Screening: Fergus Garret

Fergus Garrett’s visit in 2017 was one of the absolute highlights of our event’s 30-year history. Fergus is one of the garden world’s foremost plantsmen and we’re thrilled to present his return this year, via a videoed talk presented exclusively for Rapaura Springs Garden Marlborough.

For renowned UK garden writer Anna Pavord, the “half-Turkish, half-Irish, wholly original” Garrett has maintained all of the exuberance she always associated with the extraordinary garden at Great Dixter, the Sussex garden first created by Christopher Lloyd, where Fergus has been the longstanding head gardener.

Fergus himself, who once said “the most important tools a gardener has are eyes”, says of his work at Great Dixter: “This is not a fluffy cottage garden. It’s a place we’ve always been expressive. I love the quirkiness of big plants and big veg, the sense of the countryside being let in ... we make rules, we break them, we experiment all the time.”

Fergus continues to keep the garden constantly changing throughout the season by trying out new plants and plant combinations. He is keen on plant communities in the wild and especially plants native to Turkey.

Among other honours, Fergus was given the Royal Horticultural Society Associate of Honour in 2008 and, in 2015, the Veitch Memorial Medal for outstanding contribution to the practice of horticulture.

Join us on Sunday morning to hear this leading horticultural thinker talk about the latest developments at Great Dixter, and in the ever-changing world of plants.