Our Story…
Irene School of Garden Design is one of the most well-known garden design schools in South Africa, and now gaining international recognition. We are successful because of our passion for people and nature, and because we know where our gift worth sharing, comes from. Our very first course presented in 2001, was the three-morning introduction course, held in the scenic and historically rich suburb of Irene, South Africa. The course was based around the idea that anyone who wants to, can learn how to design gardens. We discovered early on that the demand was for a people’s course, and that gardeners don’t necessarily want to take the enjoyment out of gardening with formal studies, but rather preferred stress-free learning to develop their hobbies and interests. Our students were as diverse as the plant kingdom, with people of all ages and from many different career paths, yearning to learn all about gardening. It was not long before a more comprehensive course, something that sits comfortably between an introduction workshop, and a formal qualification was requested by individuals and the gardening industry.
The premier programmes as it is known today were compiled with the help from of university professionals, garden writers, horticulturists, plant growers and nurseries, architects, and landscape architects. By 2006, the first comprehensive course was presented. Since then, the premier courses developed and refined into one of the most sought-after courses of its type on offer, to the extent that it started attracting international attention from institutions and prospective learners. Our correspondence courses were launched in 2014 and by 2019, it became clear that we had to reach beyond our geographical location and migrate to hybrid and correspondence programmes only. Today, Irene School of Garden Design still offers our very first course, the introduction workshop in person, helping homeowners to design their own gardens with panache. Our premier offering now provides two intermediate variations to help serious enthusiasts make gardening a proper or paying hobby. Combined, these form our flagship online educational product, popular throughout South Africa and other countries. We are now fully focussed on providing and developing the best, most personal and most engaging online educational products in the garden design industry.
Hello team…
Lee Burger
Winifred Harms
