What Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design does

Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design is an Australian proprietary limited company (KMLD PTY Trading ABN 40623360118) founded in 2004 and operated by sole principal Kathleen Murphy. The business is based in Victoria, Australia and operates as a virtual/remote company with 1-10 employees, functioning essentially as a sole proprietorship around Kathleen's individual brand. The company has historically operated a landscape design studio offering full-service residential garden design at fees starting above $6,500 USD ($10,000 AUD), but the primary business model has pivoted to scalable online education delivered to homeowners globally.

The company sells online courses teaching homeowners a structured, proprietary 10-step framework to design their own gardens. The flagship product is the Design Your Dream Garden Online Course, a 12-week cohort-based program priced at $1,426 USD with approximately 20 hours of video content, lifetime access to materials, fortnightly Q&A sessions with Kathleen, and 12 weeks of private Facebook community access. A complementary $70 Native Boundary Screening Mini Course targets rural property owners with native plant boundary solutions. Free downloadable guides (Hardy Plant Selection, Gravel Path) and a free retaining-wall webinar function as lead magnets. The technology stack consists entirely of standard third-party platforms: Shopify for the storefront and multi-currency checkout (USD, AUD, EUR, GBP, and 20+ other currencies), Kajabi for course delivery and the student portal, WebinarJam for webinars, and Facebook Groups for community.

The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer, product-led, and community-led. Discovery flows primarily through organic channels — an SEO-oriented blog with 14+ articles, Pinterest for visual discovery, email newsletter, and free resource lead magnets. The cohort-based delivery with waitlist registration (next cohort November 2026) creates deliberate scarcity and community momentum. The business is bootstrapped and founder-owned with no institutional investment, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity. Revenue is generated through one-time course purchases (no recurring subscription), with a 5% profit pledge to the Go Girls Foundation Inc. as the primary social impact positioning. The company is recognized within the Australian landscape design community through the 2020 The Design Files + Laminex Landscape Design Award and a feature on ABC TV's 'Dream Gardens' program.

Name

Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design

Legal name

KMLD PTY Trading ABN 40623360118

Website

https://kmldesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design is an Australian founder-operated online education business that sells self-paced and cohort-based online courses teaching homeowners to design their own gardens using a proprietary 10-step framework, delivered globally via Shopify and Kajabi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Education & Residential Landscape Design

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

DIY & Home Skills Workshops (Woodworking, Carpentry, Home Repair, Gardening) (THAJAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA), Garden Bed Design, Layout & Planting Plans (HSAIAFAA), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Landscape design courses
• Online garden design education
• Residential landscape design
• Homeowner garden planning
• Native planting design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tullamarine

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Online Courses (Primary): One-time fee purchase of self-paced online courses and mini-courses. The flagship 'Design Your Dream Garden' course is sold for a single upfront payment of $1,426 USD with lifetime access to materials. The 'Native Boundary Screening Mini Course' is sold for $70 USD. No recurring subscription model for courses; community group access is included for a limited 12-week cohort period.
2. Digital Downloads: Free downloadable resources (Hardy Plant Selection guide, Gravel Path guide) distributed in exchange for email capture, supporting email marketing list growth. No direct revenue from free resources.
3. Design Services (Legacy): Kathleen Murphy previously operated a landscape design studio offering full garden design services. Standard design fees for a suburban garden start at over $6,500 USD ($10,000 AUD), though the primary business model has shifted to online course delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design sells self-paced online courses that teach homeowners how to design their own gardens, anchored by the flagship "Design Your Dream Garden Online Course" priced at $1,426 USD and a smaller "Native Boundary Screening Mini Course" at $70 USD, complemented by free downloadable resources and a free webinar. The business also retains a legacy bespoke landscape design service for residential clients in Victoria, Australia.

Product overview

Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design operates as an education-focused landscape design company offering a tiered product portfolio. The core offering is the Design Your Dream Garden Online Course — a comprehensive 12-week cohort-based program (approximately 20 hours of learning) that teaches homeowners to design their own gardens using a proprietary 10-step framework. This is complemented by the lower-priced Native Boundary Screening Mini Course ($70), a self-paced mini course focused specifically on native boundary screening. The company also provides free downloadable resources (Hardy Plant Selection guide, Gravel Path guide) and a free webinar on retaining walls as lead magnets. All products are delivered through the company's Shopify-based e-commerce platform, with course content accessed via Kajabi and community interaction via Facebook groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Your Dream Garden Online Course A self-paced online course that teaches homeowners how to plan and design their own gardens, applying Kathleen Murphy's professional landscape design methodology. Priced at $1,426 USD with a 30-day money-back guarantee and access to a free preview webinar.
• Native Boundary Screening Mini Course A short, low-cost online course that teaches homeowners how to use native plants for boundary screening in their gardens. Priced at $70 USD, it serves as an entry point into the broader course catalogue.
• Bespoke Landscape Design Service A traditional, project-based landscape design service for residential clients in Victoria, Australia, delivered by Kathleen Murphy using her 20+ years of in-the-field expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Design fees for suburban garden design start at over $6,500 USD ($10,000 AUD) — the course is positioned as a fraction of this cost.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Go Girls Foundation Inc.minorOthersKMLD is committed to giving 5% of profits to causes and charities that uplift women and children. The company is a proud sponsor of the Go Girls Foundation Inc., a charitable organization. This is a philanthropic commitment rather than a commercial partnership, reflecting Kathleen Murphy's personal mission to use gardens and gardening as a vehicle to make a difference in the lives of women and children.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Udemy: Global online course marketplace with multiple gardening and landscape design offerings; competes for the same DIY learner wallet at much lower price points.
• Coursera: Large-scale online learning platform offering university-backed horticulture and landscape courses; comparable as a destination for self-directed learners but at a different scale and price point.
• MasterClass: Premium online education brand featuring celebrity and expert instructors across lifestyle topics including gardening; competes for the same high-ticket self-improvement audience.
• Skillshare: Large online learning marketplace with a catalog that includes gardening and landscape design courses; competes broadly for DIY learners' attention even though it is not a specialist landscape design school.

Direct peers

• MyGardenSchool: Online gardening school offering instructor-led courses to home gardeners; directly comparable as a creator-led online learning destination in the same niche as Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design.
• Learning with Experts: Online course marketplace offering expert-led courses across gardening and horticulture; directly comparable business model (expert creator, paid cohort-style courses, garden design topics).
• Garden Design Magazine: Long-running garden design publication that has expanded into online courses and digital education; directly comparable as a content-to-course brand in landscape and garden design.

Emerging players

• The Micro Gardener: Australia-based educator publishing digital content and courses on small-space and sustainable gardening; comparable as a regional creator-led gardening education brand with overlapping audience.
• Gardener's Path: Online gardening education publisher with extensive articles and courses on plant care and garden planning; adjacent competitor for the same DIY homeowner learning about garden design.
• Pith + Vigor (Garden Design Online): Online garden design publication with editorial content and digital education; comparable as a content-led brand monetizing gardening expertise through digital channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Pinterestpinterest.com/kmldesign1
• Facebookfacebook.com/kathleenmurphylandscapedesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design