THE PLACE WHERE WOMEN LEARN to TRUST their DESIGNER INSTINCTS

A monthly garden design membership | Fall enrollment open September 15-25, 2026

You've been circling this a long time.

You love design. You collect ideas, pause at beautiful gardens, sketch in margins, and save more inspiration than you know what to do with. You already think like a designer.

What you haven't found yet is the right place to grow…slowly, steadily, and completely in your own voice.

The Garden Design Collective isn't a fast-paced course that rushes you through every topic. It's a warm, structured membership where you can grow your skills month by month…with time to think, ask questions, and truly understand what you're learning. One design topic. Every month. A community of women who get it.

You don't have to do it all at once. You just have to keep moving forward. That's how designers are made.

A year from now...

Imagine opening your sketchbook a year from now…not with dread or hesitation, but with something that feels surprisingly like ease.

You've learned twelve design topics. Not all at once…one each month, at a pace that actually lets them sink in. Things like spatial design, planting design, style, design principles and hardscapes. Concepts that once felt overwhelming now feel like tools you reach for naturally.

You know you don't have to have all the answers. You have a community of designers around the world who get it…women you can show your work to, ask your questions of, and learn alongside without judgment. A library of resources waiting whenever you need a reference. A safe place to try new things and discover what your design voice actually sounds like.

You still have so much to learn. But you're no longer scared of that. You're excited by it.

That's what a year inside the Garden Design Collective looks like. Not perfection. Just steady, meaningful growth… and the quiet confidence that builds over time and experience.

HOW DOES THE GARDEN DESIGN COLLECTIVE WORK?

At the beginning of each month a new design topic is released...one topic, explored deeply, at a pace that actually lets it sink in. No rushing, no overwhelm. Just steady, meaningful growth month by month. 

Each month includes:

Garden Design Guide 

A beautifully designed monthly PDF that breaks down one design topic into clear, digestible concepts you can immediately apply to your own work.

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An Educational Lesson

Delivered through video, audio, or other engaging content…whatever best brings that month's topic to life.

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Simple Design Activity

A hands-on practice that helps you move from understanding a concept to actually doing it...because that's where real confidence is built.

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Live Monthly MeetUp

A monthly gathering where you can ask questions, share your work, and remember you're not doing this alone.

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Community

A warm, worldwide group of designers at every stage of the journey…your safe place to try new things, show imperfect work, and grow alongside women who get it.

 

A GROWING LIBRARY OF DESIGN KNOWLEDGE

As a member you have instant access to our Design Library...44 topics and growing, organized so you can revisit anything anytime. Think of it as your personal design resource, always there when you need it.

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Topics are grouped into six broad categories that reflect the major themes of garden design:

Spatial Design

Overall layout of a garden

Planting Design

Organization of plant materials

Themes + Style

Concept development and historical influences

Design Principles

Organizing garden elements aesthetically

Business + Graphics

From marketing to contracts to communicating your designs visually

Hardscapes

Garden materials and how they are used

A sampling of topics waiting for you in our library...

Garden Rooms | Design Process | Lines of Force | Theme Garden Process | Planting Models | Form + Texture + Color | Matrix Plantings | Unit Paver Design | Designing in Elevation | Waterwise Landscapes | Your Garden Story + Style | Design Principles | Midcentury Modern Design | Plant Layers | Cottage Gardens | Sense of Place | Texture | Color Harmony | Front Yard Design | Drift Planting… and so much more.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Here is what we are exploring over the next five months.

SEPTEMBER 2026

PRIVACY PLANTINGS

OCTOBER 2026

CELEBRATORY BEACONS

NOVEMBER 2026

WARM COLORS

DECEMBER 2026

RHYTHM IN THE GARDEN

JANUARY 2027

BOOK CLUB: AMERICAN ROOTS

I've been where you are

I've been the student staring at a project, having no idea where to begin. I've been the new professional terrified of making mistakes. I've been the teacher afraid she didn't know enough to belong at the front of the room. And I've been the woman who thought she had to show up differently...tougher, more certain, more polished, before she could be taken seriously.

Every single time, the lesson was the same. Confusion is part of the process. Mistakes are how we learn. You don't have to know everything. And your perspective...your imperfect, personal, completely unique way of seeing...isn't a weakness. It's your greatest asset as a designer.

