Helpful Information

Graduate and Review Applicants

Pre-registered members apply for their membership using one of two routes:

Graduate Applicant

• Open to successful graduates of Garden Design or Landscape Design / Architecture at Foundation degree, or Diploma level or higher.  Courses must have required at least 200 guided learning hours (ie one day a week for 3 terms). 
• Applicants must also confirm that they hold current Professional Indemnity insurance.

The Society has arranged especially beneficial rates to new graduate entrants to the garden design profession and full details of this can be found at http://www.m-f-l.co.uk, or email: info@m-f-l.co.uk However, there are other companies who provide PI insurance for garden designers.

Review Applicant

• If you are not able to show appropriate qualification certificates as above, please supply a sample layout plan for review as detailed on the application form, and
• Confirmation of Professional Indemnity cover as above

Until you are accepted as a pre-registered Member your status will be Friend of the Society.  If you apply for pre-registration and are not successful in the first instance you will be enrolled as a Friend. Refunds will not be issued if you are not successful.

Sample Layout

Please supply a single sheet layout design plan (a master plan or concept plan). The project does not need to have been built, but the plan must evidence your design skills. This may be something you would show your client. 

Your garden design layout plan should reflect ‘where you are’ as a designer and should be emailed in PDF format. 

What is the SGD Professional Pathway? Accreditation Information

The SGD is committed to high standards of professional practice. To encourage Members to raise and maintain standards in garden design, and help them achieve accreditation, we have designed our Professional Pathway to Registered Membership.

The Pathway is a three-step program that should be undertaken while you are a Pre-Registered Member and working as a garden designer, typically over three to five years. Through the Pathway, we can guide your development and support you in achieving Registered Membership.

Step 1

Registration Starts Here

This introductory presentation provides useful information on the standards required and preparations you will need to make for accreditation. Pre-Registered Members and Students can download it here.

Step 2

Accreditation Advice Sessions

Accreditation advice sessions are design workshops where you can get a brief overview of the quality of your work and tips on how to develop it to accreditation standard. Sessions are purely advisory and comprise a general discussion on accreditation and what the SGD looks for in submitted work, followed by a review of the work you have brought in an open forum. Attending an Accreditation advice session is not compulsory but is very strongly recommended.

The advice sessions are offered free on an annual basis around the regions to Pre-Registered Members. Students have the opportunity to attend a presentation as part of an SGD Educator Status course or at an annual graduate presentation. It is also possible to arrange your own Accreditation advice session with a group of members in your region. Email the SGD office at info@sgd.org.uk to discuss venues, prices and dates.

Step 3

Accreditation

Accreditation is a qualifying assessment - the Society’s way of evaluating your work and professional competence. It involves submitting your work to a panel of three highly qualified SGD Members, who assess and decide whether it is up to the required standard.

You will be asked to submit drawings and documents for three separate projects that should vary in character, size and scope, and have been completed within the previous five years. You may submit projects one at a time in a staged submission over a period of time, or all three projects at once for a full submission.

You must have a complete understanding of the drawings you submit, and be able to demonstrate that all the design decisions are your own, as well as a thorough knowledge of the project from survey through to construction.

The panel will assess your work in absentia, but you should be available on the day of your accreditation to receive a phone call from the accreditors. Written feedback is given on all work submitted. After the assessment, you will find out if you have passed, been referred for further work or does not meet the required SGD standard - there is no grading system. If all three pieces of your work pass, you become a Registered Member; but should parts of your application need to be referred, you will need to submit further material within six months.

An applicant has the right to appeal against the decision. Details on the appeals process can be found here. To find out more about this or to answer any other accreditation queries, please contact the SGD office.

Members can download our Accreditation Pack for more in-depth information on what is required. Those going through accreditation can download the accreditation checklist here.

You can find dates of upcoming accreditation advice sessions and other Professional Pathway sessions in our Events section.

The accreditation panel consists of 3 members of the accreditation committee who have been fully trained in the assessment process. 

Please contact the SGD office on info@sgd.org.uk to book yourself onto an accreditation.