You can have the career you always dreamt of and develop your love of design and gardening into the most rewarding experience. To be a landscape designer, being able to design gardens for others, work outside with living materials and orchestrate worlds for others to live in, is truly one of the most satisfying and fulfilling careers or interests there is. If this passion is what drives you, our Comprehensive Courses is will be your most valuable asset. At Irene School of Garden Design we do not want you to miss out on any opportunity to be who you were meant to be. If you have always yearned to design, work with nature and people, love drawing decorating or putting things together, and inspire to a career that allows freedom, creativity, more time and purpose, then you are in safe hands now. Irene School of Garden Design offers full-time courses for those who can study during the day and who are embarking on a career or investing in their hobby. Irene School of Garden Design also offer part-time courses specifically for those who want to pursue garden design as a new career, paying hobby or serious enthusiast, but need to do so after hours. It is the career you will never retire from and our comprehensive courses will help you get there.
Stackable Comprehensive Courses
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For Pleasure or Purpose.
Stackable courses make your life easier and richer...
Our Comprehensive courses are sorted into six theoretical courses, and 2 practical courses. Students can address each core competency on its own as a course for leisure or purpose. Each course is offered with a credential of attendance, but students who opt to submit the various assignments relating to each subject can achieve a credential of achievement or excellence. All the courses can be stacked into a global comprehensive credential in garden design. This allows students the freedom to start courses throughout the year, study during the day, in the evenings or on weekends, and over a timeframe that suits their pace.
Whether it’s for pleasure or to become a designer of outdoor spaces, you now have courses that comfortably fits into your busy schedule, and can stack to become a credential.
Comprehensive Courses.
For those who are starting a career, changing a career, and the more serious gardeners...
Our Comprehensive courses are the culmination of over 12 years of experience, 5 years of research, together with constant comparison to other courses and programs both nationally and internationally. Intensive industry analysis and continual assessment from the industry and leading academics, locally and abroad make our course unique. The Irene School of Garden Designs’ residential and light commercial garden design courses are the superior choice in landscape design education. The course is a multi-faceted, and a comprehensive combination of skill sets and theoretical knowledge required to work in this industry or successfully and responsibly enjoy gardening as a hobby. Our courses are well known locally and internationally with an impressive repertoire of international students and professionals referred to us for refining their unique skill sets and enhancing their current design careers in outdoor design, architecture, installation and maintenance.
The leading landscape designers in South Africa and International Universities and companies recommend us because we adopt a personal relationship with each student and present our courses in an enjoyable, friendly, and dynamic manner that suits everyone, regardless of your language preference, age or level of experience. We offer the only 1 year landscape design course that develops design skill trough creative conceptual thinking. Irene School of Garden Design is independent, which allows us to be current, quality driven and personal, and are not bound by typical constraints of tertiary education such as points, credits or disruptions in learning. Irene School of Garden Design was also the first to include and develop spatial and architectural philosophy and theory into courses. Courses are presented to smaller groups of students; this ensures students get the attention they deserve. Course material is presented by the most unsurpassed industry individuals together with Lee Burger, holding BSc Larch (UP), BL Hons (UP) and ML Prof (UP) degrees in Landscape Architecture and active S.A.C.L.A.P. member. We are also one of only a few institutions to continue adopting a bilingual approach to education. We offer students ample opportunity to steer their careers with practical courses as well as theoretical knowledge, continually assessing student progress to uphold the highest quality of education available, and ultimately want to offer value for life.
Course Dates & Registration.
1. Design course (12 weeks) | R11 379 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 8 February 4 May |
Evening classes: 10 February 5 May |
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2. Process Course (4 weeks) | R3 749 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 2 February 20 September |
Evening classes: 2 February 22 September |
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3. Drawing and Drafting Course (5 weeks) | R4 749 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 2 March 25 October |
Evening classes: 2 March 27 October |
4. Planting Course (5 weeks) | R4 749 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 7 June 3 August |
Evening classes: 9 June 3 August |
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5. Construction Primer Course (5 weeks) | R4 749 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 19 July 19 October |
Evening classes: 21 July 19 October |
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6. Computer Aided Design (6 weeks) | R5 679 | ||
Starting dates: | |||
Morning classes: 21 & 28 July (CAD1) 8 & 15 September (CAD2) 6 & 13 October (CAD3) |
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7. Project & Practical Courses: | |
Show garden Building: | R349 p.p |
Please contact the school to confirm dates of Show garden build up. | |
Designing for practice projects (4 available): | R749 per project |
Only applicable to students that have completed Process, Drawing and Design courses. Enquire via e-mail. |

Comprehensive Course Class Times...
Starting dates and times...
Morning classes: February to November during school terms
Monday or Tuesday mornings from 9:30 till 12:30
Note: If a course starts on a Monday for example, all classes will be on a Monday morning for the duration of the course. Please take note of the year planner as some courses may be interrupted with public or school holidays.
Unit 1 B, 19 Clifton Avenue, Lyttelton, Centurion.
Evening classes: February to November during school terms
Tuesday or Wednesday evenings from 17:45 till 20:45
Note: If a course starts on a Tuesday for example, all classes will be on a Tuesday evening for the duration of the course. Please take note of the year planner as some courses may be interrupted with public or school holidays.
Unit 1 B, 19 Clifton Avenue, Lyttelton, Centurion