0005 - Garden Design

Course Description

This course is recommended for individuals who are interested in pursuing garden design at garden centers, thinking of starting their own business in garden consulting, or wishing to create beautiful spaces in their own backyard. Students will gain hands-on experience in all aspects of design from evaluating and measuring properties to presenting completed designs. Some of the topics that we will explore will be design principles, choosing the right plant for the right place, landscape installation, developing a plant palette, creating gardens that attract pollinators, and incorporating natives, edible plants, and herbs into the landscape.

In this six week course, students will have the opportunity to complete and present a garden design project. It will include a group visit to a home garden to evaluate and measure the property and interview homeowners.

6 week course including one Saturday morning off site visit to a property (day to be arranged).

Molly Gearty is a Certified Horticulturist through the American Society for Horticultural Science.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree from California Polytechnic University in ornamental horticulture with a minor in botany.   Her professional experience includes working at botanical gardens and retail nurseries in California and New Jersey and teaching horticulture to both adults and children. She has worked at a children’s garden, managed a five-acre rosarium and was farm manager at Cousins’ Garden donation farm. Molly's newest venture is the launch of Back To The Garden, LLC, a garden design and consultation service that specializes in creating environmentally friendly sanctuaries that nurture both body and soul.  When her family moved to New Jersey in 2008, she had the delightful experience of designing and installing an English Cottage garden of her own.

Learner Outcomes

Goals:

• To become familiar with garden design principles.
• To gain hands on experience in all aspects of the garden design process.