About
Great Dixter Charitable Trust is a UK-based charitable organization that preserves and operates Great Dixter House and Gardens in East Sussex, England. Founded by renowned gardener and garden writer Christopher Lloyd in 2004, the Trust maintains the historic house and its celebrated gardens while providing horticultural education through scholarships, student placements, bursaries, courses, and learning programs for adults, schools, and families. The organization is committed to biodiversity and environmental stewardship, inspiring visitors with its exuberant and dynamic gardening style.
Funding Opportunities
The Elizabeth Murray Scholarship
The Elizabeth Murray Scholarship is a paid position at Great Dixter, one of the most highly regarded places in the world for the training of flower gardeners. The scholarship enables a person who otherwise would not have such an opportunity to train and be part of the Great Dixter team, opening opportunities for them in the future. The program is specifically designed to support individuals from underserved communities, giving them an opportunity to gain skills either in gardening, estate, or green woodworking, while being part of a caring and dedicated team. The scholarship will support somebody for 3 months full time, though flexible and part-time hours are also available over a longer period. Participants will be part of the education programme and will work alongside the team, learning skills, building confidence, and gaining an insight into the world of horticulture. Great Dixter is a 6 acre garden in East Sussex, the birthplace of the famous gardener and writer Christopher Lloyd, and has been responsible for training some of the great young gardeners of today.
Rick Mather David Scrase Christopher Lloyd Scholarship
The Rick Mather David Scrase Foundation have generously given £150,000 over five years to fund an annual scholarship at Great Dixter House and Gardens. This scholarship enables an outstanding existing Christopher Lloyd Scholar to extend their study at Great Dixter beyond the first year. Great Dixter is an inspirational garden that gives exceptional training to its scholars, many of whom have gone on to hold important horticultural posts. The scholarship provides the opportunity for a full year at Dixter, allowing scholars to hone their practical gardening skills and gain a deeper understanding of how the work fits together to create this renowned garden.
The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholarship
The Chanticleer USA Christopher Lloyd Scholarship was conceived to provide a gardener from the United States with a year-long, practical education in the traditional style of ornamental gardening as practiced at two of the world's most respected gardens, Great Dixter in East Sussex, England, and Chanticleer near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The scholarship offers an American gardener a chance to develop deep practical skills and an understanding of the 'sense of place' needed to manage complex, innovative flower gardens such as those at Great Dixter and Chanticleer. It is hoped that the scholar, in turn, will inspire a future generation of North American gardeners, passing on knowledge and skills. The scholar spends 11 months, from September through July, living and working at Great Dixter, immersed in all aspects of the garden's operations. The individual will also attend symposia and visit gardens, plant trials and garden shows. The final month of the scholarship is spent working at Chanticleer. The scholar may also wish to complete an internship at Chanticleer prior to beginning at Great Dixter (from March through August). Accommodation is provided at both gardens for the duration of the scholarship, and a bursary from Chanticleer covers living costs while in the UK.
The Ruth Borun Scholarship
The Ruth Borun Scholar spends a year working in the garden at Great Dixter, receiving minimum wage and subsidized accommodation on site. This scholarship is aimed at improving the skills within UK horticulture and is open to UK citizens or anyone eligible to work in the UK. The scholarship provides hands-on horticultural training in one of England's most renowned gardens, offering the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in garden maintenance, biodiversity support, and understanding the sense of place that defines Great Dixter. The scholarship is generously funded by The Anna and Harry Borun Foundation in memory of Ruth Borun, who was a friend of Christopher Lloyd and an avid gardener herself. Scholars work alongside the garden team throughout the year and produce monthly reports documenting their experiences and learning.
The Adam Greathead Award
The Adam Greathead Award is a unique opportunity, sponsored in part by the Ashwood Charitable Trust, for an aspiring horticulturalist to spend twelve months working and learning in two renowned gardens. The successful applicant will spend six months at Great Dixter in East Sussex, the garden of the late great Christopher Lloyd, which is now a center for horticultural education and a huge source of inspiration to visitors. They will also spend six months at John's Garden at Ashwood Nurseries in the West Midlands, an outstanding garden regarded as one of the finest private gardens in the UK, created by nursery owner John Massey and featured on TV on numerous occasions. The award is named in memory of Adam Greathead, inspirational Head Gardener at John's Garden from 2014-2017, who passed away suddenly aged 27 in 2017. The successful applicant will receive the national living wage after deductions for statutory pension and national insurance contributions, along with a boot and thermal clothing allowance and some help with accommodation costs.
The Nursery Scholarship
The Nursery Scholarship at Great Dixter offers a year-long paid placement working in the historic nursery, learning traditional propagation and cultivation techniques. The nursery was started by Christopher Lloyd in 1954 and specializes in good garden-worthy plants, operating in a traditional way using skills and techniques no longer seen in larger or more commercial operations. The scholar will learn to manage, propagate and cultivate annuals, perennials, ferns, shrubs and trees from the garden at Great Dixter, take part in regular plant identification sessions and attend on-site lectures. The nursery is unusual in growing in a loam-based peat-free potting medium which they make themselves, with 85% of plants grown on site. The aim is to ensure these historic but effective methods are passed on to the next generation of nursery workers. Previous scholars have gone on to work at prestigious institutions including York Gate Leeds, Kew Gardens London, the National Trust Plant Conservation Centre Devon, the RHS, and have opened nurseries of their own. The placement begins in September each year and includes the option of subsidized accommodation on site. Anyone joining without an RHS Level 2 in horticulture will receive time off and funding to gain an RHS qualification during their time at Great Dixter.
The Christopher Lloyd Scholarship
The Christopher Lloyd Scholar spends a year working in the garden at Great Dixter, learning from Fergus and the team. 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 national living wage and have the option of living in subsidised accommodation on site.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 7
- Active Now
- 7
- Source Domain
- greatdixter.co.uk
Catalog Data
This funder profile was automatically extracted from grant listings. Information may be incomplete.
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