I built the Garden Design Collective because I wished someone had told me all of this sooner. That you don't have to know everything all at once…you just have to keep showing up. And that your imperfect creative voice isn't a distraction from good design. It's the whole point. ♥︎

Lisa Nunamaker is a garden design educator, writer, illustrator, and speaker. She practiced as a landscape architect for ten years, taught at Iowa State University for over twelve years, and holds a license in landscape architecture in Iowa. She also serves on the Association of Professional Landscape Designers Board of Directors.

I was a freelance illustrator, who fell in love with gardening, until my husband told me, why don't you just do landscape design now? I joined the Garden Design Collective mainly to learn how to create a base map, and because I loved the beauty of Lisa's work. A year later, I have a real workflow, I feel like the expert to my clients, and I really do see myself as a landscape designer now…not fake it till you make it anymore. 

Heather Strianese, Heather Grace Gardens 
Cornelius, North Carolina

All of the content, activities, and meetings in the Garden Design Collective have helped me refine my process and become a more competent, confident, and efficient designer. It has been an essential investment in myself and my business, and I highly recommend joining the community!

Elyse Perruchon, Leaf & Lily Garden Design
Buffalo, New York

A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA

Design Discovery Session

Within your first few weeks as a member you'll meet with Lisa in a small group of up to four designers. It's a chance to share where you are in your design journey, get to know a few of your fellow members, and receive personalized recommendations for which topics in our Design Library are the perfect place for you to begin.

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Template Library

A growing collection of traceable graphics including people, containers, furniture, north arrows, and more… so you can focus on designing rather than getting stuck on the details. A practical tool that saves time and quietly dissolves one of the biggest drawing fears new designers carry.

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Guest Speakers

Because good design education draws from more than one voice. Regular guest speakers bring fresh perspectives, industry expertise, and real world experience into our community.

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And once a year we gather for a Book Club conversation...because the best designers never stop learning from the field.

Go at your own pace...seriously.

There is no one right way to be part of the Garden Design Collective. Whether you have thirty minutes or a few hours each month, you are still showing up for your growth as a designer.

You might simply read the monthly Garden Design Guide over a cup of coffee. You might try the hands-on activity and surprise yourself with what you create. You might join us for the live meetup and leave feeling inspired and connected. Or you might do all of it…this month or the next.

The Collective is a resource you can return to again and again. Dive into the library, ask questions, join conversations, and connect with designers from around the world. Use it in the way that fits your life…and trust that every step is moving you forward. 

READY TO BEGIN?

Enrollment is open September 15–25, 2026

Your growth as a designer is worth investing in. Here is how to get started.

ANNUAL PAYMENT OF

$970

Two months free and the best way to commit to a full year of growth

BUY NOW + PAY ANNUALLY

MONTHLY PAYMENTS OF

$97

Cancel at anytime

BUY NOW + PAY MONTHLY
Think of each month as its own mini-class...one topic, fully explored. Stay a full year, and you'll have 12 topics behind you, at whatever pace feels right for you.

I spent 25 years in marketing most recently in television distribution. The paid TV business was declining rapidly and there wasn’t much of a future there…I was ready to take my passion for gardening into a full time career…then I took Lisa's free Garden Rooms class and realized spatial design was exactly what I was missing. Joining the Garden Design Collective was completely transformational…I don't know that I could have done this without it. I'm a much more confident, skilled designer now, and I see a real advantage in knowing both the plants and the design.

Jennifer Stefani, Meadowbrook Garden Design
Palisades, New York

I used to design landscapes completely on my own, with nobody to talk to and no one speaking my language. Since joining the Garden Design Collective as a founding member, I've never once thought about quitting, and I've taken on high-end design work I probably would've turned down before. I just feel better equipped…this wasn't scary, it was just fun. 

Arna Deter, Arna Deter Landscape Design

Statesville, North Carolina

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE

You've been circling this a long time. And somewhere in reading this page…I hope you felt it. That you already have what it takes.

The Garden Design Collective is more than a membership… it's a creative home for your growth as a designer. A place to learn, make mistakes, ask questions, try new things, and slowly, beautifully… become the designer you were always meant to be.

I'm excited to meet you, learn about your design journey, and grow alongside you.

Questions? I'd love to hear from you. Reach me anytime at: hello@papergardenworkshop.com

Ready to begin? Join us here.