Thursday 24th April, 7.30 pm
We will be joined by two of the gardeners from West Dean Chantal Sparrow and George Ellis
West Dean Gardens Supervisor, Chantal, will share her approach to the maintenance and management of the landscape beds and borders, and will highlight some of the different West Dean planting projects in which she has been involved, both past and present, including the Winter Stem beds, the Dry Meadow and the more recent Sunken Garden overhaul.
George will provide an overview of his diverse work in the Walled Garden, focus on the growing of cut flowers and how he works towards a year round combination of productivity and beauty, and share West Dean’s approach to seasonal tasks, which combines horticultural rigour and traditional disciplines with some new approaches. The aim being aesthetic and productive success, alongside nurturing a healthy garden environment which enriches the garden ecology and is efficient in the use of resources.
Chantal Sparrow has been at West Dean since September 2019, progressing from Trainee, to Gardener, to Senior Gardener and now Gardens Supervisor. Chantal worked across all areas of the gardens during her traineeship before taking on sole responsibility of the beds and borders in the landscaped gardens. Chantal still supports the team across all aspects of the gardens when needed and deputises for West Dean’s Head Gardener, Tom Brown.
George is in his fourth year as a member of the team at West Dean Gardens, where he started on a one-year traineeship across all areas before taking on a permanent role in the Walled Garden. Prior to West Dean he completed an internship at Sarah Raven’s Garden at Perch Hill and the RHS Level 2 Diploma at Plumpton College, as well as volunteering at Charleston Farmhouse and Sissinghurst.