HOME + GARDEN
MEET THE GARDENER
SAFFRON PRENTIS
National Trust Gardener , Sissinghurst Castle Garden , Cranbrook
© National Trust / Eva Nemeth
© Lucy Mohr
Where did your interest in gardening begin ?
From a very young age ( 3 or 4 ). We had a small patio garden filled with pots and hanging baskets . I remember sowing Nasturtium seeds in pots and planting Lobelia in window boxes with my mother .
Why did you want to be a gardener ?
When my children were small I made the decision to stop working in London . It gave me time to focus on my allotment and look after my own garden . I began to see gardening as a potential career that I both enjoyed , and fitted in with raising a young family .
Where did you study ?
Hadlow College .
Who was your inspiration ?
My mother and her artist friend Betty Swanwick . Mum would help Betty in her small , skinny garden filled with box topiary .
How long have you worked here ?
I ’ ve worked for the National Trust at Sissinghurst Castle Garden for 4 years .
What appealed to you about working here ?
It was always one of my favourite gardens to visit . Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson created the gardens in the 1930s and worked on it until it came into the care of the National Trust in 1967 . Their spirit of experimentation endures , allowing the gardener a certain amount of creativity in an historic setting . Day to day , I love working and learning from a talented team of gardeners .
What ’ s your favourite part of the garden ?
I love it all ! Each area of the garden has a distinctive identity that is allowed to shine in its own special way through the seasons . I was part of the team that created Delos , our newest garden inspired by a trip Vita and Harold took to Greece in the 1930s . Re-creating the essence of a Mediterranean garden in the heart of Kent was a unique experience and it ’ s well worth a visit .
What ’ s your least favourite part of garden design ?
I don ’ t have one , I ’ m lucky to be able to say I really love all aspects of garden design .
What ’ s the best time of year for visitors to see the garden ?
Sissinghurst is open year-round , and there is always something to see . Discover the bare beauty of the garden in winter , and the structure which provides the framework for abundant planting later in the year . The most floriferous times are spring and summer , from the colourful irises in May to the dreamy White Garden in high summer . At the moment , the South Cottage garden is coming into its own with warm reds and golds leading into autumn .
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