The Christopher Lloyd Scholarship
The Christopher Lloyd Scholar spends a year working in the garden at Great Dixter, learning from Fergus and the team. They are paid a national living wage and are offered subsidised accommodation on-site.
The scholarship is aimed at improving the skills within UK horticulture and is open to UK citizens or anyone who is eligible to work in the UK.
The aim of the Christopher Lloyd Scholarship is to provide UK gardeners with a chance to develop a deep practical skill-set and an understanding of a ‘sense of place’ needed to manage complex, innovative flower gardens such as Great Dixter. It is hoped that the Scholars, in turn, will inspire a future generation of UK gardeners, passing on knowledge and skills.
The scholarship is primarily a practical training position: while scholars will have the opportunity to attend study days and other courses on site and beyond, applicants should be aware that learning will mostly be through hands on learning in the garden.
The Scholars are paid as a Great Dixter employee during the 12 month programme and the placement begins in September 2025. The scholars will be paid minimum wage and have the option of living in subsidised accommodation on site.
Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK and be at least 18 years of age.
Selection Criteria
Successful applicants will have:
- Previous horticultural training and work experience
- Qualifications, including vocationally relevant qualifications
- Interest and motivation to work in the sector
- Skills that the placement would develop or enhance
- A desire for self-development and their own goals
Applications for the 2025-6 scholarship have now closed. The next opportunity will be advertised in March 2026.
The Christopher Lloyd Scholarship has been generously supported by the Club 22 donors.
It is important to us that we maintain the international nature of our horticultural placements. People from outside the UK should register their interest via the other placements page.
Georgie Johnson is our Christopher Lloyd Scholar 2025-26
Following their studies in History of Art at university, Georgie worked as an environmental journalist for Greenpeace before deciding to combine their love of nature and creativity through a career in gardening. Georgie worked as an apprentice in Victoria Park and was then the Horticultural Trainee at the Garden Museum, where they chose Great Dixter as one of their garden placements. While working as a freelance gardener in London, Georgie returned for a month-long placement with us before deciding to apply for the Christopher Lloyd Scholarship.
Georgie is excited by the diversity of plants at Great Dixter and is eager to learn how to create and care for the complex multi-layered plantings in the garden, as well as understand how the garden is managed to promote biodiversity, both from an ecological and an aesthetic perspective. They are looking forward to deepening their knowledge of the practical skills required to nurture beautiful habitats for people, plants and wildlife.
Georgie will be keeping a record of their time with us which will be posted below.
You can read some of previous scholar George’s experiences below:
You can read 2023-2024 scholar Talitha Slabbert’s entries below:
and Ernie Weller 2023-2024 Scholar’s entries here:
Previous scholars were George Game, Ernie Weller, Talitha Slabbert, Rob Flack, Agnes Ladjevardi, Jamie Todd, Ben Jones, Henry Witheridge, Jonny Bruce, Edward Alderman, James Horner, Rachael Dodd, Maggie Tran and Sara Jackson.
For more information on the Christopher Lloyd Scholarship please contact [email protected] or phone 01797 334 042.
