Why Study Garden Design with LCGD Melbourne
Grounded in History
The London College of Garden Design has redefined how garden and landscape design is taught, setting new benchmarks for creative and professional training. Founded at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, it is widely regarded as Europe’s leading provider of garden design education. Graduates have gone on to win RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals, establish award-winning studios, and design some of the most admired gardens across the UK and beyond.
That world-class training, combined with Australian design flair and plant expertise, is now available through LCGD Melbourne — taught within the Royal Botanic Gardens in Victoria and accessible online to students across Australia and New Zealand. Whether you’re studying from Melbourne, regional Australia, or across the Tasman, you’ll be part of the same connected learning community led by practising designers shaping the landscapes of today.
Designed to Nurture
Our Diploma in Garden Design is more than technical training; it’s a creative and professional journey guided by practising designers. We nurture creativity, confidence and community, helping students grow into skilled garden designers who shape outdoor spaces with vision and purpose.
Through real design briefs, planting plans and concept development, students learn how to design gardens that are both beautiful and functional, from private courtyards to large residential landscapes. Along the way, you’ll build a deep understanding of plants, materials and design principles, even if you’re starting with no prior experience. Each project is supported by one-to-one feedback, helping you develop your own design voice while mastering the professional skills needed to work successfully in the garden design industry.
It’s an approach that blends creativity with practical design education, preparing graduates to step confidently into the world of professional garden and landscape design.
Experienced Lecturers
The Course is led by Director Brent Reid, one of Australia’s most recognised garden designers, and UK Director Andrew Fisher Tomlin, internationally respected for his leadership in garden and landscape design education. Together, they bring decades of design, teaching and industry experience to the College.
They’re joined by a talented roster of lecturers — all practising professionals working across horticulture, planting design, construction and landscape architecture. This means every lesson is grounded in real projects and current industry practice, giving students insight into how professional garden and landscape designers think, create and build.
COLLEGE DIRECTOR | HEAD LECTURER, MELBOURNE
Brent Reid
Brent Reid has been shaping Australian gardens for more than 28 years, bringing together deep horticultural knowledge with an award-winning approach to garden design. As Director of the London College of Garden Design Melbourne, he leads with a vision to nurture the next generation of garden and landscape designers, connecting students with the standards, creativity and professionalism of contemporary design practice.
Through his studio, Candeo Design, Brent has created celebrated gardens across Australia and internationally, earning major awards at shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Malaysia. In 2025, his show garden ODE received the prestigious Spirit of the Show award at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, recognition of his ability to merge concept, craft and emotion through design.
Brent’s work has been widely published in leading garden media, and he contributes regularly as a writer, speaker and tour leader with Ross Garden Tours. A member of the international Chartered Institute of Horticulture, Brent continues to influence the industry through practice, teaching and mentorship, inspiring designers to create gardens that are intelligent, sustainable and deeply connected to place.
COLLEGE DIRECTOR | LECTURER, LONDON & MELBOURNE
Andrew Fisher Tomlin
Andrew Fisher Tomlin is recognised globally as a leader in garden and landscape design education. A Chartered Horticulturist and Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Horticulture and the Society of Garden Designers, he has created award-winning gardens across the UK, Australia, the USA and New Zealand.
As co-founder of Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer, Andrew has led a renowned practice for more than 30 years, celebrated for its expertise in planting design and sustainable landscapes. Today, he continues to consult on major international projects while guiding the next generation of garden designers as Director of the London College of Garden Design in both London and Melbourne.
Andrew has lectured at institutions including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Smithsonian in Washington DC, and serves as Patron of Veterans’ Growth, a charity using horticulture to support veterans facing mental health challenges. His new book, The Modern Professional Planting Designer (Rizzoli New York, 2025), has further cemented his reputation as one of the foremost voices in contemporary garden and planting design.
Meet the Team
What sets LCGD Melbourne apart? Every class is taught by working experts. Your lecturers are practising garden designers, horticulturists and landscape builders who bring live projects, current plant science, real CAD workflows and the construction details that get signed off on site.
It is industry-level garden design training that is practical, current and grounded in the realities of professional practice. This is why our graduates enter the landscape and garden design industry ready to hit the ground running.
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Ross Uebergang is a landscape designer, specialising in sustainable landscape design. He has a background in horticulture, and has qualifications in horticulture, sustainability, landscape design and Landscape Architecture.
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Emmaline Bowman is a horticulturalist and the founder and director of STEM, a multi-award-winning design studio based in Northcote. Her work is recognised for ecologically sensitive design, layered planting and spaces that prioritise habitat as much as human use. With a hands-on approach from concept through delivery, Emmaline brings horticultural depth to every project, shaping gardens that are resilient, beautiful and grounded in place.
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Graham Ross is a horticulturist, plantsman, author, publisher and garden media presenter with more than 55 years in the industry. A champion of plants and the people who grow them, Graham has introduced generations of Australians to gardening through broadcast, print and events. His breadth of knowledge, from nursery practice to design history, brings rich context to the classroom and connects contemporary garden making with its wider horticultural story.
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Paul Ryan is a highly regarded garden designer and the owner of Rectory Gardens in Bodalla. His work is distinguished by layered planting, careful detailing and a strong sense of place, qualities that have made Rectory Gardens a regional destination and Paul a trusted voice in Australian garden design.
