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If you’re a garden-lover looking for a midwinter pick-me-up, Create Academy’s course, Small Garden Design, taught by London-based landscape designer Butter Wakefield, is a wonderful opportunity to get inspired, while learning the inner workings of sustainable garden design.
I’ve just finished the course and loved it so much that I thought I’d share my thoughts on it while my impressions are still fresh, just in case you, too, are wanting to turn your thoughts towards something uplifting, and improve your garden game in the process.
For me, one of the greatest takeaways of this class was the fact that you can do it yourself, and you can create something beautiful, even when your space is limited. There are great tips for adding scent and color to a window sill, a balcony or a terrace, as well as planning for a life spent in the garden, sustainably and responsibly.
Through three distinct design projects – three gardens in London, one of which her own and another designed for decorator Rita Konig – Butter Wakefield teaches the principles of garden design through the lens of sustainability, with an emphasis on preservation and practicality. Although the gardens are small in scale, they are hard-working, efficient, and teeming with life.
Filmed in London, the course contains 4 hours of instruction divided into 25 easy-to-follow lessons that cover the entire design process, from measuring a space and building a client brief to designing layout, selecting plants and hardscaping materials, to the hidden mechanics of a magical garden, such as outdoor lighting, whimsical water features, outdoor statues and more.
While the principles taught in this class apply to all gardens, a small outdoor space is an excellent opportunity to maximize creativity and hone in on your deepest needs and wants for the garden. Then, armed with a distilled vision and a clear plan of action, even the smallest of gardens can become something truly special – comfortable, inspiring and magical.
As with all Create Academy classes, the progression of lessons in Butter Wakefield’s course is engaging yet gentle, and the photography superb – I cannot think of a more inspiring way to spend a cold winter morning!
If you’re interested in this class and would like to learn more, check out Small Garden Design with Butter Wakefield HERE.
