Garden design training in France & via distance learning

Garden Design Academy:
The Garden Design Academy, located in the Loire Valley region of Central France, is run by award-winning English garden designers Colin and Marie-Chantal Elliott. They are specialist tutors offering English language residential tuition in garden design and CAD technologies. They also offer distance learning courses for home study at your own pace.

Drawing on over 30 years of experience in horticulture, gardening, garden design and landscaping, the Academy provides a wide range of courses in these subjects by distance learning and a number of residential courses.

Courses are designed for English-speaking students at all levels - from the keen amateur right through to professionals seeking degree level career developement. The Garden Design Academy is proud to offer the full range of qualifications from the UK's Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and is the only establishment on mainland Europe to do so.

There is a growing demand for hands-on, residential courses, especially in garden design related subjects. To meet this demand we moved to our current location in the centre of France in 2008, making us easy to reach from the whole of Europe. We offer:

"Design your own Garden" week for amateurs:
Here, clients are educated and entertained in equal measure and are expertly guided through the process of transforming their own gardens. They leave with a plan to implement on their return.

"CAD for Garden Designers" aimed at industry professionals:
This training is at an entirely different level, intended for industry professionals who wish to discover the advantages of using computer-aided drawing (CAD) and drafting techniques in their work. Being residential, the course allows for hands-on learning at the keyboard, guided by a garden designer with many years of commercial experience behind him.

Other workshops and short courses are planned for the coming months and years while we are equally responsive to requests for one-to-one intensive courses in garden design and other subjects.

Students stay in our renovated 18th century mansion and may visit the gardens and chateaux of the Loire Valley while they are here. Our site in this central location gives residential students easy access by plane, train and car from all over Europe. Visits are arranged to the famous chateaux and gardens of the Loire Valley nearby.

We offer a wide selection of over 60 horticulture industry and gardening courses by distance learning with students from the UK, France and other European countries, together with leaners from as far away as Australia, USA and Canada. Many British ex-pats are following our courses.

As the only college on mainland Europe offering the full range of RHS qualifications, these courses, leading to RHS Certificate, Diploma and Masters in Horticulture, are always in great demand. With new qualifications launch in 2010, this is sure to continue.

We also offer training in landscaping and garden design to clients beginning to make a name for themselves in this industry sector and needing a broad education in the subject while earning a living. Established and new garden designers also welcome our CAD training.

Our range of horticultural courses increases all the time, with both general and crop specific studies available.

The RHS offer a career developement path with internationally recognised qualifications starting at a basic level right up to Master of Horticulture degree program. We support this program with courses tailored for the needs of English-speaking horticulturalists and keen amateur gardeners throughout the world.

Students following this program have a wide range of career options available to them in an industry crying out for trained professionals. Those following these courses have a history of excellence in the RHS examinations and a high pass rate.

When you study with the Garden Design Academy we support your progress every step of the way.

The Garden Design Academy is well aware that while many of its students are keen amateur gardeners, others are involved in the business of horticulture, garden retailing, garden design and landscaping.

A further group would like to run such businesses and are looking for support in many areas, both technically and business orientated.

For these clients we are pleased to offer a range of courses in general and specific industry sector business management.

Courses come with a CD or written notes and students are guided through their learning by Colin Elliott, Course Director and an experienced manager of garden centres, nurseries, horticultural wholesalers, garden design and landscape businesses.

Our courses are written by a team of international experts giving them relevence throughout the horticultural and gardening industry.  Sectors covered include retailing, aboriculture, wholesale nursery and crop production, with further training offered in marketing and with our "start your own business" program.