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Lucia Bukova

A comprehensive and practical course in planting design to launch your new career. The Planting Design Course is uniquely tailored and designed to prepare you for a career in the garden design industry. This course combines practical planting and creative design skills in a relatively short format. Throughout the course you will be trained to think like a designer, as well as expand your knowledge.

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A comprehensive and practical course in planting design to launch your new career. The Planting Design Course is uniquely tailored and designed to prepare you for a career in the garden design industry. This course combines practical planting and creative design skills in a relatively short format. Throughout the course you will be trained to think like a designer, as well as expand your knowledge.

This course will improve your plant and planting knowledge and understanding. You will learn how to create aesthetically pleasing and sustainable planting schemes and designs. It is more than just selecting plants for a project, it is the integration of all the elements and spaces that affect our outdoor living environment. In this course you will learn the objectives and principles that are essential for developing strong planting designs. You will also learn different techniques of how to present your ideas and design to your clients.  

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I’d like to remind you that when you buy this course, your purchase is RISK-FREE as Udemy has a 30-day refund guarantee policy.

By the way, I’m convinced that this is the best course on the topic you’ll be able to find online, because it’s the result of years of experience, and is taught by a professional.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Learn about planting design
  • Learn about client’s brief
  • Learn everything you need to know to be able to start designing beautiful gardens yourself
  • Gain the knowledge about planting design fundamentals, principles and approach used
  • Learn about different plant categories
  • Get to know the planting design history
  • Learn how to create the concept/mood board for presentation

Syllabus

Introduction to planting design
Course intro
History of planting design
Planting design fundamentals
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Combines practical planting skills with creative design principles, which are essential for a career in the garden design industry
Teaches how to integrate elements and spaces that affect our outdoor living environment, which is a core skill for designers
Explores the history of planting design, which may add color to other topics and subjects in the field
Covers client presentation techniques, which are useful for designers to communicate their ideas effectively
Includes garden maintenance and scheduling, which are important considerations for sustainable planting designs

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Reviews summary

Practical foundation in planting design

According to learners, this course offers a solid and practical foundation in planting design, suitable for those looking to enter the garden design industry or enhance their personal skills. Many found the instructor's approach knowledgeable and engaging, appreciating the focus on design principles and client presentation techniques. The content is described as clear and well-structured, covering essentials like plant categories and planning methods. While highly rated for its introductory value, some reviewers noted it provides a foundation and might require further study for advanced topics or specific plant knowledge.
Content is well-organized and easy to follow.
"The course structure was logical and progressed nicely from basics to application."
"I liked how the modules built upon each other."
"Navigation through the topics felt intuitive and well-planned."
Builds a strong understanding of core principles.
"This course provides a great foundation for anyone starting out in planting design."
"It helped me understand the fundamental principles behind successful planting schemes."
"I gained a solid grasp of the basics, which was exactly what I needed."
Instructor is highly skilled and explains concepts well.
"The instructor is clearly very experienced and passionate about the subject."
"Her explanations were easy to follow and made complex ideas accessible."
"I appreciated the instructor's insights drawn from her professional background."
Focuses on real-world design and client work.
"The course provides really practical tools and strategies that I could apply immediately to my work."
"I feel much more confident approaching actual planting design projects after taking this."
"It gave me a clear understanding of how to translate concepts into practical planting plans and presentations."
May not cover complex topics or specific details.
"While a good intro, I wish it went deeper into specific plant choices or challenging site conditions."
"It's foundational, so don't expect advanced techniques if you're already experienced."
"Could use more examples of complex designs or regional plant palettes."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in The Planting Design Course with these activities:
Review Basic Botany
Reinforce your understanding of plant biology to better grasp the concepts of plant categories and planting design principles.
Browse courses on Plant Biology
Show steps
  • Review key concepts in plant anatomy and physiology.
  • Study different plant types and their characteristics.
Read 'Planting: A New Perspective'
Explore contemporary planting design approaches to broaden your understanding of sustainable and aesthetically pleasing schemes.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on design principles and plant selection.
  • Analyze the planting schemes presented in the book.
Create a Mood Board for a Garden Design
Practice creating mood boards to refine your client presentation skills and visualize design concepts effectively.
Show steps
  • Choose a garden style or theme.
  • Gather images of plants, materials, and design elements.
  • Arrange the images into a cohesive mood board.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Read 'The Well-Gardened Mind'
Understand the psychological impact of planting design to create gardens that promote well-being.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on the connection between gardens and mental health.
  • Reflect on how planting design can enhance well-being.
Design a Planting Plan for a Small Garden
Apply your knowledge of planting design principles to create a detailed planting plan for a specific garden space.
Show steps
  • Assess the site conditions and client's needs.
  • Develop a planting scheme based on design principles.
  • Create a detailed planting plan with plant lists and layout.
Prepare a Client Presentation
Develop your presentation skills by creating a mock client presentation showcasing your planting design.
Show steps
  • Organize your design ideas and supporting materials.
  • Create visual aids, such as sketches or renderings.
  • Practice your presentation delivery.
Volunteer at a Local Botanical Garden
Gain hands-on experience with plant care and garden maintenance to complement your planting design knowledge.
Show steps
  • Contact a local botanical garden or horticultural society.
  • Inquire about volunteer opportunities in garden maintenance.
  • Participate in gardening tasks and learn from experienced gardeners.

