An understanding of garden history can provide a wonderful foundation for improving your garden design skills.

This is garden history course is not only for students of garden design, but also for practicing professional designers, and horticulturists who wish to broaden their understanding of gardens across many countries and over the centuries. Based upon curriculum prepared by the RHS for the Master of Horticulture (This can be taken also as part of that Masters degree), the course has been written by highly qualified garden designers from both the UK and Australia, to present different styles of gardens and demonstrate the evolution of gardens across the world.

Course Aims:

• Become familiar with a brief outline of garden history, reasons for studying garden history, and the scope and nature of garden conservation today.
• Discuss the development of private gardens through to the present day and to identify the influence of key factors such as wealth, status, war, travel and function.
• Discuss the development of public gardens and commercial landscapes through to the present day and to identify the influence of key factors such as wealth, status, war, travel and function.
• Provide examples of gardens and designed landscapes associated with individuals and illustrate the association both from historic and contemporary perspectives.
• Identify key individuals such as designers, horticulturists, plant hunters and writers who have influenced horticulture
• Describe how various influences from different countries have come together in the modern world to impact on garden designs and built landscape developments, across the modern world, in places other than where those cultural, historic or other influences first originated.
• Identify the value of gardens and designed landscapes in terms such as education, heritage, leisure, tourism, plant conservation, economy and conservation of skills; Identify and assess threats to these landscapes and available mitigation measures including legal safeguards; Show an awareness of planning policy, planning law and planning bodies.
• Explain the role of ‘English Heritage’ and its equivalents in promoting and protecting significant landscapes; and the role of the Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest; Describe the role of other organisations such as CABE Space, Local Authorities, Historic Houses Association, Garden History Society, National Trust, RHS, Council for Conservation of Plants, and private owners of gardens