what do you need to be a garden designer
Desire to earn a living from designing gardens? Find how to become the best start in this sought-later career
If you have a passion for plants, an eye for item and a artistic streak, you might call back garden pattern would be the perfect career for you. You might exist a school leaver or a career-changer, but the lure of creating landscapes professionally attracts all sorts of people from all walks of life.
Tom Massey, for example, graduated in 2015 from the London Higher of Garden Design (LCGD)and now runs his own garden design business. "I dearest the varied nature of the piece of work - from designing in the office and planting out on site, to the intense pressure of delivering a show garden at RHS Hampton Court Bloom Show." Prior to this, Tom worked in animation, before deciding to fulfil his long-time ambition and retrain as a garden designer.
Basic skills of garden designers
Every bit a garden designer you can exist involved in all elements of the blueprint and build procedure, from surveying and creating a design to the hard landscaping and selecting plants.
You'll need to have great communication skills for working with clients and contractors, be happy working outdoors in all weathers and have a flexible approach to work.
You'll likewise have to develop your knowledge of a wide range of plants and materials, and how to utilize them, so getting training on a garden design course is probably a good first step.
On these courses, withal, the study workload can exist all consuming, and so for a taster of the subject, specially if y'all've been away from education for a while, it's worth considering first doing one of the short courses offered by local further education colleges or your nearest horticulture college. To better your horticultural skills and establish knowledge, look to the RHS and its courses, which are offered at centres across the country.
Choosing a garden design class
There are a variety of courses on offer across the state from those aimed at the amateur gardener, to ones that prepare a pupil to enter the profession. KLC School of Design, Inchbald School of Blueprint,Oxford College of Garden Design and LCGD are all highly respected within the industry and offer 1-twelvemonth diplomas. Other established schools include Capel Manor, Writtle, Hadlow, Pickard and Merrist Wood – run into http://sgd.org.uk/industry-colleges.aspxfor more options and locations.
If you need to fit in study around family or work commitments, or live too far from a college then an online or office-time course is a popular option. The Oxford Higher diploma is taught solely online, and KLC and Inchbald among others offer online and part-time options.
Courses vary in price and can exist a significant investment, and so it's important to enquiry what each course offers and what time to come employers will be looking for. "Prospective students should cheque that there is the right balance betwixt lectures and studio time," Andrew Duff, manager of the Garden Design faculty at Inchbald, advises. "Lectures impart the knowledge just information technology is the studio time, which allows students to put that data into do."
Andrew Wilson, director of LCGD, recommends talking to by or current students to see if the class offers what you want. "In improver to wider design bug, the course should cover planting design, structure design, an understanding of surveying and levels and visual communication - both hand drawn and using Sketchup and Vectorworks computer aided design," he explains. "Concern and professional do should also exist included assuasive students to develop an understanding of contracts, fees, their professional office in relation to clients and contractors and how schemes are costed."
A good course will provide opportunities to meet garden pattern professionals and give you the gamble to build up that all-important network of contacts. There should likewise be opportunities for work experience and existent projects for students to piece of work on. "At Inchbald, we only utilise real clients and gardens, which provides a realistic approach to design and also ensures that tutors tackle all projects with a fresh centre," says Andrew Duff.
To help you choose the right course for yous and check quality, you can download a helpful checklist of need-to-know questions at http://sgd.org.uk/industry-how-to-choose-a-course.aspx
Starting a career
Getting work will depend on more than doing a course. Wait out for and enquire afterward internships and work experience at established garden design practices in order to gain real feel. There are as well an increasing number of garden blueprint opportunities and competitions, including garden shows, which are fantastic ways to go noticed. A good way to go started and learn the ropes before going it lonely is to volunteer to help an experienced designer on a testify garden while you are a student.
When it comes to paying piece of work, you will first have to make up one's mind if yous want to set your ain business concern or if you lot would adopt to piece of work for someone else. If y'all want to go it alone and get cocky-employed, y'all will have to organise your tax and accounts affairs, think about insurance and finance, and make sure you keep up to date on the legal aspects of the chore, such as CDM. You volition besides have to notice clients, and so creating a website and generating interest through locals ads or flyers, giving talks etc might be necessary. Jobs with garden designers and practices are similar aureate dust, but if you lot have called the right course and done some piece of work experience your chances of success are high, as many employers in the industry are desperate to find well-qualified candidates.
Whether you plan on going it lonely or you want gain feel working nether another designer, at that place is support available from the Society of Garden Designers (SGD), the manufacture body that accredits designers and promotes excellence in the industry.
Networking & moving upward
You can bring together as a student and then, once y'all have finished your class, apply to become Pre-Registered, earlier going through an cess process to become a Registered Member. Benefits to being a member are significant, as Philippa O'Brien, chair of the social club, explains: "Although practices are becoming more commonplace, there are nonetheless large numbers of garden designers who work on a sole trader basis. To them, the networking available within the SGD can be a lifeline."
The SGD likewise posts job adverts from members in the Industry Zone department of their website, and allows y'all to create a 'Available to work for a designer' profile, so those hoping to work in an established practice or designers looking for help with projects can connect. "We also provide inspiration with our ii conferences a year on widely varying subjects, at to the lowest degree 24 Continuing Professional Evolution events every year held across the country, and support with cluster groups and mentoring," Philippa explains. Y'all'll also receive the Garden Blueprint Journal each month to keep up with what is happening in the industry and best practice, and where you might accept the opportunity to contribute and publicise your work.
Another way to become your name out there is to enter the SGD Student Awards, open up to all student members – Tom Massey won both categories in 2015, and previous winners including Jo Midwinter and Jon Sims believe it propelled them to greater opportunities.
If you would rather get someone else to pattern your garden than do it yourself, detect top tips on working with a garden designer in our advice article here
Words: Louise Curley
Source: https://www.sgd.org.uk/garden_design_journal/features/82/how_to_become_a_garden_designer/
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