Tutors
Fergus Garrett
Fergus Garrett trained in horticulture at Wye College, London University. He worked in Kent for Rosemary Alexander of the English Gardening School, for Beth Chatto at the Unusual Plants Nursery in Essex and then for the Sackler family at Cap d’Antibes and Gstaad. In 1992 he became head gardener at Great Dixter, working closely with Christopher Lloyd until Christopher’s death in 2006. Since then he has become Chief Executive of the Great Dixter Charitable Trust. Fergus works full-time, hands-on in the garden, as well as writing and lecturing extensively across the world.
Michael Morphy
Michael Morphy arrived at Great Dixter in 1995 and has worked both in the garden and the nursery. After studying at Hadlow College, he became Assistant Nursery Manager and worked closely with Kathleen Leighton for many years.
In 2011, Kathleen handed over the position of Nursery Manager to Michael and he has been running the nursery and its team of workers, apprentices and volunteers ever since. Michael has a love of plants and enjoys supporting others to learn more about them.
Annie Guilfoyle
Annie Guilfoyle studied horticulture at Capel Manor College and gained a BA Honours Degree in Garden Design from Middlesex University. For sixteen years she has been the Director of Garden Design at KLC School of Design at Hampton Court Palace and is the Garden Course Consultant at West Dean College, near Chichester.
Annie combines running a successful garden design consultancy with lecturing and writing on the subject and now travels internationally to lecture, teach and judge at garden shows.
In this section:
Edward Flint
Edward Flint spent lengthy spells living and working at Great Dixter under the informal tutelage of Christopher Lloyd. His education was broadened working at the renowned Washfield Nursery for Elizabeth Strangman and in private gardens in the South of France, Switzerland and throughout the UK.
Since 2002 Edward has been head gardener at a private garden in East Sussex. He is an experienced and passionate teacher with an affable and down-to-earth style evolved over many years teaching at The English Gardening School, where he is now a tutor. Follow Edward on Instagram @rotheramblings and on his website.
Coralie Thomas
Coralie Thomas originally comes from New York. She worked at Wave Hill Garden in the Bronx for a number of years before joining Great Dixter as the Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholar in 2016.
She is now Assistant Head Gardener at Dixter and leads the Art and Craft of gardening course alongside Edward Flint.