How to get a Career in Garden design

HOW TO HAVE A CAREER IN GARDEN DESIGN

The role of the professional garden designer is to create a vision of beauty, form, and function for a boring piece of land. These designs provided by professional garden designers often integrate hard landscaping, soft landscaping, paths and walls, flower beds and shrubs to create an inspiring space.

To be a professional garden designer, you need to have a good entry-level certificate that offers teaching in the following courses:

Plant Identification:  This course offers you an in-depth understanding of the scientific system as well as the family names. This course provides you with the knowledge to recognize about two hundred and fifty various plants.

Design Elements and Principles: This course provides you with knowledge of contrast, harmony, balance, and line.

Design Procedure: This entails a comprehensive procedure of garden design.

Garden Styles: This provides you with an understanding of various types of garden styles like Formal, Eclectic, Natural, and Mediterranean garden styles among others.

Basic Horticulture: This course provides you with the knowledge of how plants grow and what is required to ensure the proper growth of the plants.

When you learn more about garden design, exposure to higher learning in your field will increase your chances of success.

ACS can be helpful for the courses for individuals at entry and advanced levels in garden design. If you want to have a career in garden design, you need to be adventurous and open to new creative ideas. You will have the opportunity to meet new clients with diverse tastes and preferences and your creativity will be required to deliver excellent service. Having a creative edge over your contemporaries will make you be considered by employers and clients for projects.

If you are considering a career in garden design, you need to be a team player and possess communication skills. You need to maintain good relationships with people and maintain effective communication skills. Listening to the needs of your team members and clients is paramount to your success in the field.

Another attribute you should focus on when you are considering a career in garden design is timely delivery. You must pay attention to detail and be customer-oriented as a partnership with your customers is critical to your success. You must be organized to deliver your garden design services. Possessing landscaping knowledge is integral to your success in the business.

You must possess time management skills if you want to have a long-term career in the garden design niche.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

To be a qualified garden designer, you can participate in short courses, diplomas, and degrees in garden design offered by reputable agencies and organizations. Garden designers can work in a nursery if they have an affinity for plants and nature. These are professionals who can design and draw various designs and will be a valuable addition to the construction industry.

Some garden designers enter the profession after working as a gardener, others with a garden design qualification.

Specific courses/qualifications available are:

• BTEC Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Horticulture (Garden Design).
• BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Garden Design; Garden Design with Plantsmanship; Horticulture (Garden Design).
• Foundation degree in Garden Design; Garden Design and Landscape Design.
• BA (Hons) Degree in Garden Design; Garden Design, Arts and Management; Garden Design and Landscape Design; Landscape, Garden Design and Management.

For HNC/HND courses, applicants usually need one A level/H grade and four to five GCSE’s/S grades (A-C/1-3). For Foundation degree courses the qualifications are usually one or two A levels/H grades and five GCSE’s/S grades (A-C/1-3). Degree courses usually require at least two A levels/H grades and five GCSE’s/S grades (A-C/1-3).

There are also HNC/HND, Foundation degree and degree courses in horticulture, which provide relevant background qualifications to progress to garden design. The Institute of Gardening offers a Diploma in Horticulture with a home study option and City & Guilds has a National Certificate in Horticulture Level 2.

EXAMS FOR CONSIDERATION

HNC courses usually last two years part-time, HND and Foundation degree courses two years full time, and degree courses three years. Course content combines academic study with practical tasks, and work placements.

NVQ’s/SVQ’s are available in Horticulture at Level 3 with design options. These can be gained at work, as part of the training involves practical workplace assessment.

The Society of Garden Designers has a certified members’ scheme which is open to garden designers with two years’ practical experience.