Garden Design Academy of Ireland

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Garden Design Academy of Ireland The Garden Design Academy of Ireland, established in 2004, offers fully accredited home study and pa

Whether you want to gain a foundation in the basics of Garden Design, launch a career in this dynamic area or start your own business we have the course for you. Our courses, when paired with the feedback and guidance you will receive from your personal tutor, will give you everything you need to build a successful career in Garden Design.

A "real" Garden Designer knows everything about gardens - right? Gardens are ever-changing environments and what you kno...
25/09/2026

A "real" Garden Designer knows everything about gardens - right?

Gardens are ever-changing environments and what you know today can all change tomorrow. If you fear you will get stuck or are in over your head - tell yourself that no one knows it all and most importantly, you are not alone.

"Knowing when to seek specialist advice is not a failure of design knowledge. It is part of responsible professional practice."

Professional Garden Designers routinely collaborate with experts - land surveyor for complex levels, an arborist for a protected tree, an engineer for a retaining wall, a drainage specialist when water won't behave.

The real lesson is learning how to recognise the moment a project needs expertise and to bring the right person in at the right time.

You're not expected to be a structural engineer, soil scientist and arborist all at once. You're expected to read a site well, and know exactly when to call in help.

Explore our Garden Design courses and build the professional judgement that turns passion into a career.

An undulating, shaded, awkward garden with a steep bank, a boggy corner, or a tree in exactly the wrong spot is not a pr...
18/09/2026

An undulating, shaded, awkward garden with a steep bank, a boggy corner, or a tree in exactly the wrong spot is not a problem to be solved, it is simply information.

"One of the most important skills a garden designer develops is learning to interpret what a site is telling them. A slope, a shaded corner or an established tree may initially appear to be a constraint, but it can become the starting point for the strongest part of the design."
- Marnie Sconce, Academy Trainer

But once you start studying Garden Design you cease seeing gardens as something to fix, and start seeing them as a conversation.

✔️ Look before you plan - sunlight, shade, wind, water.
✔️ Test the soil - always.
✔️ Read the drainage - poor drainage might not need expensive engineering.
✔️ Treat every constraint as a clue - varied levels could be a stunning terrace.

And all these skills are entirely learnable!
Explore our Garden Design courses and start turning site conditions into your greatest design opportunities.

Before you learn to design a garden, you have to learn to see one!"Before you begin measuring, take time to experience t...
11/09/2026

Before you learn to design a garden, you have to learn to see one!

"Before you begin measuring, take time to experience the garden. Notice where you naturally pause, what draws your eye and which areas feel exposed or enclosed. Those first observations often reveal opportunities that measurements alone cannot show."
- Marnie Sconce, Academy Trainer

A trained eye asks why one spot feels inviting and another feels exposed. This can be taught! One of the many skills of a Garden designer is understanding that you must visit an outdoor space at different times of the day, in varying weather. Only then do you begin taking measurements.

"A garden survey does not restrict creativity - it gives creativity something reliable to work with."
- Marnie Sconce, Academy Trainer

You build the "eye", the way every professional did, by practising real attention until it becomes instinct.

Start today, in your own garden, a park, a space you walk past daily. Slow down and really look.

Explore our Garden Design courses and start learning to see outdoor spaces the way a professional does.

Before a single plant goes in the ground, the garden has already told you everything you need to know. You just have to ...
04/09/2026

Before a single plant goes in the ground, the garden has already told you everything you need to know. You just have to learn how to listen.

The first step is always a survey.

"The blank page does not truly come first. The garden does."
Skip this step, and even a brilliant design can fall apart.

"A garden survey does not restrict creativity - it gives creativity something reliable to work with. When the base plan is accurate, you can explore ideas confidently."
- Marnie Sconce, Academy Trainer

So - what does it take?

✔️ Observe first. Walk the site. Notice how you feel, what attracts your eye, what feels sheltered or exposed.
✔️ Create a measured plan, record boundaries and fixed structures, and use triangulation to pin down trees and features.
✔️ Record everything - walls, trees, drainage, utility covers, changes in surface. Every detail.
✔️ Understand levels, sun and soil. A "flat" garden might still send water toward the house.

"One of the most important skills a garden designer develops is learning to interpret what a site is telling them." - Marnie Sconce, Academy Trainer

That's the real skill behind every stunning garden - a trained eye that reads a site before designing one.

Start with learning to truly see a space.

Explore our Garden Design courses today.

