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Learn with Tom Stuart-Smith & Guy Petheram

Design & Create your Dream Country Garden

Tom Stuart-Smith teaches garden design in this online gardening course.

Course overview

In this introductory lesson, Tom, one of the greatest names in landscape design of our time, tells the story of how he transformed a patch of wasteland into the spectacular, world renowned garden we see today. He will show you the 1984 plan of his dream garden which he drew as a student, and will then show you pictures showing the site as it was and how it is now, talking about his influences and key considerations. Tom will talk you through the principles of garden design philosophy as it is realised at the Barn – should a garden reflect the landscape or be in contrast to it - a microcosm of all that is best? He will look at some examples of widely contrasting projects to illustrate how making a garden should always be a unique response to its surroundings and the culture of the place.

Meet Tom Stuart-Smith & Guy Petheram

Tom Stuart-Smith created, developed and teaches “Design & Create your dream country garden” and assignments are marked by Guy Petheram. Tom Stuart-Smith is a landscape architect whose work combines naturalism with modernity and built forms with romantic planting. He read Zoology at the University of Cambridge before completing a postgraduate degree in Landscape Design. Tom has since designed gardens, parks and landscapes throughout the world. Significant projects in the public domain have included Her Majesty the Queen's Jubilee Garden at Windsor Castle, Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire, the Bicentenary Glasshouse Garden at RHS Garden Wisley and the Keeper’s House Garden at the Royal Academy of Arts. International projects have included Le Jardin Secret in the heart of the medina in Marrakech, a garden located on the waterways near Kottayam in Kerala, and a show garden for the international horticulture exhibition at IGA Berlin 2017. Current projects include a garden square at King’s Cross for Argent LLP and the Aga Khan Foundation, several projects at Chatsworth, a garden for the Scottish baronial estate of Aldourie Castle, a new public garden at the Hepworth Wakefield, and the masterplan for RHS Garden Bridgewater which is the largest new garden project in the UK. He has also designed eight award winning gardens for the Chelsea Flower Show, all of which were presented with gold medals and three ‘Best in Show’. Tom regularly gives talks and lectures, and continues to write occasionally for the Guardian, Financial Times and Daily Telegraph, amongst others. An exhibition on his work, the first about a living garden designer in the UK, was held at the Garden Museum in 2011. A monograph of his work to date is due to be published by Thames & Hudson in 2020. Tom is a Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society, a trustee of the Garden Museum, Garden Advisor at RHS Wisley, an Honorary Fellow of the RIBA and a Fellow of the Landscape Institute. Throughout his career Tom has also developed his own family garden at home in Hertfordshire, which is open to visitors each summer, by appointment. Guy Petheram Guy Petheram is a highly experienced garden designer and currently runs his own garden design practice based in the UK. He has exhibited his garden designs and planting at some of the top RHS shows. Guy has taught Garden Design at degree level at Nottingham Trent University, as well as being a solicitor in a former life! He also has project managed garden TV shows, has a Masters in Journalism (specialising in horticulture) and has written for publications including The Garden, Garden Design Journal, British Farmer & Grower, Lincolnshire Life, Landscape Insight, The Professional Gardener, Root & Branch and The Journal.

Course description

Learn how to create and design a country garden with world-class garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith and Guy Petheram.

Choose the Expert option for personal feedback from garden designer Guy Petheram on your designs.

Learn the philosophy, technique and skill behind one of the greatest minds in garden design. If you are taking on your own landscape design project and need some inspiration from a world class designer, this is the course for you!

During this course, you will learn the core principles of garden design from Tom’s work, and will learn how you can apply these to your own designs in a way which realises your artistic ambitions.

You will explore Tom’s own design philosophy, and ways that his own country garden reflects the history and culture of its surroundings in its planting schemes and design. The overall ‘mood’ of your garden is the most important thing to have in mind when designing your plans, and this should be at the forefront of any decision you make in the garden.

You will consider what plants or features you can source locally, and how maintenance, feature choice, structure and soil type all have a part to play in bringing your plan to life.

You'll learn:
  • core garden design principles
  • how to apply designs to suit your gardening style and location
  • reflecting the local culture and history in your designs
  • materials and features to use in your designs
  • zoning your garden and using different planting in different areas
  • behind the scenes on landscape design projects - from his own garden to Chatsworth and gardens in Spain
The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Tom Stuart-Smith
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical country garden design projects (with feedback available from Guy Petheram)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
Time to complete the country garden course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 10 hours 5 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 2 hours 5 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your garden designing projects: at least 1 hour per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
You'll need:

You don't need any special equipment, but you will be planning your own garden, choosing features and materials. The course is suitable for gardeners at all levels - from new gardeners to professionals who want to learn from an expert landscape designer.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Guy on your country garden designs.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.