Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this has
been my dream for so many years now.

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
.... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

On 9/12/06 15:11, in article
, "Clarice"
wrote:

Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this has
been my dream for so many years now.

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

I have no personal experience of these but
http://www.icslearn.co.uk/creative-s...ening/rhs-gard
ening/

http://www.gardenforum.co.uk/mips/gf...sp?choice=coll
http://www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk/diploma.asp

And if you tell us the region in which you live, it may be that people in
that area will have some experience of what you want.
Horticulture is not a highly paid career, generally speaking but would it be
possible for you to work in a really good nursery so that you're learning
while you're studying, too? We have three people working here who have done
that, attending a local college one or two days a week and working here the
rest of the time.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

"Clarice" wrote in message
ups.com...
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this has
been my dream for so many years now.

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

What about the OU? the uni down here at Falmouth I know does design courses,
as does Cornwall college so I assume most unis with an art department would.
It is a crowded market place to earn money at it so good luck.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea

Clarice

Have a look at the Horticultural Correspondence college -
www.hccollege.co.uk
I know it is not the course you are looking at but I have their RHS
General and andvance courses - lots of info. They provide telophone
support and you mail in your coursework. I guess it would be the same
for the design course they offer.

Regards

Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Hi Clarice,

I too have heard good things about the English Gardening School!

I completed my own garden design diploma with Learning Curve
(http://www.learningcurve-uk.com) and I found the course extremely
comprehensive. The tutor also spent a lot of time helping me to develop
my individual design skills and develop my portfolio. I enjoyed the
course throughly but didn't realise how important all this attention to
detail was until later when I set up my own business and began making
presentations to clients.

Whichever course you choose I'd recommend that you check carefully on
the tutorial support offered. I think this is critical in distance
learning. With Learning Curve, I could contact my tutor any time, just
to bounce ideas around or discuss general issues. It would have felt
quite isolated, I think, if I didn't have this sort of support.

One thing my tutor recommended, and I think is really good advice, is
to get as much practical experience as possible. It's a great way of
building your confidence. You could shadow an established designer or
obtain experience at a local botanic/rhs/national trust garden. Home
study can be a good practical option but it's not the same as being
able to watch an expert in action and meet lots of clients
face-to-face! A lot of RHS gardens offer useful one-day courses too.
(http://www.rhs.org.uk)

Good luck!


Lizzie

----


Clarice wrote:
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this has
been my dream for so many years now.

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

Who are The Garden Design Institute? Never heard of them. Always useful to know when a course is duff, so we don't suggest them. It's not the Institute for Garden Design is it?

On 10/12/06 18:03, in article , "An Oasis"
wrote:


Clarice Wrote:
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in
the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this
has
been my dream for so many years now.

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
.... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

Who are The Garden Design Institute? Never heard of them. Always useful
to know when a course is duff, so we don't suggest them. It's not the
Institute for Garden Design is it?

Whatever it is, I don't think uk.rec.gardening has ever recommended it.
What Garden Banter has done is another matter altogether and is nothing to
do with urg from which it filches posts.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/

Clarice wrote:
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!
I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or
work/family commitments I can't attend college. I've recently had an
awful experience with a correspondence college (The Garden Design
Institute) - the course material was awful, the tuition almost
non-existent and it turns out its not really an institute at all in the
sense I thought ... well I won't bore you with the gory details.
Suffice it to say my confidence has plummeted to an all time low and
I'm a few hundred quid poorer. I was going to give up on the idea all
together but hubbie has convinced me to have another go, since this has
been my dream for so many years now.
We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

I've just ambarked upon a garden design course with the KLC School of
Design in Chelsea as a distance learning student and I have spoken to
my tutor, I have received all materials, all are very comprehensive and
the overall course is superb. I've spent a lot of time in the last
couple of days drawing out a timetable and went through the 5 modules
and my thought about my study process is clear. I'm very happy )

I've finished an RHSII and a Permaculture certificate and both are
unvaluable to this course, however 2 out of 5 of the KLC modules are
covering quite a fair amount of studies that I had done in my previous
courses though not as thoroughly but if you are passionate and love
what you do I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem. I would recommend this
course - I have seen many graduates designs and the work is excellent.
I work in an urban design consultancy and I know what I want to do and
what to expect in design - KLC gives me just what I wanted if not more.

Also if you want quality you must pay for it - the college has
financial options to make life a bit easier for you.

http://www.klc.co.uk/Open/

Clarice wrote:
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!

