As Head Gardener of Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent, one of the most important gardens of the 20th century worldwide, Troy Scott-Smith is among the UK’s best-known horticulturists. He is also a writer, designer, consultant, and respected member of the RHS Floral Committee. Troy is passionate about sharing his love for gardening and inspiring others, regularly writing for Gardens Illustrated and presenting to garden and plant groups. As well as his staff, Troy leads a team of 50 garden volunteers, students, and talented horticulturists of the future enrolled on the Sissinghurst Scholarship Programme.
A family of naturalists
Troy comes from a family of committed naturalists, raised in Yorkshire. The beauty of the natural landscape there was a great inspiration to him. At around 16, Troy realised that he could combine his interest in the natural world with his interest in art and design to take up gardening.
Troy has been at Sissinghurst since 2013, but first visited aged 16 while touring UK gardens in a campervan. Sissinghurst instantly struck a chord, and Troy returned as a gardener in 1992, honing his skills and developing his craft under the guidance of mentors.
““It’s here where I learned so much about attention to detail, eye for a good plant, work ethic, all the skills that set me up for becoming the gardener I became today - there’s so much we can learn from a beautiful place like Sissinghurst.”
Becoming Head Gardener at Sissinghurst
In a circular journey, Troy spent seven years as Head Gardener at Bodnant before returning to Sissinghurst once again as Head Gardener, bringing with him the experience and skillset built up along his career journey to rethink how things are done at Sissinghurst.
The garden had been exceptional but had slightly shifted in direction, so Troy came up with the concept of ‘restoration of authenticity’ - a garden that is slow, romantic, a celebration of everything that is good, optimistic, fragrant, lavish, exuberant - full of emotional qualities.
A naturalistic gardening style
Troy’s early inspiration from the natural landscape has brought him full circle, shaping both his approach to gardening and the way he thinks about the garden.
- He doesn’t garden solely for the plants’ sake, or for presentation and visitors; he believes there is now a responsibility for gardeners to work in a lighter, more sustainable way.
- For Troy, gardening is not just a gateway into the natural world but also a means of caring for and cherishing it, along with the plants and wildlife it sustains. He sees gardens not only as refuges for wildlife but also as places of retreat and comfort for people.
- He values the repetitive nature of gardening, which allows the mind to move away from distractions and focus on detail. To him, these humble tasks carry profound qualities for mental well-being.
The influence and inspiration of Sissinghurst
One of the reasons Sissinghurst continues to influence and inspire the generations is because it’s very approachable - it’s 5 acres, but divided into 10 manageably sized rooms.
- The White Garden is a very modest size, so if they want to, people can replicate it in their own gardens because the size isn’t daunting - it’s small-scale gardening.
- Another reason Sissinghurst endures and continues to excite is the contrast between the structural design (the classical lines formed by the bones of the garden - path network, seats, everything set out in a logical way), and the exuberance of the planting, which brings successive peaks throughout the year.
- These moments are all engineered by us as gardeners, through the creative process of choosing particular planting combinations and the way we maintain those plants.
“I think Sissinghurst does that better than any garden, so I’d like to bring all of those things together to help you do something similarly beautiful in your gardens.
What you’ll learn in this course
“I’d like to show you techniques that will enable you to create something of Sissinghurst for yourself, by sharing what I’ve learnt over my 37 years of gardening. Every gardener’s style is different, but the techniques and starting points are often the same.
“I want to help you learn those basics and then take it beyond to the next level, both with practical guidance from the course, but also by giving you the confidence to take it forward for yourselves and experiment, observe and adapt.
Discover expert gardening techniques, planting insights, and practical advice to help you create beauty and structure year-round with Troy's online Create Academy course on Art of Gardening at Sissinghurst.
