Our Tutors
We are proud to count some of the UK's leading garden designers and horticulturalists among our tutors and visiting lecturers. Students learn from professionals at the forefront of the industry, including RHS Gold Medal winners, award-winning designers and Head Gardeners working at prestigious gardens.
Ben Pope
Ben Pope is an accomplished horticulturist with over 25 years of professional experience. Alongside leading a private garden in West Sussex, he lectures widely, writes for publications including Gardens Illustrated and The Telegraph, and serves on the RHS Herbaceous Plant Expert Group, bringing exceptional practical expertise to every EGS course.
Sarah Eberle
Sarah Eberle is one of the world's most celebrated garden designers and the most decorated designer in RHS Chelsea Flower Show history, with 20 Gold Medals to her name. Tutoring on both the Good Gardening and Garden Design Diplomas, Sarah brings unparalleled expertise in planting design and horticulture to EGS students.
Nick Bailey
Nick Bailey is one of Britain's most respected horticulturists, with more than 30 years' experience spanning horticulture, garden design and consultancy. Former Head Gardener at Chelsea Physic Garden and a regular presenter on BBC Gardeners' World, Nick brings world-class horticultural knowledge and practical expertise to The English Gardening School.
Troy Scott Smith
Troy Scott Smith is one of Britain's most respected horticulturists and has been Head Gardener at Sissinghurst Castle Garden since 2013. A tutor on the Good Gardening Diploma, he combines decades of experience leading some of the UK's most celebrated gardens with an internationally recognised reputation for planting, garden stewardship and horticultural excellence.
Eliot Barden
Eliot Barden is Operations Director at Majestic Trees and an award-winning horticulturist specialising in specimen tree production. He helps Garden Design Diploma students develop a deeper understanding of tree selection, climate resilience and how thoughtful specification and nursery practice underpin the success of every landscape.
Caroline Jackson
Caroline Jackson combines more than 30 years of teaching experience with extensive practical horticultural expertise. Alongside tutoring on the Good Gardening Diploma and Advanced Practical Horticulture course at EGS, she works as a roving Head Gardener for Marian Boswall Landscape Architects and teaches professional horticulture at the RHS School of Horticulture, Wisley.
Richard Miers
Richard Miers is one of Britain's leading contemporary garden designers, with 30 years of experience creating award-winning gardens across the UK and internationally. A tutor on the Garden Design Diploma, his work has been recognised worldwide, including in World's Best: 50 Gardens from Around the Globe, celebrating the finest private gardens internationally.
Rosy Hardy
Rosy Hardy is the founder of Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants, one of Britain's leading specialist perennial nurseries. An RHS Master Grower with 24 Chelsea Gold Medals and Honorary Vice President of the RHS, she brings unrivalled expertise in herbaceous perennials, propagation and plant selection to the Good Gardening and Garden Design Diplomas.
Nick Tripp
Nick Tripp is Managing Director and co-founder of the award-winning landscape design practice Taylor Tripp. A graduate of The English Gardening School, he has spent almost three decades creating timeless private gardens, bringing a deep understanding of landscape, architecture and classical design principles to every course he teaches at EGS.
Tina Woodward
Tina Woodward combines a background in microbiology with more than a decade of professional horticultural experience. As Head Gardener at Rosemary Alexander's private garden, she teaches practical horticulture while bringing a unique blend of scientific knowledge and hands-on expertise to the Good Gardening Diploma and Advanced Practical Horticulture course.
Ann-Marie Powell
Ann-Marie Powell is an award-winning garden designer, author and broadcaster, renowned for creating beautiful, biodiverse landscapes that place plants at their heart. Founder of Ann-Marie Powell Gardens and an RHS Gold Medal winner, she brings decades of design expertise and creative insight to the Garden Design Diploma at EGS.
Kate Coulson
Kate Coulson is a garden designer and plantswoman renowned for her beautifully crafted, plant-led gardens. A graduate of The English Gardening School, she brings decades of experience in garden design and horticulture to the Garden Design Diploma, inspiring students with her thoughtful approach to planting, place and enduring garden making.
Edward Flint
Edward Flint is one of the UK’s most respected practising head gardeners, with decades of horticultural experience. Trained under Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter and Elizabeth Strangman at Washfield Nursery, he has designed gardens across Europe and now brings his exceptional practical knowledge to EGS’s Good Gardening Diploma.
