• To teach the basis of good garden design, including surveying, working to scale and drawing
• To encourage participants to determine the style they really want and which will suit their lifestyles, or those of your clients.
• To teach garden design principles and the use of architectural and informal shapes plus the importance of hard landscape structures;
• To impart valuable, time-saving tricks of the trade;
• To explain how to prepare an outline scheme to formulate one’s ideas; i.e. information gathering.
• To showcase South African design trends
• To impart all this in an interactive manner accompanied by numerous colourful slides and a comprehensive plant list with live examples.
• To provide information on how to relate design style to client, architecture and site.
• Preparing an effective design based on an accurate survey and scale drawing.
• Reinforcement of planting design principles and planting plan
• Presentation skills

Module 1: The Basis of Good Garden Design

1. Course Introduction

2. Course Objectives

3. The Basic Tools of Good Garden Design

4. Application of Design Principles – you and your space.

5. The Process and Elements of Design i.e. Making it work for the space

6. The Design Process

6.1 Where to start

6.2 Ideas and creative ability

6.3 Research procedures / tools and aids

6.4 Zoning the space

6.5 Bubble diagrams

6.6 The technique of drawing and the interpretation of space – basic elements and fundamentals

7. The Importance of doing it Right – basic elements and fundamentals

8. Questions

9. Assignment

Module 2: The Outline Plan Detail

1. The Outline Plan Evaluation / discussion from Student.

2. Site Inventory and Analysis

3. Landscape Elements

3.1 Hard Landscaping

3.2 Preparation of an outline scheme

4. Soft Landscaping

5. Linkage with Architectural Features.

6. Application of Design Shapes.

7. Drawing of curves, rectangular dissection of Space.

8. Assignment and drawings submission.

Module 3: Practical Application

1. Planting Design Principles.

2. The Planting Plan.

3. Photographic representation of Planting Design.

4. Common Design problems.

5. Evaluation of a Design Proposal.

6. Drawing and Presentation practicals.

7. Design practical.

8. Assignment – Preparing your design proposal.

8.1 Tips for designing and planning

8.2 Problems solutions.

9. Prepare design drawing given.

Module 4: Practical Application

1. Full Design Plan Preparation.

2. Detailed Design brief.

3. Presentation of Design.

3.1 Presentation procedures.

3.2 Selling the concept.

3.3 Graphics presentation.

3.4 Client acceptance of scheme and booklets.

4 Plan Presentation for Overall Marking and Evaluation of Progress on Programme.