The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholarship at Great Dixter
NOW OPEN TO APPLICANTS!
The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholarship was conceived to provide a gardener from the United States with a year-long, practical education in the traditional style of ornamental gardening as practiced at two of the world’s most respected gardens, Great Dixter in East Sussex, England, and Chanticleer near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
The scholarship offers an American gardener a chance to develop deep practical skills and an understanding of the ‘sense of place’ needed to manage complex, innovative flower gardens such as those at Great Dixter and Chanticleer. It is hoped that the scholar, in turn, will inspire a future generation of North American gardeners, passing on knowledge and skills.
The scholar spends 11 months, from September through July, living and working at Great Dixter, immersed in all aspects of the garden’s operations. The individual will also attend symposia and visit gardens, plant trials and garden shows. The final month of the scholarship is spent working at Chanticleer. The scholar may also wish to complete an internship at Chanticleer prior to beginning at Great Dixter (from March through August).
They will receive a bursary from Chanticleer to cover their living costs while in the UK. Accommodation is provided at both gardens for the duration of the scholarship.The scholarship, named in honor of Christopher Lloyd who lived and gardened at Great Dixter and established close ties with Chanticleer, is open to trainee gardeners who are U.S. citizens. The Scholarship is generously funded by Chanticleer. www.chanticleergarden.org.
The application deadline for the 2025-2026 placement is 1 November 2024. Please complete this application form and submit with your resumé and covering letter to Catherine Haydock: [email protected]
Meet our 2024-25 scholar, Michael McGowan
Michael studied Plant Science at the University of Delaware, and has already gained a broad variety of practical experience, working in seasonal gardener positions in a potager garden at Hagley Museum and Library, at North Creek nurseries and as an intern at Lotusland and Chanticleer.
Following his experiences so far at gardens with a strong sense of place, Michael is particularly interested in understanding how this develops and is maintained, as well as developing and cementing his gardening skills and learning more about how to garden for succession.
Michael is keeping a diary in which he documents his time at Great Dixter which will be uploaded below.
Below are previous scholar Will Larson’s diary entries.
- September 2023
- October 2023
- November 2023
- December 2023
- January 2024
- February 2024
- March 2024
- April 2024
- May 2024
- June 2024
- July 2024
Previous Scholars:
- Will Larson
- Andrew Wiley
- Eloise Gayer
- Peter Slothower
- Margaret Easter
- Jack McCoy @JackMccoyGardens
- Stephen Zelno
- Coralie Thomas (now Assistant Head Gardener at Great Dixter)
- Matt Burgesser
- Ben Pick
