A new partnership between three gardens - in Gloucestershire, Pennsylvania, USA and Awaji Island, Japan – has been launched with the recruitment of the first group of trainees.
This unique fellowship is in partnership with Hidcote Manor Garden in Gloucestershire, UK; The Alliance of Hyogo in Awaji Island, Japan; and Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, USA.
The TRIAD Fellowship is designed to give young horticulturists experience of both the culture and horticulture of three very different countries and unique gardens, and give them the knowledge and global experience on which to build their careers as professional horticulturists.
Mike Beeston, General Manager at Hidcote Manor Garden said it was important that the skills and knowledge at Hidcote were shared with young gardeners both in the UK and around the world.
“We have chosen two young British gardeners to be the first Hidcote representatives for the programme who will be starting in September, but in the meantime we are shortly to welcome the two American gardeners who will spend their first four months with us at Hidcote.
“It is a very special project and something very new for the National Trust to be involved in such an international partnership. Hidcote is already well known and well loved around the world as one of the most influential 20th Century gardens. It is important to us to continue to share the knowledge here and we are excited to see how this new training scheme develops.”
Two horticulturists from each institution will take part spending four months living, working, and learning in each of the three world-class public. In order to be considered for the fellowship, the students needed a qualification in horticulture and also some previous hands-on working experience but mainly a passion for plants and a desire to pursue a career in horticulture.
The fellows are paid, and their housing is provided, allowing them to focus on their training while learning horticulture alongside some of the most knowledgeable staff in the world. The horticulturists will learn about greenhouse technologies, crop scheduling, integrated pest management, plant identification and culture for three distinct regions of the world, plant records management, conservatory management, landscape design and implementation, heritage management, exhibit design, and more.
Philip Brown, from Harvington, Worcestershire, and Rhiannon Harris, from Sevenoaks, Kent, are the fellows from Hidcote Manor Garden; Christina Olivieri, from Levittown, Pennsylvania, and Nicholas Giaquinto from Commack, New York are Longwood’s two fellows, and Misho Okawa, from Kobe, Hyogo, and Hitomi Kawasaki, from Iwakura Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, are the fellows from The Alliance of Hyogo.
Longwood fellows Olivieri and Giaquinto will spend their first four months at Hidcote Manor Garden before moving onto Japan and then back to Longwood Gardens in the USA. Okawa and Kawasaki also begin their fellowship in May, hosted by the Alliance of Hyogo, traveling to Longwood Gardens and ending their experience at Hidcote Manor Garden. Brown and Harris begin at Hidcote Manor Garden in September, then travel to Japan, and complete their fellowship at Longwood Gardens.
Throughout their international travels, the horticulturists will be sharing their experiences in each country via a blog: www.triadfellowship.wordpress.com
“The World TRIAD Fellowship further expands our leading horticultural education programs and enables us to share our knowledge and best practices on a global scale,” said Longwood Gardens Director Paul B. Redman. “We are honoured to partner with the Hidcote Manor Garden and The Alliance of Hyogo to offer these aspiring professionals an international, hands-on experience that will be invaluable throughout their careers.”
