Thinking About Studying Garden Design?

No. You don't need to begin the Diploma with extensive horticultural or plant knowledge.

Professional garden design is about much more than plants. We approach garden design as a combination of architecture and interior design: first learning how to design and organise outdoor space, and then how to furnish that space through planting, materials, furniture, lighting, sculpture and other elements.

Plants are an important part of the Diploma, and you'll learn about trees, shrubs, perennials and grasses, with a particular focus on how to use plants effectively as a designer.

However, the Diploma is a design course rather than a horticultural qualification. If you want to develop deeper knowledge of areas such as plant biology, soil science or plant identification, this can be supplemented through additional horticultural study.

Horticulture is primarily concerned with the science, cultivation and management of plants. Professional garden design is concerned with designing outdoor space.

At OCGD, we encourage students to think of garden design as having similarities with both architecture and interior design.

Like an architect, a garden designer needs to understand space, scale, proportion, circulation, levels and the relationship between the garden and its surroundings. Like an interior designer, they then work with planting, materials, furniture, lighting, art and other elements to give that space character and purpose.

This is why the Diploma goes considerably beyond planting design. Students learn the creative, technical and professional skills needed to take a garden from an initial client brief through to a design that can be communicated and built.

The Diploma is taught online, combining recorded teaching with live weekly tutorials and ongoing tutor support.

Students work through recorded lectures and complete design exercises and assignments before meeting with their tutorial group. During the live tutorials, we discuss the week's subjects, answer questions and critique students' design work.

These design critiques - or 'crits' - are an important part of the learning process. You don't only receive feedback on your own work; you also see how other students have approached the same brief and learn from the feedback they receive.

The course is progressive, so each stage builds on the skills and knowledge developed previously. Over time, students move from fundamental design principles into CAD, technical design, construction, planting and the professional and business skills required to practise as a garden designer.

We recommend allowing a minimum of around 15 hours per week for the Diploma.

This includes watching the recorded teaching, completing design work and assignments, attending live tutorials and working on your projects.

One of the advantages of studying online is that much of this work can be organised around existing work and family commitments.

Students who are able to devote more time to their studies may progress more quickly, while those studying alongside other commitments may take longer. The course is designed to offer flexibility while still providing the structure and live support of a taught programme.

Students work through a series of increasingly complex design projects.

The first main project is a small courtyard garden, allowing students to apply the fundamental principles of garden design to a relatively contained space.

The second moves into a larger urban garden and introduces greater technical complexity, including areas such as levels and drainage.

The third is a substantial country garden with a more challenging site and increasingly complex design requirements. The aim is to bring together the creative and technical skills developed throughout the Diploma.

Alongside the main projects, students complete shorter 'speed design' exercises covering different types of spaces and design problems.

The project work also gives students material that can contribute towards a professional portfolio as they move towards practice.

Creating an attractive concept is only part of professional garden design. A designer also needs to understand how that idea can be communicated and ultimately built.

For this reason, technical training forms an important part of the OCGD Diploma.

Students develop skills in areas including technical drawing, construction detailing, levels, contours, drainage, specifications and estimating, alongside learning how to use professional design software including CAD.

The course also considers the professional documentation involved in delivering garden design projects and working with clients, contractors and other professionals.

The aim is to develop designers who can combine creative thinking with the technical competence required to deliver real projects.

Our graduates take a variety of routes into the garden design profession.

Many establish their own garden design practices, while others choose to gain experience working within established studios or alongside other professionals in the landscape industry.

The Diploma is designed specifically with professional practice in mind. Alongside design, planting and technical skills, students learn about the realities of working with clients and developing a garden design business.

For prospective students considering a career change, seeing where previous OCGD graduates have taken their training can be particularly useful. You can explore our Graduate Stories to discover some of the different careers and practices that have developed after OCGD.

Our aim isn't simply to teach you how to design gardens and then leave you to work out the professional world by yourself.

The Diploma includes business and professional practice training, covering areas such as finding clients, marketing, client communication, fees and the process of setting up a garden design practice.

For eligible graduates completing within the College's specified timeframe, this support can continue as they move into professional practice.

That transition is often when new designers have the most questions: How much should I charge? How should I approach my first client meeting? Is this drawing ready to issue? How should I respond to a contractor's question?

The purpose of graduate mentoring is to provide experienced support during those first steps into professional practice, helping graduates build confidence as they begin working with real clients and projects.

Yes. Because the Diploma is delivered online, OCGD students can study from different parts of the world.

The fundamental principles of good garden and landscape design - including space, scale, proportion, form, circulation and the creative design process - can be applied internationally.

Some technical and professional requirements, however, vary between countries and jurisdictions. Planning requirements, construction standards, regulations and contractual practices may differ depending on where a designer intends to work.

International students should therefore expect to identify and work with the appropriate local requirements when moving into professional practice.

AI is already becoming a useful tool within garden design and is likely to play an increasing role in areas such as visualisation, research and workflow.

However, professional garden design involves much more than generating an image of an attractive garden.

Every site presents a different combination of space, levels, orientation, soil, existing features, architecture and surroundings. Designers also need to understand how their clients want to live, interpret sometimes conflicting requirements, develop trust and guide clients through significant financial and practical decisions.

Garden design is therefore both creative and deeply human.

We see AI as a tool that can support professional designers and help them work more effectively, rather than a replacement for the creativity, judgement, site understanding and client relationships that sit at the heart of good garden design.