Hello, my name is Ben, and I'm from North Carolina, USA. I am the 2013-2014 North American Christopher Lloyd Scholar. I will be spending the next 11 months living and working at Great Dixter House & Gardens in East Sussex, England, followed by a month at Chanticleer, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the USA. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn in and represent these two renowned gardens, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you in the coming year.
I arrived in Northiam, England last Friday, 30 August. I appreciated having the weekend to familiarize myself with the house and gardens before the program began on Monday, 2 September. My first impressions of Great Dixter were a bit overwhelming. Prior to this scholarship, I knew this was a special place, from hearing head gardener, Fergus Garrett, speak at a symposium a few years ago, to reading books and articles about Great Dixter. However, this exposure didn't fully prepare me for the real thing; being here in person is surreal. I guess what I'm saying is: you're just going to have to come experience it for yourself!
Congratulations, Ben, on your achievement. I have been to Great Dixter only once and can think of no greater prize for a gardener than to spend a whole year there. A friend passed on your blog address to me and I will be sure to check in with your postings of life and work around the garden. We visited when Mr Lloyd was alive and had the opportunity to do a tour of the house as well as the garden. I now center our UK travels around garden visits and every one has been a delight.
ReplyDeleteI garden in Texas. For an English girl this is one tough place to garden. None of us are sure in which climate zone we live because it changes every year.
Have fun and do post regularly.
Thanks for that. It is a wonderful opportunity! And yes, Texas is quite a bit different for gardening! Come back and see us.
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