For our June club night we were expecting to hear from this year’s Sissinghurst Scholar, but sadly he had car troubles that prevented him from making the journey from Kent. Instead, we were treated to a wonderful talk from Troy Scott Smith, Sissinghurst’s Head Gardener. He has had a connection with this iconic garden for over 30 years, and his stories about the garden and its history gave us a real insight into this magical place.
Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson bought Sissinghurst in 1930, as an assortment of crumbling buildings surrounded by agricultural land. Their vision was to create a garden, in a ruin, in a farm. Over the next 30 years they created the world famous garden that we know today. They used a formal design, softened by informal planting, and made garden rooms which all had a distinct character and yet all fit together beautifully.
Both Vita and Harold were writers as well as gardeners. Sissinghurst was their home, and though they lived unconventional lives they made the house and the garden work for them; sleeping in some buildings, writing in other buildings and dining in others. This meant that the garden was constantly in use in their daily lives as they walked from room to room. They were both very much hands on gardeners. Vita said that her days consisted of writing in the morning, gardening in the afternoon and getting drunk in the evening!
Troy outlined some of the challenges faced by a garden that attracts over 200,000 visitors every year. As well as keeping things looking good when being trampled by more than 400,000 feet, there is the challenge of managing expectations. Vita and Harold designed the garden so that different parts peaked at different times – today vistors expect everything to look good always.
Sissinghurst also focuses on growing gardeners – their Scholarship scheme gives young gardeners the chance to work for 18 months with the best in horticulture, setting them up for a great future as gardeners themselves.
The gardens today are managed with a relaxed feel, allowing Vita’s roses, irises and Delphiniums to create the romantic, magical haven that one extraordinary couple envisaged nearly 100 years ago.
