How to Be a Garden Designer

Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen and in this segment we're going to learn all about how to become a garden designer. Now we all love to have beautiful gardens and we need help with them and a garden designer is someone that comes and sets a plant out for you and helps you select the different plants that you want for your garden. And they'll make different recommendations based on if you have a sunny or shady area, what climate you're in or where the plants come from. And to become a garden designer you really don't have to have a degree although it does help. And so first of all, I recommend taking some horticultural classes. And that way you'll become more familiar with plants. And you don't have to go full time, there's all types of classes that you can take in the evening or online to learn all about plants. You can become a master gardener 'cause that will give you credentials. And you need some kind of a credential to be seen as an expert gardener, and so people want those credentials to hire you. So just by taking a master gardening class through your local extension service, you will become an expert. And that way people will respect your views and it'll be much easier to find clientele. But saying that, I found the easiest way to become a garden designer is to work for a garden designer. And to have on the job training. And even if you contact the garden designer that does not have an opening and you offer to help for free as an apprentice or just to offer to help because you want to learn more about it, many times they will give you a job. And you might not be doing the most beautiful work that you envision, you might just be weeding or moving rocks, but you can be around a garden designer and learn what they do. And that way when you do start your own business as a garden designer, not only do you have credentials, you've taken horticultural classes, you've become a master gardener whether it's online or not, and perhaps you've worked in that position where you have been a garden designer or worked for a garden designer. You have credentials. And then all you have to do is either put an ad online, on Craigslist or go to a home and garden show and set up a booth at the garden show or a farmer's market, and just put together a little flier and hand it out, offering your services, whether it's an hourly or a rate based on the project. You can get a lot of jobs that way and it really is word of mouth. And so if you put yourself out there and you go to places where gardeners meet, you will find that you will become a garden designer with very little effort and you'll have lots of clientele.