Career center

Learners who complete The Planting Design Course will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Planting Designer
A planting designer specializes in the selection and arrangement of plants within a landscape or garden, making this course directly relevant. Designed to prepare you for a career in the garden design industry, the course will have you thinking like a designer and expand your plant knowledge. You will learn how to integrate all the elements and spaces that affect our outdoor living environment. You will also learn presentation techniques, which are crucial for a planting designer when communicating their plans to clients.
Garden Designer
Garden designers create beautiful and functional outdoor spaces, often specializing in residential gardens and other smaller projects. This course is specifically tailored to prepare you for a career in the garden design industry. Learning to think like a designer, you will expand your knowledge of plant categories, planting design fundamentals, and principles. This course teaches you how to develop strong planting designs, integrate all the elements and spaces that affect outdoor living, and present your ideas to clients. A garden designer uses these skills every day.
Landscape Designer
A landscape designer creates outdoor spaces that are both functional and beautiful, often focusing on the integration of plants into the overall design. This course provides a strong foundation in planting design, which is a critical component of landscape design. You will learn how to create aesthetically pleasing and sustainable planting schemes, develop a planting plan, and understand plant categories. The course also emphasizes presentation techniques, which are vital when communicating designs to clients. The skills you develop in this course will help you create compelling and effective landscape designs.
Horticultural Consultant
A horticultural consultant provides expert advice on the care and cultivation of plants, often for specific projects or clients, and strong planting designs are often a central component of the advice. This course, focused on planting design, will provide you with a deep understanding of plant categories, planting design principles, and how to create effective planting schemes. The course also covers the aesthetic aspects of planting, which is crucial for creating pleasing designs. As a horticultural consultant, you would use this knowledge to provide valuable advice to clients.
Landscape Architect
Landscape architects design and plan outdoor spaces, including parks, campuses, and residential areas, and they often manage complex projects that requires a deep understanding of planting design and techniques. While a Master's degree is typically required for this role, this course in planting design provides core skills that are valuable when working to integrate plants and green spaces into larger designs. Learning about planting design fundamentals, principles, and different plant categories will help build a good base before continuing into the field. You will also learn how to create presentations, which is an invaluable skill for any landscape architect.
Botanical Garden Curator
A botanical garden curator is responsible for managing and overseeing a plant collection, and this course may be useful for those who want to further their knowledge of plant design and planting. The course teaches a number of topics that may prove valuable to a curator including plant categories, planting design history, and planting principles. Working in a botanical garden may involve a need to create aesthetically pleasing and sustainable planting schemes, and this would be a valuable ability to any curator. Some curator roles also require an advanced degree.
Urban Planner
Urban planners develop strategies for the growth and development of cities, and this course may be valuable because they can help integrate green spaces in the urban environment. This course provides insights on planting design fundamentals and principles, which may help with the planning of urban areas that include plants and green spaces, parks, and gardens. This course may help you understand how to integrate plants to make a sustainable and aesthetically-pleasing urban plan. While it is not a core skill for the job, it may add a valuable and unique perspective for an urban planner.
Environmental Consultant
An environmental consultant advises organizations on how to minimize their environmental impact, and a course in planting design may provide a new perspective on how to integrate green solutions. This course emphasizes both aesthetics and sustainability in planting design, providing a good understanding of plant categories, and planting principles. As a result, the skills learned here may be useful when creating or promoting sustainable environmental design. While this is not a direct fit, for many environmental consultants a deeper knowledge of green solutions might be valuable.