Every Garden Design starts in your head - but putting it on paper is the true beginning. You may be envisioning a layout...
28/08/2026

Every Garden Design starts in your head - but putting it on paper is the true beginning.

You may be envisioning a layout, planting, and even zones, but until it is measured, until the light is gauged and the soil is tested, nothing is certain. Once you understand a site everything else will become clear.

Also - the first plan is rarely the last so take it one step at a time.

A rough sketch, a few measurements - that's enough to begin working through layout and scale. As your knowledge and learning grows, software and detailed plans will follow.

Garden design is a process and keep in mind that every strong design goes through numerous iterations before it becomes the one that actually works.

Start with what you have. Sketch the space and you will soon see the gaps in your knowledge that need to be filled.

Enrol now and find the answers to those missing pieces.

Garden Design software is there to help you design - but the design decisions are very human. It all begins with the des...
21/08/2026

Garden Design software is there to help you design - but the design decisions are very human.

It all begins with the designer's mind. What is it that you are trying to achieve?

1. Start with a simple layout. Decide what your garden needs and then use the software to place it.

2. You’ve decided on plants and borders, now you can visualise the placement in 3D.

3. For precision and technical drawings - software is your friend - but only after you’ve walked the space.

So, before you get bogged down on software, get the elements and principles right - the right tools will reveal themselves once you get the important stuff done!

Learn to think like a designer, tools and all.

Before you download an app, remember that it is the human touch that truly brings a Garden Design to life. Ask yourself ...
14/08/2026

Before you download an app, remember that it is the human touch that truly brings a Garden Design to life.

Ask yourself if software can do this:

✔️ Walk the site at different times of day. Note where the morning light falls, or where does it turn shady at 3pm?

✔️ Get personal measurements. An accurate base map, even a simple hand-drawn one, is the foundation everything else builds on.

✔️ Understand how the space will actually be used. A safe spot for kids, a place to eat outside, a quiet corner to sit with a coffee.

✔️ Know the ground. Soil type, drainage, local climate, wildlife.

All of this comes from careful observation, asking the right questions, and a clear understanding of the site.

It is only then that software becomes a valuable tool to test ideas, revise a layout, and compare options before anything permanent happens on the ground.

The thinking always comes first, the software just helps you execute it.
So build that foundation properly and start learning to read a site the way a professional does.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with the idea of Garden Design software - don’t. Try these:✔️ Garden Planner is a...
07/08/2026

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed with the idea of Garden Design software - don’t.

Try these:

✔️ Garden Planner is a drag, drop, and draw program. Perfect for learning how to organise a space and build a clean, confident layout without wrestling with complicated tools.

✔️ iScape is great if you think in pictures, not plans. Drop plants and features straight into a photo of a real space and watch an idea come to life instantly.

✔️ SketchUp is the one to reach for when you're ready to think in 3D. This is where beginners start turning into designers.

Tools like AutoCAD and Vectorworks Landmark are industry standard for precise technical drawings, planting plans and construction documentation. And you don't need to rely on one program, you can move between a few, depending on the stage of the project.

Three programs, three different strengths. Pick the one that matches where you're starting from.

Now is the time to start building the skills to bring your ideas to life.

Those heady days of Summer have a way of evoking self reflection and personal exploration. Self-determination is the po...
31/07/2026

Those heady days of Summer have a way of evoking self reflection and personal exploration.

Self-determination is the powerful drive to pursue your true self with autonomy, and purpose. And deep down, we all have that power. If your mind wanders to a different, more fulfilling career, perhaps now is the time to allow yourself to take those first steps.

Have you been languishing in gardens mentally redesigning the space? It could be time to get up and get your hands dirty. And September is the perfect time to start. It is the end of the intoxicating heat of summer and the start of a calmer, more measured pace.

Use these final weeks of summer to recharge, clarify your goals, and invest in the future version of yourself.

This September can be the time to answer your Garden Design calling. And let’s face it, that calling will only get louder.

🚨 Today is the last day to join our September intake.Time truly flies and only a year from now, you could be bursting at...
30/07/2026

🚨 Today is the last day to join our September intake.

Time truly flies and only a year from now, you could be bursting at the seams with new skills and new knowledge.

Every Garden Designer had to start somewhere!

Study from home with total flexibility, develop practical industry skills, and take that first step towards the creative career you’ve been dreaming of.

There is no perfect time, it is simply when you decide to make the choice.

This is the final chance to secure that place.
Enrol today. Your future starts now.

Address

54 Merrion Square South, Dublin 2
Dublin

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+35319022224

Website

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