Among the up-and-coming professions in an ever-developing world is that of the Garden Designer, a professional specialising in the design, arrangement and management of ornamental greenery. If anyone thinks that the garden designer is 'only' a professional gardener, is literally off the mark, because his role assumes very specific skills ranging from botany e agrarian to thearchitecture and theengineering.
It is more correct to consider the garden designer as a green architect, who took care of his education by studying subjects such as topography, technical drawing, botany, as well as being very familiar with new design software: AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator.
How to become a Garden Designer: study and experience
The profession of garden designer assumes a period of study, which must then be nurtured with continuous updates. It is unthinkable that for become a garden designer some knowledge gained here and there on the subject is sufficient. Instead, it is essential to choose the right course, one that provides precise knowledge and technical skills, followed by refresher modules that go hand in hand with the new discoveries, trends and tools of the ever-changing trade.
To accompany this training is also a period of experience in the field: experiments and designs are used to get to grips with the subject matter, manage spaces, solve peculiar criticalities, make the best use of the budget, and find the best solutions for the individual case.
Training creativity
Becoming a garden designer means first of all learning very important technical notions: perspective, measurement and design are activities that presuppose having already acquired familiarity with tools and subjects that range over different fields, all of them technical. But a large part of the skills of this professional figure relates to creativity, which must be constantly challenged, stimulated and cultivated in order to find its full expression. Technical drawing, at the same time, must be flanked by 'artistic' drawing to demonstrate the idea to be realised.
Becoming a garden designer or having a green soul
No less important is the visceral love for nature, for greenery, for all that is beauty and harmony. Because it is in this climate and with this spirit that the creativity and ideas of the garden designer take shape.
The disciplines to be learnt
The disciplines taught in a Garden Designer course mainly concern botanical subjects, from nomenclature and recognition of plants and trees, elements of ecology, garden history. Also important are:
- topography
- technical drawing
- the study of design software
When the garden designer intervenes
The garden designer works for both public and private entities, obviously with different studies and types of design depending on the case. All spaces are studied in detail in a preliminary phase, which is followed by a series of studies and surveys, before moving on to the necessary interventions. The garden designer in particular:
- identifies objectives
- analysing the situation
- draw up a project
- analyse the budget
- elaborates artistic and technical drawing
- identifies the tools, modes of intervention, timing and phases
- organises and manages the various moments
Garden Design: for every project a studio
In realising a garden design project, the professional must take numerous factors into account. First and foremost the type of terrain, followed by the climate, the amount of light the garden receives, and the materials to be used. In other words, it is important to create an outdoor space that is designed, studied and realised in every detail for that specific environment, finding the right balance between this and the vegetation.
A manual for becoming a garden designer.
There are several volumes dedicated to this field. Among the most comprehensive is 'Green Area Plan and Project - Design Manual' by Alessandro Toccolini, with the collaboration of Paolo Stefano Ferrario, Natalia Fumagalli and Giulio Senes, used in Italian Design Institute courses. The book is divided into various sections and chapters that deal with the following topics:
- Green area system
- Public and private parks and gardens
- Green routes
- Methods for planning
- Project Phases
- Design techniques
- GIS and CAD technologies
- Elements of composition
- The construction of forms
- Shrubs and plant composition
- The design of green areas in schools
- Waterfront design
- Healing Gardens: the gardens of care facilities
For become a garden designerTherefore, training is essential, along with further education and experience in the field. Italian Design Institute offers a Master specific and comprehensive to train this professional figure.
The Master today is present in the cities of Milan, Pistoia, Catania and Bari.
The programme includes an in-depth study of these topics:
- Botany and landscape ecology
- Knowledge of botanical and arboreal species
- Classification of ornamental species
- History of the garden
- How to choose plants for nursery
- Ground characteristics
- Urban green
- Sensory elements use
