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About Landscape Design
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Average Salaries
Landscape Design workers may earn between $47,000 and $89,000 per year
Are you passionate about working creatively with plants and outdoor spaces? Do you want a career that requires both technical and creative skills? Landscape design may be the industry for you. These Landscape Design Courses not only equip students with a solid appreciation of landscape design and practice, but they also aim to enhance students’ technical and creative skills in landscape, permaculture, business and planting design. Potential subjects that these courses could explore include designing, preparing and assessing landscape designs, costing a project, producing computer-aided plans and drawings, and designing sustainable landscapes.
Shape the way we live and create connections to nature by studying a landscape design course.
Combining elements of art, science, nature and culture, landscape design considers and proposes opportunities for us to connect with each other in nature. If you love the outdoors and want to use your skill to connect people with nature, consider studying a landscape design course.
Landscape designers design gardens and outdoor areas for clients, acting as kind of an architect for the outdoors. Working as landscape designer, you’ll research, design, plan and project manage for outdoor projects, gardens and landscapes, and plant, cultivate and maintain trees and shrubs in outdoor spaces.
A creative and rewarding discipline, landscape design involves a range of visual and creative skills, as well as practical aspects of landscaping, permaculture, business management and planting design.
You can choose to study landscape design at the diploma, bachelor or master’s level. After completing your qualification, you may choose to work as a landscape designer, landscape architect or gardener, in either a firm or in your own venture.
If you want to play a decisive role in how we connect with nature and live, work and play, consider studying an enriching and professionally satisfying landscape design course.
What do landscape design graduates do?
As a landscape design course graduate, you’ll likely work as a landscape designer or design assistant, and be responsible for developing and designing outdoor plans. Tasks you may perform include work such as:
- Obtaining advice from clients and management to determine type, style, size and objectives of landscape gardening plans;
- Working with clients to plan, research and source tree, shrub, flower and grass species for gardens;
- Providing information regarding designs, materials and construction;
- Working closely with a project manager, or performing project management, planning and scheduling tasks to ensure tasks are completed to schedule;
- Writing and managing a project budget;
- Preparing sketches, drawings and designs;
- Writing project specifications and contractual documents for projects;
- Consulting with key stakeholders to ensure environmental and statutory compliance;
- Evaluating and compiling information about geographical and ecological land features, including existing landforms, soils, vegetation and hydrology, and preparing environmental impact statements;
- Planting, maintaining and treating a variety of plants and natural elements; and
- Inspecting and evaluating project work and ensuring quality standard adherence.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
The project management, strategic planning, communication and creative skills you’ll build while studying a landscape design course may also be transferred to other roles, and you may also choose to seek employment in team management and planning in other areas.
After completing a landscape design course, you’ll likely seek employment in a design firm or small business, or set up your own enterprise. You may also choose to pursue employment in the public sector, working with state governments and local councils to develop their environmental plans and policies. Job roles include:
Is landscape design right for you?
You’ll thrive working in landscape design if you:
- Are a creative thinker
- Are passionate about nature
- Have excellent organisations and time management skills
- Are highly motivated
- Can think critically and strategically
- Love problem-solving
- Have big ideas and the energy to see them through
- Work well with people
- Can pay attention to detail
- Can work well independently and in a team
Job opportunities
Job opportunities in the gardening and landscape sector have been growing steadily over the past decade, and the Australian Government’s Job Outlook predicts that trend will continue over the next 10 years. Currently, approximately 63,000 people are employed in the sector, which indicates a wide range of employment opportunities across many locations in Australia. Over the next 10 years, Job Outlook predicts up to 50,000 new jobs in landscaping and gardening will open, indicating strong potential for career development and stability for landscape design course graduates.
Average Salaries
PayScale reports that a landscape designer may expect to earn between $47,000 and $89,000 per year, with an average salary of $58,000. There is a strong positive relationship between experience and earning capacity in the landscaping industry, with PayScale reporting people who have 15 years’ experience or more earning the highest salaries.
Industry Bodies
- The Australian Garden Council
- Landscaping Australia Inc
- Nursery & Garden Industry Association
- Parks & Leisure Australia