Discover how you can apply basic design principles to your own garden by following our interactive topics. Whether you are starting afresh with a blank canvas, or looking to achieve a traditional cottage garden style, you will learn how to bring mystery, journey and surprise to your own space.

Alan will guide you through eight interactive topics going live with each programme episode.

You can test yourself at the end of each topic too, for a chance to earn a second online certificate endorsed by the RHS.

Explore the gardens that you produced during the interactive topics in 3D, using the latest Shockwave technology. You will need the free plugin, which is available from the Macromedia website.

For general information about plugins visit Webwise.

Instructions for downloading Shockwave are also available here.

Create your own Virtual Garden
Put Alan Titchmarsh's ideas on creating successful garden designs into practice with our 3D virtual garden.

Whether you are looking to design a new garden from scratch, or if you simply want to take a fresh approach to re-designing an existing garden, the Virtual garden offers a user-friendly source of inspiration. And you don't even have to get your hands dirty.

You will start in plan view by marking out your garden perimeters, flowerbeds, lawns, patios and garden fixtures.

You can then view your progress in 3D at any time during the design process. If you are not happy with the results, simply go back to plan view and edit your garden further.

You can save up to ten gardens and come back to them later. Once you have finished you can print out your list of plants to take to the garden centre or nursery.

So what are you waiting for? Get designing.

Want a downloadable version of the virtual garden?

You can download an offline version of the virtual garden here:

Windows version (6.51 Mb)
Mac version - MacOS Classic (7.9 Mb)
Mac version - MacOSX (7.6 Mb)

(note: if downloading on Macintosh, please hold down the 'alt' key when clicking on the download link)