We take a fresh approach to our garden design courses, making sure that you get carefully focussed professional skills. As well as core design, construction design and planting design skills we provide business teaching led by practising professionals so that students can launch successful businesses as soon as they graduate.
With courses led and taught by many of the UK’s leading garden professionals the College offers a flexible programme of full-time and short courses to support your garden design career. Our one-year Garden Design Diploma programme is considered the leading garden design course in the UK and attracts a wide range of people for whom garden design will be a first or second career. The six-month Planting Design Diploma is aimed at people who already have some experience in the professions of garden design, horticulture and landscape architecture and is the only course of its kind in Europe.
London College of Garden Design, Kew Gardens
The world of horticulture is always developing new ideas with a changing climate being a key influence in new approaches to garden and planting design. We aim to support sustainable landscape design development across all our teaching so that the ability to develop concepts that acknowledge climate change, environmental initiatives such as biodiversity and support wildlife are as important as creating visually pleasing designs.
Technology will also play an important part in our designs and from the moment we opened our doors 20 years ago we have always believed that we should embrace technology to support garden design careers. Computer Aided Design is an integral part of the Garden Design Diploma teaching and as we look to the future, we also now consider how Artificial Intelligence sits alongside the creativity, communication and professional relationships that are so important to garden designers and their businesses.
The Garden Design Diploma is led by James Aldridge, an award-winning garden and landscape designer. Our Planting Design Diploma is led by Nina Baxter, a renowned plantswoman, horticulturist and Chair of RHS Show Judging, with a long career in garden design. The course leader of our Construction Design Certificate is Paul Hensey, Fellow and previous Vice Chair of the Society Garden and Landscape Designers. You are welcome to contact us at any time to arrange to meet with them to talk about the courses that they lead.