Distance Learning Courses

Our Distance Learning courses were set up in 1993 for students who cannot attend the School in person. Based on our Diploma curriculum, they are carefully structured to guide students working at home through the learning process. The courses are very flexible and can be started at any time. Students work at their own pace. Projects are marked by a personal tutor as and when they are sent in. The project work reinforces learning, leading to actual results for your garden. All we ask is that the courses are completed within 3 years of enrolment.

As the learning is progressive, you will be able to implement concepts and practical tips on an ongoing basis. By the end of the course you will have gained a thorough understanding of your chosen subject and a considerable portfolio of completed exercises and projects.

On completion you will receive an English Gardening School Certificate, graded Distinction, Merit or Pass. And of course, you will have the satisfaction and pleasure of having created a wonderful new garden for yourself or a friend.

The Student

Do you recognise any of the following scenarios?

• You have just bought a new house and would like to redesign your own garden.
• You are considering a career change, but want to know more before committing yourself.
• You have a full-time job during the day or look after children so you can only study in the evenings.
• You live abroad and want to learn about English gardening from the experts.

These are all good reasons to sign up to one of our courses. And you don't need to have any previous experience. The courses really do begin at the beginning, and your personal tutor will help you through the learning curve with guidance.

The Course

There are currently two courses available: Garden Design and Maintaining Your Garden - A Practical Course in Horticulture. All the courses are written or supervised by Rosemary Alexander and her team at The English Gardening School. Previous graduates have contributed drawings, diagrams, garden layouts and planting plans - so you can see examples of how work should be prepared for sending to your tutor - and a suggested reading list is included.

During the course you are invited to attend a one-to-one tutorial with the Vice Principal, Simon Pyle. We recommend that you arrange this when you have completed at least one project. As a Distance Learning student you are also entitled to a £20 reduction off one of our short courses.

The Team

The Principal of The English Gardening School Rosemary Alexander, FRSA, AI Hort, FSGD, one of the pioneering figures in the world of garden design, has devoted a lifetime to the profession, running an established garden design business as well as the School. She is Course Director on the Garden Design Diploma Course, and takes a keen interest in the progress of the School's Distance Learning Students.

Rosemary Alexander, Simon Pyle and Gill Lotter

Normally one tutor is assigned to you for the duration of your course, and Simon Pyle, Dip EGS, the Vice Principal of the School, will oversee your work and offer one personal tutorial per student during the course of their studies. Gill Lotter  gained her Garden Design Diploma in 1999 and is interested in garden history and sensory gardens for the disabled.

Additional help and advice is available Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm by phone on 020 7352 4347, fax 020 7376 3936 or email info@egs.dircon.co.uk.

Garden design is a complex art form: it encompasses disciplines ranging from soil science and surveying to plant selection; it deals not only in three dimensions but also with the additional dimension of time. Our classic course unlocks the secrets of effective garden design - why, how, what and when. This is our most comprehensive design course: it teaches the design process in great detail and includes extensive sections on plants and visual presentation.

Aim of the course:

• To enable you to design a garden of any size in a professional manner, in both layout and planting.
• How will you achieve this?
• By developing your ability to analyse the site, including surrounding views and orientation.
• By understanding what is wanted from the garden and how best to achieve it.
• By surveying the garden and drawing it up to scale. Using a grid to balance proportions, linking the garden with the house and determining the best possible use of the space.
• By manipulation of space, creating direction and movement using vertical and horizontal elements.
• By choosing appropriate hard landscaping materials and integrating your proposals with the existing framework.
• By enhancing the design with planting. Considering structural, accent and decorative plants, including climbers, wall shrubs, roses, grasses and ferns.
• By using bulbs and annuals for seasonal interest.
• By using graphics and visuals to communicate your ideas.

There are seven projects in Garden Design, with shorter exercises throughout the course. On average the course takes 12 to 18 months to complete, working at the rate of about one evening a week.

The Materials

You will find details of necessary materials in the course book.

1 drawing board A2 size, 1 set of ink drawing pens, 3 nib sizes, 1 45 degree set square, A3 and A2 tracing paper, A2 graph paper, HB pencils, eraser shield, eraser, scale rule, compass and extension arm, circle templates, scalpel (for correction on tracing paper), flexicurve, coloured pencils.

This course will give you the confidence to create or restore and care for your garden, whether starting from scratch or altering an existing and overgrown site. We take you step by step through initial and routine tasks, also explaining how to choose plants and how to propagate and sustain healthy growth. With our expert advice, you will learn how to transform an outside space and acquire a full set of gardening skills for future use.

Aim of the course:

• To make, maintain and enjoy a healthy and attractive garden throughout the different seasons of the year.

How will you achieve this?

• By assessing the site, nature of soil, situation and existing planting.
• By measuring and marking out existing and proposed beds.
• By understanding plant anatomy from root structure and leaves to flowers and fruits.
• By learning plant nomenclature and identification.
• By choosing appropriate plants for your soil and climatic conditions.
• By propagating healthy plants, and tackling pests and diseases.
• By recording what you do in your garden in a garden log.
• By working out a maintenance plan.

There are 6 project submissions and many exercises in this course. On average the course takes 12 months to complete, working at a rate of about 6 hours per week. Although not a design course, it will teach you how to plan and plant new borders and how to choose plant combinations for year-round interest.

If you are interested in enrolling on any of these distance learning courses please go to Applying for a course.

If, when you have received your course manual, you are not completely satisfied, please return the book to us by recorded mail within 7 days and we will refund the course fees in full less the postage charges. No refunds will be given under any circumstances after this 7 day period.