Certificate
Home Study course
home study
Start Date
Can be started at any time
Price
€687 (Easy-pay plan available)
Duration
Approximately 3 months
- Study Option
- Home Study
- Course Level
- Comparable to level 4 on the NFQ
- Entry Requirements
- 18 years old or over
- Assessment
- 5 practical assignments
- Recognition
- The Garden Design Academy of Ireland is recognised by the International Approval and Registrations Centre (IARC).
Completing this course will enable you to design and plan your own garden by developing your basic skills of garden design.
Created for enthusiasts, the course covers fundamental techniques to give you a good knowledge of garden design. No minimum qualification is required.
Designed around 5 practical assignments, you will incrementally develop your techniques and an understanding of the industry through each assignment.
As a home study student you will have full access to our student area, the Online Learning Centre, which contains course material created by industry experts including: instructional videos, written content and assignments.
Our tutors provide all the support, knowledge and in-depth feedback you need to progress through your course and are always contactable through the Online Learning Centre.
This course can be completed in approximately 3 months*.
*Completion time is based on the approximate time it has taken past students to complete the course. Students have up to 36 months to complete the course.
Topics
The list below provides an overview of the topics covered in this course.
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- History & Principles of Garden Design
From plant selection to selecting colour schemes, this topic covers the principle components that form the garden designers craft. You will learn about:
- Balance and Proportion
- Unity and Repetition
- Movement or Rhythm
- Contrast
- Colour
- Focal Points
- Simplicity
- Know your Materials
- The Seven Principles of Plant Selection
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- The Elements & Presentation
Take an in-depth look at some of the most important elements within a professionally designed garden. From outdoor floors to garden themes, this topic deals with many of the most important elements you will require when designing your outdoor rooms. You will learn about:
- Path and Patio Planning
- Decks
- Living Floors
- Lawns
- Garden Walls
- Living Walls
- Hedges and Shelterbelts
- Seaside Themes
- Cottage Style
- Mediterranean Style
- Modern or Architectural Garden
- Fragrance Garden
- Wildlife Garden
- Vegetable Border Garden
- Rockeries
- Japanese Gardens
Tutors
All our tutors are garden design professionals working in the industry.
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John
DucieCourse Tutor
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Clair
McDonaldCourse Tutor
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Renata
FerreiraCourse Tutor
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Ines
LuisCourse Tutor
Because you’ve so much contact with the tutors and it’s such a structured course, I didn’t find it difficult to stay motivated.
Alexandra Hollingsworth
Postgraduate Diploma Graduate
If someone asks me about a garden, I feel confident I can tell people exactly what they need to know.
Pat Kinsella
Student
The course content really gave me the confidence and tools to understand design. It enabled me to execute real life projects.
Catriona Hassett
Graduate
The course has really opened my eyes to the concept of how to plan, which had never crossed my mind before I started.
Catherine Noonan
Student
The Garden Design Academy of Ireland
Our philosophy at the Garden Design Academy of Ireland is to make high-quality education accessible to all by empowering people to do what they love. Through the power of online and blended learning, our students are able to harness their creativity and practically apply it to succeed in their chosen careers.
Pursue your ambition - because the future is today!
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