Thomas Eno
Thomas Eno is an award-winning garden designer and founder of The Marylebone Garden Co. With more than 20 years' experience delivering high-end residential landscapes, he teaches the practical realities of garden construction, helping students understand hard landscaping, materials and how successful designs are translated from paper into beautifully built gardens.
Michael Marriott
Michael Marriott is one of the world's leading rosarians, with more than 40 years' experience cultivating, designing and lecturing on roses. Formerly Senior Rosarian at David Austin Roses, he helps students develop a deeper understanding of rose selection, cultivation and their enduring role in beautiful, resilient garden design.
Darren Lerigo
Darren Lerigo is one of the UK's leading topiary specialists, and author of Modern Topiary. Through his work with Modern Mint, he helps students develop the practical skills and confidence to shape and maintain plants, using topiary to bring structure, character and year-round interest to beautifully designed gardens.
Clare Foster
Clare Foster has been Gardens Editor at House & Garden since 2005, after eight years at Gardens Illustrated. She is the author of several books about gardening including Pastoral Gardens and Winter Gardens. A passionate advocate of growing by seed, she documents the progress of her quarter-acre cottage garden through her Bud to Seed Substack and website.
Barbara Samitier
Barbara Samitier is founder of Moss Studio and an award-winning garden designer known for creating elegant, naturalistic landscapes. Originally from the South of France, having spent her childhood roaming in the Mediterranean hills, she got a taste for immersive, layered and tactile landscapes with a strong sense of place.
Jim Hillier
Jim Hillier is from Hillier Nurseries, one of Britain's most respected horticultural businesses. Drawing on decades of experience in plant production, tree cultivation and nursery management, he helps students develop a deeper understanding of woody plants, plant quality and the principles behind successful, enduring planting schemes.
Lucy Bellamy
Lucy Bellamy is one of Britain's leading garden journalists and former Editor of Gardens Illustrated. An author of five gardening books and RHS Expert Tulip Judge, she has written for publications including The Guardian, the Financial Times and The Sunday Times, bringing exceptional horticultural knowledge and editorial expertise to EGS.
Andy McIndoe
Andy McIndoe is one of Britain's most respected horticulturists, with more than 40 years' experience in nursery production, planting design and garden management. Formerly Managing Director of Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres, he shares his exceptional plant knowledge and practical expertise, helping students create beautiful, resilient gardens with confidence.
Laurence Evans
Since serving his apprenticeship at the Chelsea Physic Garden, freelance gardener Laurence has cultivated an eclectic career, working with charities, public gardens and private companies on everything from intimate urban courtyards to expansive 15-acre estates. He draws on this breadth of experience in teaching and working with clients to help their gardens flourish.
Peter Skeggs-Gooch
Peter Skeggs-Gooch is one of Britain's leading clematis specialists and Director of Thorncroft Clematis. Drawing on a lifetime of experience growing, breeding and lecturing on clematis, he helps students understand how these versatile climbers can bring structure, colour and seasonal interest to gardens of every scale.
Penelope Hill Smith
Penelope Hill Smith is an award-winning garden designer whose work is informed by a deep understanding of landscape history, cultural influences and contemporary design. Combining professional practice with academic research, she helps students develop thoughtful, timeless gardens that respond sensitively to architecture, place and the people who use them.
Patricia Fox
After a career in fashion design, Patricia Fox founded the award-winning landscape practice Aralia, creating elegant gardens that balance creativity with practical design. A tutor on the Essential Garden Design Diploma, she draws on more than two decades in practice to guide students through marketing, building a successful studio and developing confidence as a designer.
Gillian Lotter
Gillian Lotter is a longstanding tutor on The English Gardening School’s distance learning courses, bringing decades of experience in garden design, consultancy and education. Alongside her teaching, she runs her own practice, specialising in garden design consultation and helping clients create thoughtful, beautiful spaces that enhance everyday life.
James Allison
James Allison is one of the UK's leading water garden specialists, with more than 30 years' experience designing ponds, lakes and aquatic landscapes. A qualified biologist and internationally respected lecturer, he combines technical expertise with ecological understanding, helping students create beautiful, sustainable water features that enrich both gardens and biodiversity.
Paul Willavoys
Paul is Customer Development Director of Landscapeplus and a specialist in garden lighting, irrigation and water features. Drawing on decades of industry experience, he helps Garden Design Diploma students understand how thoughtful technical design enhances both the beauty and functionality of a garden, ensuring schemes are practical, sustainable and buildable.
