About

Our Lecturers

Helen Lachenicht

Helen, who presents Irene School of Garden Design's introductory course, and is principal of the school, has been interested in gardening from a very young age. "I struggled for years to make sense of the various gardens that my husband and I owned, but it was only after my youngest child finished school that I enrolled in a garden design college in Johannesburg S.A. Within two lectures, covering design principals and plant design, the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place, I finally understood where I had been going wrong. In addition learning to draw to scale and planning garden designs on paper was a real eye-opener."

As a student Helen took part in a prestigious garden show and won top awards. Later, independently, she took part in botanical and national shows and as a small independent, competing with large corporate's, did exceptionally well.

Helen has also co-authored a book, "Making Sense of Garden Design."  Please check out that page for further information.

Lee Burger - BSc LArch (Pret), BL Hons (Pret), ML Prof (Pret)

Lee Burger is the principal lecturer for the professional courses at Irene School of Garden Design. He currently teaches and designs at the architectural practice ArchVisi Centurion. Lee Burger has been lecturing at the Irene School of Garden Design since 2006 and has completed numerous projects in the industry, including landscape design for Anglo Platinum.