 | Telephone technique
    • GD1210 | How to conduct the first client meeting
    • GD1211 | Website design
    • GD1212 | Social media marketing
    • GD1213 | JCLI contracts for garden designers pt.1
    • GD1213 pt.II | The consultancy agreement
  • GD1300 | Introduction to CAD for landscape designers
    • GD1301 | Setting up your workspace
    • GD1302 | Setting up the drawing area
    • GD1303 | Resource Manager
    • GD1304 | Drawing basic shapes
    • GD1305 | Drawing irregular shapes
    • GD1306 | Understanding surfaces
    • GD1307 | Using X and Y Coordinates
    • GD1308 | Resizing and reshaping objects
    • GD1309 | Move by point tool
    • GD1310 | Duplicate along a path
    • GD1311 | The Attributes Palette
    • GD1312 | Text Attributes and Labeling
    • GD1313 | Dimensioning Your Drawing
    • GD1314 | Layers & Classes
    • GD1315 | Sheet Layers
    • GD1316 | Viewports
    • GD1316a | Additional notes on viewports
    • GD1317 | Additional viewports
    • GD1318 | Printing
    • GD1319 | Importing a site survey
    • GD1320 | Drawing up the site survey
    • GD1322 | Plotting existing trees
    • GD1323 | The hardscape tool
    • GD1324 | Creating a hard landscape report
    • GD1326 | Drawing walls in 3D
    • GD1328 | Adding furniture from the resource manager
    • GD1329 | Introduction to planting in Vectorworks
    • GD1330 | Customising plants using default plant data
    • GD1331 | Planting graphics
    • GD1332 | The plant tool
    • GD1333 | Creating new plants
    • GD1334 | Landscape tool: bulbs & wild flowers
    • GD1335 | Creating a plant report
  • GD1400 | VW videos
    • GD1401 | Mouse interaction
    • GD1402 | User interface
    • GD1403 | Palettes & workspace
    • GD1404 | Introduction to classes
    • GD1405 | Introduction to layers
    • GD1406 | Snapping
    • GD1407 | Tool & command interaction
    • GD1408 | Navigation & views
    • GD1409 | Document organisation
    • GD1410 | Object types
    • GD1411 | The hardscapes tool
    • GD1412 | Creating hardscapes
    • GD1413 | Hardscape settings
    • GD1414 | Introduction to landscape areas
    • GD1415 | Creating landscape area
    • GD1416 | Landscape area settings
    • GD1417 | Introduction to site modelling
    • GD1418 | Creating a site model
    • GD1419 | Site model settings
    • GD1420 | Introduction to site modifiers
    • GD1421 | Creating site modifiers
    • GD1422 | Site modifier pads
    • GD1423 | Site modifier grade limits
    • GD1424 | Site modifier texture beds
    • GD1425 | Site model contour editing
    • GD1426 | Site model from imported survey file
    • GD1427 | Site survey from imported DWG file
    • GD1428 | Creating a property line
    • GD1429 | Parking along a path tool
    • GD1430 | Railing fence tool
    • GD1431 | Introduction to planting in VW
    • GD1432 | Placing plants
    • GD1433 | Plant definition graphics
    • GD1434 | Plant definition settings
    • GD1435 | Plant instance settings
    • GD1436 | Plant tags
    • GD1437 | Plant tag images
  • GD1500 | Architectural rendering techniques
    • GD1501 | Introduction to drawing materials
    • GD1502 | Chartpak pens
    • GD1503 | Marker pen colours pt.II
    • GD1504 | Introduction to sketching
    • GD1505 | Introduction to shading
    • GD1506 | Plant graphics (pencil/drafting pen)
    • GD1507 | Plant graphics pt.II
    • GD1508 | Plant graphics pt.III
    • GD1509 | 3D rendering
    • GD1510 | 3D rendering pt.II
    • GD1511 | 3D rendering pt.III
    • GD1512 | Final 3D rendering
    • GD1514 Advanced Photoshop Rendering Techniques
  • Homework
    • Week 1 Homework Alphabet letter designs
    • Week 2 Homework Design exercise 1 & 2
    • Week 3 Homework Design exercise 3 & 4
    • Week 4 Homework Site survey & photo
    • Week 4 Homework GD411 Project 1
    • Week 5 Homework Mood boards
    • Week 5 Homework Critique
    • Week 6 Homework Critique
    • Week 7 Additional Reading (optional)
    • Week 7 Homework Planting plans
    • Week 8 Homework Bubble diagrams & site analysis
    • Week 9 Homework Hand in project 1
    • Week 10: Homework Project 2 site survey
    • Week 11 Homework Project 2 critique
    • Week 12 Homework Sketchup model
    • Week 12 Homework Project 2 critique
    • Week 13 Homework P2 Final crit.
    • Week 20 Homework
    • Week 21 Homework Drainage
    • Week 22 Homework Specification
    • Week 23 Homework Cascade plans
    • Week 24 Homework Costings
    • Week 25 Homework Irrigation
    • Week 26 Homework Contours
    • Week 27 Homework Oxford town garden
    • Easter Half term homework
    • Week 31 Homework Position house
    • Week 32 Homework Car parking
    • Week 33 Homework JB speed design II
    • Week 34 Homework Garage & Parking
    • Week 35 Homework Anthony Paul
    • Week 36 Homework Luciano
    • Week 37 Homework Speed design
    • Week 38 Assignment: Rural Design Project 3
    • Week 41 Homework Photography
  • Assignments
    • Week 2 Assignment: Urban Design Project 1
    • Week 9 Assignment: Urban design project 2
    • Week 13 Assignment: Hard Landscape Portfolio
    • Week 38 Assignment: Rural design project 3

Course Information

Estimated Time: 40 Weeks

Difficulty: Advanced

Course Instructor

Duncan Heather (Principal) Duncan Heather (Principal) Author
  • This course is now Full

GD1400 | VW videos