I am very keen to train as a garden designer, but because or

snip

We can't afford to spend money on another bum course, so I was hoping
someone could recommend one from personal experience? I need a good
college with excellent tuition and, preferably, not costing too much
... tall order, I know... here's hoping...

Clarice , beware of some colleges who offer distance learning courses
at a basic level; for instance KLC only offer RHSII and you will only
receive a certificate, not a Diploma when you complete the project,
qualifications that are fine in themselves but basic. Their course
would be very suitable. for someone with little or no gardening
experience but if you want to get into garden design and you already
have some little experience, go for a Diploma course, as far as I know,
they do not offer a Diploma course in garden design but they do offer
Diploma courses in other subjects.

There is a very good college near me called Easton Horticultural
College, Norwich. I don't know if they offer distance learning Diploma
courses but Julia Parker-Barret is their garden design lecturer and it
may be that she would be able to give you information and advice, her
number is (01603) 731214

judith lea wrote:
Clarice , beware of some colleges who offer distance learning courses
at a basic level; for instance KLC only offer RHSII and you will only
receive a certificate, not a Diploma

Entirely wrong as for your advice with the pruning of apple trees in
spring as per your post of Sun 3 Dec 2006 15:02 where you stated:

"I am by no means an expert but I know that apple trees should be
pruned
in Autumn, you can do it now. Your damson should be left until Spring,

when the sap is rising, to prevent infection of disease. Lilac, I have
pruned in Autumn and it comes good every year".

Please don't give wrong advice!!!!!

As for the Chelsea school of design they don't do RHS. I've studied
RHSII at Manchester city college. The KLC Garden design course gives
the following:-

QUALIFICATION Open Learning Diploma in Garden Design
ASSIGNMENT 27 pieces of project work including two final projects
DURATION Average time taken to complete the course is 18-24 months,
allowing 12-15 hours a week - although there is no time limit on the
course

Business management
There is particular emphasis on business practice so that on completion
of the course, students will have the know-how to manage their own
business and KLC will give advice on CVs, portfolio presentation and
career direction.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Order the course today and you will receive:

Five modules (inc p&p)
A study guide
Project and assignment work
All distance learning tuition
Insurance of manuals against loss or theft in transit


DIPLOMA COURSE SYLLABUS

MODULE 1
Tutorial 1 - Client Relationship
Tutorial 2 - The Design Brief
Tutorial 3 - Plant Nomenclature
Tutorial 4 - Principles of Garden Design
Tutorial 5 - The Site Survey
Tutorial 6 - History of Garden Design 1: Introduction and Ancient
Gardens
Tutorial 7 - The Site Analysis
Tutorial 8 - Drawing up the Survey and Site Analysis Plan
Tutorial 9 - Concept Boards
Tutorial 10 - The Functional Layout Plan
Tutorial 11 - Planting Principles, Themes and Styles 1

MODULE II
Tutorial 12 - Graphics and Lettering
Tutorial 13 - Planting Principles, Themes and Styles 2
Tutorial 14 - History of Garden Design 2: Religious and Medieval
Gardens
Tutorial 15 - Problem Sites
Tutorial 16 - Preparation for Drawing
Tutorial 17 - Working in Plan
Tutorial 18 - Form, Texture and Colour
Tutorial 19 - The Planting Plan and Schedules
Tutorial 20 - History of Garden Design 3: The Far East and Feng Shui
Tutorial 21 - Patterns, Shapes and Grids

MODULE III
Tutorial 22 - Sections and Elevations
Tutorial 23 - Structural Plants: Trees, Shrubs and Climbers
Tutorial 24 - Hard and Soft Landscaping 1: Basics and Drainage
Tutorial 25 - Garden Buildings 1
Tutorial 26 - Professional Practice 1: Starting Up
Tutorial 27 - Hard and Soft Landscaping 2: Stone, Concrete and Brick
Tutorial 28 - History of Garden Design 4: Renaissance Gardens
Tutorial 29 - Colouring and Rendering
Tutorial 30 - Hard and Soft Landscaping 3: Loose Surfaces, Timber,
Edgings and Lawns
Tutorial 31 - Axonometric and Isometric Drawings
Tutorial 32 - History of Garden Design 5: Formal Gardens

MODULE IV
Tutorial 33 - Garden Maintenance
Tutorial 34 - Garden Buildings: Conservatories
Tutorial 35 - Professional Practice 2: Administration
Tutorial 36 - Garden Accessories
Tutorial 37 - Planting 2: Annuals, Biennials and Perennials
Tutorial 38 - Garden Structures
Tutorial 39 - Perspective Drawings
Tutorial 40 - History of Garden Design 6: The Landscape Tradition
Tutorial 41 - Freehand Drawing

