First Sissinghurst scholar starts work
The National Trust’s first horticulture scholar has begun work at world-famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent.
Claire Margetts was selected from almost 60 candidates as the recipient of the Sissinghurst Scholarship, an initiative designed to nurture head gardeners of the future. She’s now spending 18 months gaining hands-on experience in the art and craft of horticulture, with a particular focus on the approach of the garden’s founders, Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson.
Initially studying Law, then later managing an Arctic research project and developing educational festivals, Claire succumbed to the lure of gardening after growing up helping with planting at her late father’s nursery and arboretum. She volunteered at Iford Manor in Wiltshire and spent a year working in private gardens while undertaking RHS Level 2 studies, then a season at Aberglasney Gardens in Wales