$79.99 USD

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Garden Design Ideas That Work On-Demand

Classes include: Reimagining the Mixed Border, The Herbaceous Design Process: Conception, Production and Refinement, and Planting the Smaller Urban Garden.

Class 1: Reimagining the Mixed Border 

Noel Kingsbury

The “mixed border” is arguably the unsung hero of planting design. Combining small trees, shrubs, perennials, climbers, bulbs, and even annuals has long been the mainstay of many of the best gardens in the world. A mixed border design provides the best opportunity for a long season of interest, and research has shown that it offers the best opportunities for supporting biodiversity, too. In this class we’ll look at the different elements of this blended style and how they can be brought together. Additionally, we’ll discuss layered plantings (in both a structural and seasonal sense) using a woodland edge habitat as a natural case study to reveal why this approach works both visually and ecologically. This planting method satisfies the love many gardeners have for truly making the most of plant diversity close to home.

Class 2: The Herbaceous Design Process: Conception, Production and Refinement

Elliot Forsyth

Take an in-depth look at how to design, plan, lay out, and finesse perennial plantings. Your instructor, Elliot Forsyth, is known internationally for his skillfully designed and maintained perennial and seasonal plantings throughout Scotland and beyond. Here, he'll explain how to use a sense of place to unpack a framework of design fundamentals and what the critical aspects are when formulating a planting plan. Elliott discusses the importance of a clear theme and demonstrates the method he employs to create it. Using specific examples, he takes you through a step-by-step process: exploring plant selection, combining plants effectively, and planning, laying out, and refining perennial plantings. This course will teach you how to create a concise and masterful exposition, using a detailed yet approachable process.

Class 3: Planting the Smaller Urban Garden

Annie Guilfoyle

Planting smaller, urban gardens can sometimes be a really challenging and somewhat daunting task. What should you include and what is OK to leave out when space is very limited? In this class, award-winning designer and RHS Chelsea Flower Show Silver Medal winner Annie Guilfoyle will focus on the best way to research and select plants that will work in the smaller spaces while offering as much interest as possible. She’ll outline the importance of seasonal interest and offer concrete how-to advice, especially when designing front-facing gardens. Additionally, Annie will address often overlooked aspects in small-space gardening, like the inclusion of bulbs, which are a great way of packing interest into urban pocket gardens. And finally, you will get a tutorial on designing and drawing up a planting plan.

A 3-part lecture series in partnership with