The Nursery scholarship
The nursery was started by Christopher Lloyd in 1954, specialising in good garden-worthy plants. Operating in a traditional way, the nursery uses skills and techniques that are no longer seen in larger or more commercial operations.
The nursery scholar spends a year working in the nursery at Great Dixter learning from the team of friendly and knowledgeable staff.
They learn to manage propagate and cultivate annuals, perennials, ferns, shrubs and trees from the garden here at Great Dixter, take part in regular plant idents and attend on site lectures. 85% of plants grown by us are produced on site. The nursery is unusual in growing in a loam-based peat-free potting medium which we make ourselves.
Our current Nursery Scholar is Isabel Sanders – pictured above.
The aim of the scholarship is to ensure that these historic but effective methods are passed on to the next generation of nursery workers. Previous scholars have gone on to work at York Gate, Leeds, Kew Gardens, London, the National Trust Plant Conservation Centre, Devon, and open nurseries of their own.
Isabel comes to us from Greece and has both an MA in History of Art and an Msc in sustainable heritage. She made the leap to horticulture by gaining an HNC in Horticulture with plantsmanship from Scotland’s rural college and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and has spent the last 10 years working in Greece as a gardener and planting designer, including a 2 year apprenticeship at Sparoza Garden (garden of the Mediterranean Garden Society), working with the curator.
During her time at Great Dixter, Isabel is looking forward to expanding her plant knowledge and plant palette, further developing her propagation skills, learning about different soil mixes and growing media, and better understanding the business workings of the nursery. She hopes to be able to take her learnings back to Greece and open her own nursery specialising in Mediterranean and dry climate plants, as well as possibly starting a sustainable cut flower business. She is keeping a diary of her time with us which will be posted below.
Below are diary entries by Sam Walker, previous scholar.
Other previous trainees were: Sam Walker, Eleanor Machell, Shaun Blower (now part of the nursery team), and Ellie Pay.
For more information on the nursery scholarship please contact [email protected] or phone 01797 254048