MODULE V
Tutorial 42 - Professional Practice 3: Running a Garden Design Project
Tutorial 43 - Garden Furniture
Tutorial 44 - Water Features
Tutorial 45 - Presentation Techniques
Tutorial 46 - Sculpture
Tutorial 47 - Lighting and Irrigation
Tutorial 48 - History of Garden Design 7: The Victorian Garden
Tutorial 49 - Professional Practice 4: Contracts and Specifications
Tutorial 50 - Construction Drawings
Tutorial 51 - History of Garden Design 8: The 20th Century Garden
Tutorial 52 - Professional Practice 5: How to Charge


PROJECT WORK
Project Work is submitted at the end of each Module and relates to the
Tutorials within that Module. The work includes both residential and
commercial garden designs - for example the preparation of a briefing
questionnaire; a site survey and analysis; preparation and drawing of
functional layout plans; making mood/concept boards; sourcing and
specifying hard landscaping materials and garden buildings; drawing and
colour-rendering plans, elevations, perspectives and axonometrics;
preparing planting schedules and drawing up planting plans; creating a
colour wheel; designing gardens for different situations/purposes;
producing construction drawings and specifications for the workforce;
planning and specifying garden lighting; installing water features. At
the end of the course there are two final projects - one residential
(based on a real garden) and one commercial (a library courtyard) to be
completed.

Students are required to work throughout the course on a History of
Garden Design Notebook and Plant Portfolios, which are submitted at the
end of the course with Module V work, and to keep a sketchbook, which
is submitted twice.

HTH.








when you complete the project,
qualifications that are fine in themselves but basic. Their course
would be very suitable. for someone with little or no gardening
experience but if you want to get into garden design and you already
have some little experience, go for a Diploma course, as far as I know,
they do not offer a Diploma course in garden design but they do offer
Diploma courses in other subjects.

There is a very good college near me called Easton Horticultural
College, Norwich. I don't know if they offer distance learning Diploma
courses but Julia Parker-Barret is their garden design lecturer and it
may be that she would be able to give you information and advice, her
number is (01603) 731214

La Puce wrote:
judith lea wrote:
Clarice , beware of some colleges who offer distance learning courses
at a basic level; for instance KLC only offer RHSII and you will only
receive a certificate, not a Diploma


Please don't give wrong advice!!!!!


LOL

You are priceless - By the way, I saw you last week - LOL, now I know
why you hide behind the dogs. LOL................................

judith lea wrote:
LOL
You are priceless - By the way, I saw you last week - LOL, now I know
why you hide behind the dogs. LOL................................

And now we all know why you are so lonely. The KLC School of Design
doesn't do RHS courses but only Diploma. Stop giving the wrong advice
please and go away trolling somewhere else. Thank you.

Clarice wrote:
Completely new to news groups, full stop, so I hope I get this right
and am posting in the right place!


Clarice, I hope you will be able to get some good advice from elsewhere
but our resident troll the irritant Flea, has started posting again -
she disrupts us all from time to time, most people kill file her but in
general she is ignored. As you could see from her posting she says I
was wrong to advise on pruning Apple trees in the Autumn. Of course
one prunes them in Autumn but she does not realise that my advice to
prune Damson in the Spring is for Damsons and not for apples.

Stay around a while and you will soon realise who the experts are here,
I, certainly, am not one, but then I never pretend otherwise.

judith lea wrote:
the experts are here,
I, certainly, am not one, but then I never pretend otherwise.

Does your employer knows you are still writing on internet forums
talking about anything but the subject at hand instead of working and
stalking people? Should someone remind him again or are you going to be
a good lady and leave others get on with their lives?

La Puce wrote:
judith lea wrote:
the experts are here,
I, certainly, am not one, but then I never pretend otherwise.

Does your employer knows you are still writing on internet forums
talking about anything but the subject at hand instead of working and
stalking people? Should someone remind him again or are you going to be
a good lady and leave others get on with their lives?

You silly flea, I am at home - why not telephone my office, you have
done so many times, one more time won't make any difference. I am
sending your threat to URBED London, they will not approve of your
further threat.

As for my employers they will deal with you if you try to waste their
time and resources again.

Now just go away, you can busy yourself by washing your hair for a
start, then your clothes and as for your teeth, goodness me!! Words
fail me!