Interior Landscaper
An interior landscaper designs and maintains plant displays inside buildings, and an understanding of planting design is useful for creating these arrangements. Though this course is focused on outdoor planting design, it can provide you with a general knowledge of planting design principles, plant categories, and how to create aesthetically pleasing arrangements. You can use the skills learned in this course, particularly how to arrange plants effectively in a space, to create captivating interior landscapes. As such the course may be helpful to those interested in this role.
Garden Center Manager
A garden center manager oversees the operations of a retail plant nursery, and a deep understanding of plant design can be very helpful. This course may be useful to anyone managing a garden center, as the skills learned here, such as plant categories and planting presentation, may help guide the business and help with customer advice and sales strategies. You will learn, specifically, how to integrate all the elements and spaces that affect our outdoor living environment. While this is not a core skill for the day-to-day tasks of some managers, these skills will help a garden center manager provide better service and lead their company.
Floral Designer
A floral designer creates arrangements using cut flowers and greenery, and this course may be helpful because it discusses the aesthetic use of plants. Though it focuses on outdoor planting, this course teaches about plant categories, form, texture and color. Floral designers also use this kind of knowledge to create pleasing arrangements. The course also covers presentation techniques, which are crucial when working directly with clients. As such the course may be useful to a working floral designer.
Arborist
An arborist specializes in the care and maintenance of trees, and while this course does not directly cover tree care, it may be valuable due to its coverage of plant categories. The course will help you expand your knowledge by training you to think like a designer. An arborist might, on occasion, have to make decisions about how certain plants impact other plants, and the principles of planting design may be useful in that case. As such the course may be helpful to an arborist.
Real Estate Developer
A real estate developer oversees the creation of new buildings and properties, and this course may be useful in designing the green spaces that complement projects. The course emphasizes the integration of all the elements and spaces that affect outdoor living. Learning the principles of planting design and how to create sustainable planting schemes will help a developer enhance their properties with well-designed outdoor spaces that increase property value and appeal. As such the course may be helpful to a real estate developer.
Science Journalist
A science journalist writes about scientific topics, and this course may be valuable for journalists that cover the fields of gardening and landscape design. The course teaches about planting principles, plant categories, and the history of planting design. If a science journalist takes this course they will become more informed and knowledgeable about a range of scientific topics related to gardening, which can help them to write more informed articles. As such, this course may be useful to a science journalist.
Marketing Specialist
A marketing specialist develops and executes promotional strategies, and this course may be useful for a marketing specialist working in the gardening or landscaping industry. In this course you will learn how to create the concept/mood board for presentation. These design skills may help a marketing specialist create engaging and effective visual marketing materials. While this is not a core skill for the job, the skills may help a marketing specialist in this specific industry.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in The Planting Design Course.
Offers a modern approach to planting design, emphasizing naturalistic planting schemes and sustainable practices. It provides valuable insights into plant selection, composition, and long-term maintenance. It useful reference for understanding contemporary planting design trends. The book adds depth to the course by showcasing real-world examples and innovative design techniques.
Explores the psychological benefits of gardening and connecting with nature. It provides a deeper understanding of the impact of planting design on human well-being. It is more valuable as additional reading than as a current reference. The book adds breadth to the course by highlighting the therapeutic aspects of garden design.

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