About Us
Established in 1994 by principal Lindsay Gray, The School of Garden Design is the oldest private garden design school in South Africa. The curriculum offers a wide variety of courses for the homeowner, those already involved in the gardening industry and to upskill staff.
About
Lindsay Gray
Lindsay trained in garden design initially in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, with the late Vernon Rippon and Peter Bretherton, and later with Bruce Stead. She then went on to study further with master garden designer and author, John Brookes, in England, and completed several more courses at The English Gardening School in London with Sir Roy Strong and Penelope Hobhouse. Lindsay also studied photography with Clive Nichols and journalism with Eluned Price, both in England. She contributes regularly to The Gardener magazine and The Zimbabwean Gardener magazine.
In 2007, Lindsay co-authored the popular book, Making Sense of Garden Design, with past associates Sharon Walker and Helen Lachenicht. The book is also available in Afrikaans as Sinvolle Tuinontwerp and is in its second reprint.
She authored the book A Sense of Space : The Gardens of Jan Blok, a beautiful coffee table edition that illustrates the fine designs of well-known landscaper, Jan Blok, and also showcases the talents of photographer, Kim Thunder.
Lindsay and butterfly expert, Steve Woodhall, co-authored their book Gardening for Butterflies, which is available at all bookstores and from the authors.
Lindsay’s passion lies in teaching and encouraging her students to garden in an eco-friendly manner. Through teaching, she helps her students explore their individual lifestyle needs and their unique creativity.
Lindsay combines her love of teaching with her passion for design and offers a garden design and project management service to local and international clients.
About
The School
The School of Garden Design studio is situated in the leafy suburb of Hillcrest, Kwazulu-Natal. It offers a fully equipped learning facility with a well-stocked library, enabling students to do their plant and design research at the school.
For out-of-town students, there are many local B & B's available that provide excellent accommodation at reasonable rates, as well as transport to and from the school. Transport to and from the airport can be arranged separately.
The School of Garden Design also offers in-house workshops nationally, particularly in Gauteng, on demand in other centres in South Africa and, more recently, in Zambia.
The School of Garden Design’s distance-learning courses have proved especially popular with gardeners across the African continent and in many other parts of the world, particularly Europe and Australia. Their flexible, online format allows students to study professional garden design wherever they are, without the need to travel or relocate, making the courses accessible to a truly global audience.
Gardeners in diverse climates value the practical, transferable design principles taught, which can be adapted to local conditions in either hemisphere. Combined with expert tuition and an international student community, this global accessibility has helped the School build a strong worldwide reputation among aspiring and experienced garden designers alike.
Achievements
Over the years, students from The School of Garden Design have excelled at various garden shows.
2007 Gold at Malanseuns Garden Show, Pretoria
(group design)
2009 Gold with Laurels : Sunday Tribune Garden &
Home Show, Pietermaritzburg
(associate designers : Lindsay Gray & Brad May)
2011 Gold : Sunday Tribune Garden & Home Show,
Pietermaritzburg
(associate designers : Lindsay Gray & Anno Torr)
2012 Silver : Sunday Tribune Garden & Home Show, Pietermaritzburg
The School of Garden Design has produced many confident homeowners who have successfully designed gardens that complement their homes and significantly enhance their overall property investment.
It has also trained numerous successful landscapers, both nationally and internationally, through its correspondence course programme, many of whom now run thriving businesses locally and abroad. Several graduates have had their work featured on Top Billing, The Gardener television programme, and in leading national gardening magazines (see the Links Page). In addition, we are proud that many students have been inspired by the course to establish local conservancies, become actively involved in environmental initiatives, develop indigenous nurseries, and adopt a responsible, long-term approach to caring for the natural environment.
Our Mission Statement
To equip the student with sufficient knowledge to enable him to understand and work effectively with outside spaces and appropriate plant material, and, where applicable, to establish and maintain a successful business in the green industry.
