Troy Scott Smith
Head gardener
Troy Scott Smith is head gardener at Sissinghurst as well as a garden writer, speaker, lecturer and RHS Floral Committee member.
Recent articles by Troy Scott Smith
6 big changes to how we’ll be gardening in the future, by one of Britain’s top head gardeners
Sissinghurst head gardener Troy Scott Smith shares the big changes he is making in how he gardens in response to climate change
You’re going to have to change how you garden, advises head of one of England’s top flower gardens, and it’s all down to climate change
The climate crisis is affecting us all. Head gardener Troy Scott Smith outlines the challenges he faces and explains how he is now working differently.
Photographs: John Campbell
How to prune wisteria
Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year to keep it in good shape and to ensure abundant flowers. Here's how to do it.
Winter jobs in the garden: Sissinghurst head gardener explains what you should be doing over this season
Think there's little to do in the garden in winter? Make sure you have got these key winter garden jobs done for a beautiful garden come spring.
Photographs: John Campbell
There's still a lot to do in a famous garden in winter: discover a frosty Sissinghurst and the jobs that keep the gardeners busy
In our final visit of the working year to the gardens of Sissinghurst, head gardener Troy Scott Smith explains how he and his team prepare Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson's stunning garden for the year ahead.
Photographs: John Campbell
Autumn jobs in the garden: Sissinghurst head gardener explains what you should be doing over this season
As the garden slips into a new season, head gardener Troy Scott Smith and his team are busy with tasks from hedge cutting and lawn work to bulb planting and sowing seeds. Words Troy Scott Smith, photographs John Campbell
Appreciating Sissinghurst Castle Garden in autumn: Harold Nicolson's structure emerges while fallen apples encourage wildlife
Sissinghurst's head gardener Troy Scott Smith on the beauty of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson's garden in autumn
How to protect grass seed from birds
Head gardener Troy Scott Smith explains his tips and tricks on sowing grass seed in a way that the birds won't eat
Watch how to plant bulbs with tips from Sissinghurst's expert head gardener
Watch head gardener Troy Scott Smith explain how to plant bulbs in lawns
High summer at Sissinghurst: the head gardener reflects on Vita Sackville-West's colourful summer planting
As the garden’s hot borders reach their seasonal peak, head gardener Troy Scott Smith shows how he and his team keep the interest going through summer and manage important tasks. Photographs John Campbell
Winter interest | Top roses for rosehips
A rosehip is the 'fruit’ of the rose, coming after the summer flowers and
offering vibrant colour in the winter garden. Discover the top roses to grow for rosehips and how to care for them to get the best display.
Wondering what jobs to get done this summer? Let Sissinghurst's expert head gardener guide you
Sissinghurst’s head gardener Troy Scott Smith guides us through the jobs that he and his team do in summer. Images by John Campbell
Roses, roses everywhere: how the gardeners at Sissinghurst keep the famous garden on point all summer long
Ensuring Sissinghurst’s famous roses look fabulous throughout the season is one of the many tasks keeping head gardener Troy Scott Smith and his team busy right now. Photographs John Campbell
Sissinghurst head gardener Troy Scott Smith on his vision for the garden
In 1930, the writer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband Harold Nicolson bought an old farm in Kent and set about creating a garden that has become one of the best loved and most visited in the world. In the lead-up to the garden's centenary in 2030, head gardener Troy Scott Smith muses on the garden's enduring appeal - and outlines his vision for the garden. Images by John Campbell
Siberian irises: how to grow
New breeding has intensified the colour range of Siberian irises. Head gardener Troy Scott Smith selects the best for brief but glorious flowering. Words Troy Scott Smith, photographs Dianna Jazwinski
Roses from Sissinghurst: 15 of the best
Sissinghurst Castle is famous for its roses. Discover the rose cultivars that Vita Sackville-West grew there and find out more about them with head gardener Troy Scott-Smith. Photographs Rachel Warne.
Sowing biennials: how and when to sow and which to grow
Biennials bring colour to spring and summer borders - and are easy to grow from seed. Sissinghurst head gardener Troy Scott-Smith shows how to grow biennials and the best flowers to choose. Photographs Jason Ingram
What is the Chelsea Chop – and what plants should you try it on?
Plant experts Matthew Biggs and John Hoyland explain what the Chelsea chop is, how to do it, and which plants to try it on.
Dan Pearson's reimagining of Lowther Castle
Around the ruins of Lowther Castle near Penrith in Cumbria, landscape designer Dan Pearson is reimagining 130 acres of gardens, with a 20-year plan. Words Try Scott-Smith, Photographs Claire Takacs
Discover the world of the perpetual carnation
Perpetual carnations were once hugely popular but have fallen out of fashion. Jim Marshall is on a mission to persuade gardeners to rediscover their charms. Words Troy Scott Smith. Photographs Jason Ingram.