Garden TOUR
MEET THE HEAD GARDENER
Embracing the challenges that nature throws at you is part of the excitement of being head gardener at West Dean, for Tom Brown
West Dean Gardens, West Sussex
Where and when did you train?
Back in the mid-nineties, I studied at Merrist Wood College, near Guildford and loved it. Sadly, there weren’t many options for further studies beyond a year or two that principally focused on plants rather than patios! As a result, I began working at RHS Garden Wisley Plant Centre and then the gardens whilst studying for my RHS General, Diploma and then Master of Horticulture qualifications alongside full-time employment.
How long have you been at West Dean and how did you get there?
I took over from Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain in 2019, six month before the first lockdown. Before arriving at West Dean, Iwas head gardener at Parham House in West Sussex for 10 years, tending its four-acre walled garden and pleasure grounds.
Tell us about West Dean
West Dean is a large garden of nearly 100 acres that surrounds West Dean College, a college of arts, conservation and design. The garden is open to the public and welcomes around 80,000 visitors each year. It comprises four main areas. First, the walled garden has 13 large, Victorian glasshouses where we grow tropical plants, apricots, peaches, nectarines, figs, kiwis, cacti, orchids and ferns. The seasonal displays include more than 100 chillies and an orchard, comprising over 100 apple cultivars. Then there’s the college grounds, which include alarge pergola, sunken garden, winter stem garden, and a dry meadow where recycled crushed concrete has been used to grow drought-tolerant plants. The riverbeds are full of spring-flowering perennials, and there is a wild garden.
Thirdly, the 50-acre arboretum is full of wildflower meadows and a large collection of trees that survive on a poor, chalky soil.
Finally, there are mini market gardens around the site, producing food for our kitchens and restaurants, along with a dedicated tri
