Garden Design
Diploma in Garden Design
Award: Diploma in Garden Design (College Award)
Duration: 1 calendar year, part time (January 2026)
School: KLC School of Design
Campus: London
Scholarships and bursaries: See available funding
Our Garden Design Diploma course is a uniquely tailored and designed to prepare students for a career in the garden design industry. The course follows the growing year which means initial study and final project work all take place in the colder winter months and practical horticulture and live projects during the spring and summer. The resulting one-year course combines practical hard landscaping and gardening skills, plant science and creative design principles in a part-time format with additional study required outside of class each week.
Why study Garden Design at West Dean
- Comprehensive and practical industry-recognised qualification to help launch your garden design career
- Content tailored to the growing year, offering a unique perspective on garden design
- Acquire knowledge and skills in garden design, business, landscaping, horticulture and plant science
- Exclusive 5-day work experience placement at West Dean Gardens
- Small class sizes with close teaching support from an experienced faculty of practising designers
- Membership to Society of Garden Designers (SGD) and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) with member benefits
- Graduates are in demand to work with prestigious designers with many alumna being show garden winners
Student gallery
Facilities
Diploma in Garden Design students have access to state of the art IT suite, Library, Refreshment area and food shop, collaborative work spaces and common rooms
KLC School of Design
Our KLC School of Design offers industry-leading interior design degrees and garden design courses with unrivalled teaching, flexible learning and ongoing career support
Work placements & careers
Our extensive links with designers, suppliers, manufacturers, specialists and professionals within the interior design and garden design industries allow us to offer our students unmatched opportunities to work on live design projects, placements and employment opportunities.
As part of our commitment to offering industry-ready qualifications, our students are offered guidance on CV preparation, portfolio presentation, professional practice and upon graduation; our careers service also helps graduates find internships, job placements, and freelance appointments through out Alumni Careers Newsletter.
Course gallery
Stories & news
Gardening Design
1st March 2024
Graduate wins competition to re-design historic Chapel Court garden at Hampton Court Palace
Garden Design Diploma graduates were recently invited to respond to an exciting brief from Historic Royal Palaces, which included redesigning the Chapel Court Planting Plan at Hampton Court Palace, with work scheduled to start later this year.
The brief
Graduates were asked to consider the following:
Plants have to be able to deal with the harsh conditions inside t...
Gardening Design
24th May 2023
Gardening Art In Ancient Rome
by Paola Tavoletti
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“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
The contemplative and the intellectual dimension: a mix that helps us to live in harmony with ourselves and with the surrounding world. The ancient Romans were wise!
For the Romans the garden was initially tied to the peasant society, t...
Gardening Design
15th January 2020
The Beauty of Small Spaces
by Jason Brayshaw
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Given that I reside in London, there is one thing most Londoners can agree on and that is space for housing, both exterior and interior, is limited. You have got to make the most of what you have. This may sound stifling to some reading this, but the opposite can apply here. Having a small garden space as your creative framework allows you to be not only creative but also...
Gardening Design
20th November 2019
Interview with Sarah Plested – Open Learning Garden Design Student of the Year 2016
Interview with Sarah Plested
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Gardening Design
7th August 2018
Ten Tips on Launching Your Own Garden Design Studio
by Caroline Kamp
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Entry requirements
- No previous experience in garden design or horticulture is required for this course; we simply ask that you have a passion and a drive to learn more about this exciting field of design!
English Language Requirements
- Good command of written and spoken English is required for all applicants.
- If you reside in the UK, but English is not your first language, you may be asked to undertake an approved English language test.
Fees & funding
2025/26 Course Fees - UK & International Students
- £13,100
We may routinely increase our course fees from year to year for one-year courses as well as courses lasting two or more years and may review and change such course fees without notice.
Funding
Scholarships and Bursaries are available based on individual need.
How to apply
Entry onto the course is by interview only. Applications for this course can be made by submitting a completed application form and emailing it to [email protected]
To prepare for your interview, you will be asked to complete the following along with your application form:
- A garden based creative project
Computer-aided design is a key part of this course; therefore applicants must be computer literate and able to confidently use their personal laptop.
Any questions?
Email [email protected]; call us on: (01243) 818 300 and select option 1.
Accreditations
Society of Garden Designers Educator Status
KLC School of Design has been awarded Society of Garden Designers Educator Status. To gain the accreditation the SGD thoroughly check the course content to ensure that we are teaching to a professional level and that the skills, understanding and knowledge gained by our students are up-to-date and industry-focused.
All KLC School of Design Diploma Garden Design students received student membership to the SGD as part of their course. Membership includes a whole host of benefits. Students also receive a membership for the duration of their course for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
Related courses
Discover our short courses in gardening
Ask a question
Need more information? Have a question? Speak to our course advisors
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 01243 818 300 and select option 1
Student Life
Discover more about student life, campus facilities, accommodation and more
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International Students
We welcome students from around the globe. Discover more about studying in the UK, fees and student life
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Book an Open Day
Come and see for yourself. Join us for a virtual or campus Open Day and hear from our tutors, students and ask specific questions about a subject or course
Book Open Day
Tutors
Humaira Ikram
Humaira Ikram has been working as a professional Garden Designer at Studio Ikram for over 15 years and specialises in client focussed landscapes, which are pollinator friendly and as sustainable as possible.
Jessica Cattle BA (Hons) MFA
Jessica has been working at KLC School of Design as the KLC Diploma Garden Design Course Manager and Student Welfare Advisor