Design Your Yard workshops

​Not sure what to do with your new yard? Need to reimagine your mature yard?

Learn how to create a well-thought-out, functional yard in this multi-day workshop. You will work on scale layouts of your own property and complete step-by-step tasks to create a design that meets your needs.

You will learn:

  • How to work through the process to develop a yard design
  • How to apply basic design principles and techniques for creating a beautiful, environmentally responsible, functional yard
  • Basic graphic skills and plant knowledge
  • How to calculate volumes of soil and mulch using online calculators
  • How to access resources in the community (such as free compost from The City)
  • Best practices for irrigation in your yard
  • How to select plants at a garden centre that will fulfill your yard design requirements

You will need:

  • Property dimensions - Real Property Report (RPP)
  • Graph paper, ruler, pencil and eraser
  • Wish list of requirements
  • Photos for your wish list

Looking for more planning and design advice?

Explore YardSmart's how-to videos and DIY tips including garden bed design layouts, plant lists and more. Get YardSmart planning and design tips.

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Upcoming in-person courses

  • Wednesday evenings – May/June

    Dates: May 20, 27, Jun 3 and 10, 2026.

    Time: 6:30 – 9 pm

    Location: Lakeview Community Association, 6110 – 34 St SW

    Visit the Calgary Horticultural Society website to register by May 15, 2026.

    Register for the in-person course here

  • Thursday evenings – June/July

    Dates: Jun 18, 25, Jul 2 and 9, 2026.

    Time: 6:30 – 9 pm

    Location: Dalhousie Community Association, 5432 Dalhart Road NW

    Visit the Calgary Horticultural Society website to register by June 15, 2026.

    Register for the in-person course here

Online courses

Online courses have finished for the season and will be available at a later date.