The Cake - Spring 2022

THE CAKE CHATS WITH…
Troy Scott-Smith
Trisha Fermor talks to returning head gardener at Sissinghurst Castle
It is clear for all to see that
he loves Sissinghurst Castle
and its stunning garden set
around the tranquillity of a
500-year-old property.
So much so, that he came back
for a third time to take up the
role of head gardener.
He told The Cake: “It is nice
to be back. I always feel so
comfortable here, it is so much
more than just a garden.”
Asked why he returned, Troy
said: “My successor had left and
Juliet Nicolson, [granddaughter
of Harold Nicolson and Vita
Sackville-West who made the
garden], asked if I would come
back and I couldn’t say no.”
His devotion to gardening and
plants was fired by a childhood
love of nature. Born and bred in
Yorkshire, he studied horticulture
at Askham Bryan College in York,
joining the team at Sissinghurst
eight years later in 1992.
As well as Sissinghurst, he
has gained experience at the
much-loved Bodnant
Garden in Wales and
at Courts Garden
in Wiltshire.
Before moving
back to Kent
“There is a bond you get
with a garden when you
give so much time and
energy, you become very
entwined with it.”
last autumn, Troy was head
gardener at Iford Manor Gardens
in Wiltshire. Mainly created
by Harold Peto who lived at
Iford from 1899 to 1933, he
designed gardens for royalty and
aristocracy around the world.
Troy and his partner, Anne, and
children Rowan, 14, and Maiwen
12, both born at Bodnant, now
have a new home in part of the
castle. Before, they lived in one of
the cottages on the estate.
Their current home is just
a stone’s throw away from the
Delos garden, originally created
by Harold and Vita, which lost
its identity over the years. A
few years ago, Troy’s friend and
world-renowned garden designer,
Dan Pearson, offered to re-design
the Greek-inspired garden. The
huge scheme, involving the
removal of trees, shrubs and
plants and the installation of tons
of Kentish rag stone, is greatly
admired by Troy.
While his heart is definitely
in the garden - “I get a feeling
of real closeness to Vita and
Harold” - the family has bought
a small farm in Cumbria and is
converting an old barn into a
house, “for the long term”.
So what is next? He said: “I am
planning to tackle the conflict
between conservation and access
together with historical integrity,
garden management with a
recipe for each area and organic
status for the vegetable garden.
“There is a bond you get with
a garden when you give so much
time and energy, you become
very entwined with it.”
His favourite plant? “It would
have to be a rose. The Gallica rose
‘Sissinghurst Castle’ is the best.”
Delighted to be back he added:
“It is probably the best job in
gardening.”
42 The Cake • Spring 2022