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Teena Crawford is a leading Australian horticulturist, author and consultant whose work bridges the worlds of education, design and industry. A graduate of Burnley (University of Melbourne), she runs Crawford Horticulture, advising some of Australia’s leading landscape and garden design studios on plant selection and horticultural practice.
She is also the co-author of the best-selling book Plantology, which celebrates the art and science of planting. With her rare mix of technical depth, creative insight and practical experience, Teena offers students an inside view of how great planting design comes to life, from concept to cultivation.
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Bethany Williamson is a landscape architect whose work begins with the character of the site rather than a fixed style. By reading a place, its light, structure, movement and memory, she develops gardens that feel inevitable, not imposed. Her schemes balance clarity and restraint with layered planting to create spaces that engage you emotionally, invite use and reveal more over time.
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Steve Taylor is the founder and creative director of COS Design. With 20+ years in the industry, he’s shaped a portfolio of multi-award-winning projects that balance bold geometry with livable detail. From complex levels and pool integration to planting that softens and endures, Steve’s site-responsive approach creates outdoor spaces that feel resolved, timeless and unmistakably connected to the architecture.
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Kirsten Raynor is a horticultural scientist with extensive experience as a lecturer and subject coordinator in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Science at the University of Melbourne. Earlier in her career she trained as a gardener with the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisley in Surrey, UK. Kirsten’s teaching bridges science and practice, bringing plant physiology, soils and ecosystem knowledge into clear, applied guidance for garden designers.
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Founder of Semken Landscaping, Martin Semkin is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded landscape contractors, with decades of experience delivering major projects and show gardens across the country and abroad. His work is recognised for its craftsmanship, technical innovation and enduring quality.
At LCGD, Martin shares his deep understanding of what transforms a great design into a successful build. Through real-world experience and collaboration, he teaches students how to work confidently with contractors, understand construction challenges and create gardens that thrive well beyond the drawing board.
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Lisa Ellis is a garden designer and horticulturalist, and the founder of a multi-award-winning landscape design and horticultural consulting studio based in Melbourne. Known for elegant, highly liveable gardens, Lisa pairs strong spatial planning with deep plant knowledge to create landscapes that mature gracefully and support the way people actually live. Her studio’s work spans private residences, heritage contexts and complex sites, with a focus on resilient planting and long-term care.
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As Director of TLC Pools, Scott Wynd has spent more than 30 years refining the art of integrating pools seamlessly within the landscape. His award-winning projects are defined by precision, technical excellence and a respect for design intent, qualities that have made TLC one of Australia’s leading pool builders.
In lectures, Scott brings valuable insight into the collaboration between designer and builder, helping students understand how detail, materials and construction methods influence the final outcome.
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Andrew Smith began his horticultural journey as a young plant enthusiast and quickly progressed into Relationships Manager at Warners Nursery, Andrew remains passionately immersed in plant science, industry networks and practical horticulture.
His guest lectures tap into that depth, revealing how plant sourcing, logistics and species knowledge underpin the success of any refined garden design.
Partnerships & Industry Opportunities
Real-world Connections
Professional connection sits at the heart of every learning experience at LCGD Melbourne. Our partnerships reach deep into the Australian and international garden and landscape design community, connecting students with award-winning designers, horticulturists and the organisations shaping the industry.
These relationships include collaborations with the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), the Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV), and leading nurseries, suppliers and design studios across Australia.
Through these connections, students gain more than knowledge. They experience the real world of garden design, building networks, confidence and professional insight alongside those defining the future of the landscape industry in Australia and beyond.
Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show
Training
The London College of Garden Design is the only design college that has received three Educator awards from the Society of Garden Designers, the UK’s professional body for garden design. The awards accredit our Garden Design Program in Australia and the Garden Design Diploma and Planting Design Diploma in the UK.
We are also grateful for the support of some of Australia’s leading suppliers and locations in helping our students to learn from the very best in our profession.
Border Gardens
Each year, LCGD Melbourne proudly partners with MIFGS through the Border Garden Competition, a celebrated platform for students and emerging designers to showcase their skills on a major stage.
Each entrant creates a 2.4m x 2.4m garden, demonstrating creativity, planting design and horticultural skill within a small but expressive footprint.
With over 100,000 visitors attending the show, it’s a powerful platform for visibility and recognition and for many LCGD students, it’s their first public step into the profession.
Beyond this competition, our students and alumni are often invited to contribute to Show Gardens, Welcome Gardens, and the Entertainment Stage Gardens, gaining hands-on experience with the country’s top designers, landscapers and suppliers.
These real-world experiences offer unparalleled immersion, turning classroom learning into professional practice.
Achievable Gardens
LCGD is also proud to collaborate with Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) through the Achievable Gardens competition.
Each year, selected students have the opportunity to design and construct a full show garden within the Achievable Gardens Avenue at MIFGS, taking their project from concept and documentation to construction and presentation.
It’s a formative learning experience and one of the most respected student showcases in the horticultural industry, offering exposure to media, peers, and future clients alike.
Charity
We have a record of supporting charities both within and outside of the garden and landscape design profession and have supported Global Gardens of Peace, a charity based in Australia helping to create gardens in conflict zones.
Ready to take the next step?
Find out more by downloading our course prospectus, or complete the form below to discuss your study options. If you’re ready to apply, you can also download the application form.
