Head Gardener at the world-famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Troy Scott-Smith is one of the UK’s leading horticulturists. In this first lesson, we discover his journey and inspiration, his naturalistic gardening style and approach at Sissinghurst, and what we will learn in the course.

Sissinghurst’s history and the influence that it has on the way the garden is managed today a theme that runs throughout the course. Troy takes us through the story behind the garden, its creators, and some of the most iconic areas.

On a glorious autumn morning in the orchard, we learn how to add spring bulbs to grass in a naturalistic and effective way that is sensitive to the surroundings and provides a succession of colour.

Troy explores the practical aspects of how to plant bulbs efficiently, how other spring plants can be added to grass for further interest, and how yellow rattle can be used to help convert grass into meadow.

We learn the importance of continually observing and editing borders to achieve the desired look, the types of structural plants to include, and how to lift and divide perennials to keep them thriving.

Troy builds on the previous lesson from a beautiful long border in the Rose Garden, with more on how to choose and place plants, how to adjust existing planting and the importance of a planting plan.

From the Rose Garden we learn how to keep lawns as healthy and green as possible in a sustainable way, through an effective four-step process done once a year in autum

Troy takes us behind the scenes to the biennial nursery bed at Sissinghurst, where around 20 different biennials are raised, and demonstrates how they’re used in the garden.

Troy introduces some of the types of roses you might have at home, and the key principles of pruning that they share to extend their lifespan and keep them blooming well.

We learn how and why to take rose cuttings, how to keep roses healthy in a sustainable way, and why Scotch roses can be such a valuable addition to a garden.

Troy introduces another method of pruning and training a shrub rose, which is well worth a little extra effort for many more blooms and a beautiful structure.

With Troy’s signature attention to detail, we build on the previous lesson with the next series of practical steps to create the perfect trained shrub rose.

Troy explores the roses you might have climbing up a fence or a wall, and how to prune and train your climbers and ramblers to create beauty, maximise flowering and allow them to thrive for decades.

From the Nuttery at Sissinghurst, Troy shares how to harvest and process hazel branches for a range of useful garden purposes, and why you should make use of natural materials from your garden.

We learn how to protect tender plants left in the ground using natural materials, and how to decide whether to leave a plant in or lift it to bring indoors.

Troy shares the value of rose hips as a second season of interest late in the year, and why this is something that should be taken into account when choosing a rose.

Moving to the Cutting Garden, we build on what we learned earlier about how to protect plants left in the ground over winter to look at another option - to lift and store plants indoors, using dahlias as a common example.