A collection of great landscaping articles and favorite links that cover various topics from principles of design to landscape design gurus.
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Choosing a landscaping career does not require that you become a certified landscape architect. Don't think that you have to go that far unless you just want to. You can be a designer without an architects degree. However, in most states you can't claim to be certified.
I and most designers that I personally know do not have a degree in architecture. What we and most successful creative designers all have in common is a passion for what we do. This is your first and most important requirement for a career in landscape design.
There are a few different ways that you can get your education and knowledge.
When I first started out, I went to work for a certified architect. And while I learned a lot, I soon discovered that everything he did was not exactly correct. And on top of that, my designs and plant selection started to look exactly like his. I also didn't agree with his way of doing business.
Don't misunderstand what I just said. If it is possible, going to work for a good design firm is a great way to get experience. Just try not to become a clone. Being unique will be one of your tickets to a successful business.
Once I was on my own, a very good friend of mine who is a certified architect advised me on taking some landscape design classes to get a better understanding of geometry, color, principles, plant selection, horticulture, and prepare me for specific situations.
However, at that time, my local college didn't offer any classes on the subject and I was not about to leave home and my family for an extended period of time. I also was internet illiterate and had no idea about classes and courses that I could take online. And so I did it the hard way.
If I were to start my landscaping Career all over, I definitely would enroll myself in a good distance learning landscape design school. While I do have a lot of knowledge and passion for my chosen profession, there was still so much that I had to learn on my own. Taking some good design courses would have put my career so much farther ahead than it is in a much shorter time.
While experience is the best teacher, my own experience says that having to learn it all from experience is not the way to go.
While most branch colleges have classes in art, geometry, and horticulture, they usually don't teach you anything about how they apply specifically to the landscape and garden design profession.
This is not a problem. Today, because of the internet, you have the opportunity to learn all of what you need to know and while you build your business at home. There are a few good online landscape design schools that are comparatively inexpensive. I've done a little research and reviews and you can find a list of the better schools and courses at:
Landscape Design Schools
These universities and courses require that you fill out a form to get information on the courses. It costs nothing and so I advise that you contact them all in order to make a better decision about your specific goals.
While these universities will ask you some questions, there are also some things that you need to ask them. I've also created a list of questions you should ask on the page I just mentioned.
So my advice to you for starting your landscaping career is this. Take some online distance learning courses, go ahead and get your business started, and get out there and make some mistakes.
Choosing a landscaping career does not require that you become a certified landscape architect. Don't think that you have to go that far unless you just want to. You can be a designer without an architects degree. However, in most states you can't claim to be certified.
I and most designers that I personally know do not have a degree in architecture. What we and most successful creative designers all have in common is a passion for what we do. This is your first and most important requirement for a career in landscape design.
There are a few different ways that you can get your education and knowledge.
When I first started out, I went to work for a certified architect. And while I learned a lot, I soon discovered that everything he did was not exactly correct. And on top of that, my designs and plant selection started to look exactly like his. I also didn't agree with his way of doing business.
Don't misunderstand what I just said. If it is possible, going to work for a good design firm is a great way to get experience. Just try not to become a clone. Being unique will be one of your tickets to a successful business.
Once I was on my own, a very good friend of mine who is a certified architect advised me on taking some landscape design classes to get a better understanding of geometry, color, principles, plant selection, horticulture, and prepare me for specific situations.
However, at that time, my local college didn't offer any classes on the subject and I was not about to leave home and my family for an extended period of time. I also was internet illiterate and had no idea about classes and courses that I could take online. And so I did it the hard way.
If I were to start my landscaping Career all over, I definitely would enroll myself in a good distance learning landscape design school. While I do have a lot of knowledge and passion for my chosen profession, there was still so much that I had to learn on my own. Taking some good design courses would have put my career so much farther ahead than it is in a much shorter time.
While experience is the best teacher, my own experience says that having to learn it all from experience is not the way to go.
While most branch colleges have classes in art, geometry, and horticulture, they usually don't teach you anything about how they apply specifically to the landscape and garden design profession.
This is not a problem. Today, because of the internet, you have the opportunity to learn all of what you need to know and while you build your business at home. There are a few good online landscape design schools that are comparatively inexpensive. I've done a little research and reviews and you can find a list of the better schools and courses at:
Landscape Design Schools
These universities and courses require that you fill out a form to get information on the courses. It costs nothing and so I advise that you contact them all in order to make a better decision about your specific goals.
While these universities will ask you some questions, there are also some things that you need to ask them. I've also created a list of questions you should ask on the page I just mentioned.
So my advice to you for starting your landscaping career is this. Take some online distance learning courses, go ahead and get your business started, and get out there and make some mistakes.