ICS Garden Planning & Development

ICS Garden Planning & Development

Gardening and garden design are fascinating hobbies. Our Garden Planning and Development course will supply you with gardening tips and garden design ideas and techniques. Whether you're planning your own garden makeover or looking to start a career in gardening, the Garden Planning and Development course will provide the start you are looking for.

Our Garden Planning and Development course will look at all the elements that make up effective garden design, starting with site assessment, looking at soil types, drainage, topography and climate.

You'll learn how to plan a garden, weighing up contemporary garden design against more traditional garden plans and designs. Basic gardening techniques will be explained and you'll look at garden planting, deciding how to choose, plant and maintain the most appropriate plants, including fruit and vegetables.

The Garden Planning and Development course will also look at garden features and hard landscaping, considering options for paths, borders and paving as well as furniture, greenhouses, fencing and water features.

By the end of the course you'll have the knowledge you need to undertake a complete garden makeover, or even to go on to further horticultural and garden design studies.

Entry Requirements

You don't need any previous experience or qualifications to enrol in our Garden Planning and Development course. That's because we believe in making home study - and a rewarding future - as accessible as possible. Ideally, though, you will have access to a garden or plot of land.

Where will I go from here?

While this Garden Planning & Development course is aimed at the novice gardener who would like to develop their own garden, the skills it provides would be the ideal foundation for further horticultural and garden design studies, possibly leading to a career as a professional garden designer or planner.

What will I gain?

On completion, you'll receive the ICS Diploma in Gardening Planning and Development.

Assessment

Assessments are a great way of checking your progress, while projects allow you to apply your learning to real-world situations. Throughout the Garden Planning and Development course, you'll complete eight assessments. While these are intended to monitor your progress, they are also intended to encourage you to plan and develop your own garden. By completing each assessment and progressing through the course, you will come up with a detailed and realistic plan for your perfect garden.

  • Assessment 1: one short-answer question and two activities.
  • Assessment 2: five activities requiring you to produce a site plan of your current garden. 
  • Assessment 3: six short-answer questions relating to the plants, weeds and soil in your garden. 
  • Assessment 4: two activities requiring you to plan the hard landscape features for your new garden. 
  • Assessment 5: two (out of a choice of seven) activities/questions (e.g. 'Describe how you would install and plant a wildlife pond.') 
  • Assessment 6: two (out of a choice of eight) activities/questions (e.g. 'Plan a border for a seasonal theme.') 
  • Assessment 7: two (out of a choice of five) activities (e.g. 'Draw a plan for a vegetable patch.') 
  • Assessment 8: one activity requiring you to produce a detailed plan for your new garden.

Generally, assessments can be sent to us online via the ICS Student Community: it's the fastest way to receive your results.

What will I get?

Teaching support

  • We won't leave you on your own. Your experienced personal tutor will be available online and over the phone, ready to help you with all the guidance and motivation you need to help you complete the Garden Planning and Development course.

Peer support

  • When you enrol, you become part of the ICS Online Student Community. As well as being able to contact tutors and submit work online, you'll have instant access to your fellow students, and the chance to discuss your work, ask questions and make new friends.

Specialised texts

  • All of your teaching materials have been prepared by experts in your chosen field. They've also been devised with the unique requirements of home study in mind, making them highly effective distance learning tools.

As a Garden Planning and Development student, you'll receive a stainless steel garden tool kit, which comes in an attractive wooden presentation box. You'll also receive the supporting text book - RHS How to Garden: A Practical Introduction to Gardening.

Study Period

9 months

Hours of study

90 hours

That's equivalent to just under 2 ½ hours of study a week over the nine-month support period.

Support period

9 months

Course code

A28

Course cost

£429.00

Additional fees

There are no registration or examination fees for our Garden Planning and Development course.

See your course content

Key Topics

Site Assessment & Surveying

  • Learn how to carry out a full site assessment of your garden and how to conduct a site survey. Discover how to identify a soil's texture and pH. Learn how to plot the boundaries and features in your garden and how to draw up a scaled plan of your garden.

Garden Management and Hard Landscape Features

  • Identify plants suitable for the soil in your garden. Learn how to propagate a range of plants from seeds and cuttings, and how to prune a range of shrubs. Discover how to identify and deal with weeds, pests and diseases. Consider appropriate materials for a garden's boundaries, and for paths, paved areas and driveways.

Soft Landscape Features and Plant Selection

  • Study lawns, hedging plants, annuals, biennials, perennials, climbers and bulbs. Learn how to choose trees and shrubs that provide a succession of colour and interest throughout the year. Discover ways of increasing wildlife in your garden, if desired. Consider water features and greenhouses.

The Productive Garden and Design Principles

  • Learn how to assess the suitability of a site for fruit and vegetable growing, and discover a variety of growing methods for fruit and vegetable crops. Consider herb growing. Explore a variety of design principles so as to improve the layout of your garden. Produce a completed plan for your garden.

 

You can either pay for your Garden Planning and Development course in full or opt for a monthly payment plan.

Course fee: £429 (excluding discounts)

Or speak to one of our course advisors now for payment plans.