Dyffryn

Nestled in a quiet valley just outside of Cardiff lies hidden one of the grandest gardens in Wales. Built for the Cory family, the garden shows the combined influence of Thomas Mawson’s 1906 design and Reginald Cory’s passion for plants.

The northern part of the garden provides a simple parkland setting for the mansion. The 22 acre arboretum exhibits trees from around the world. To the east lie a sunken fern garden and a rockery. In contrast, the west includes a series of garden rooms, each with a different character, herbaceous borders and some of the most unusual trees and shrubs in Dyffryn’s woody plant collection. The formal central axis includes features such as yew topiary, annual bedding and a croquet lawn.

As a trainee, you will gain experience in productive horticulture with access to two productive walled gardens, display glasshouse (including an orchid section, cacti and succulent section, and vinery) and extensive modern yard and nursery facilities. You will also be involved in plant records management and will gain experience using a wide range of machinery.

Chris Flynn, Head Gardener: “Once a grand Edwardian garden, Dyffryn has experienced changing fortunes over the last 80 years. We are now at the beginning of potentially one of the most exciting garden restoration projects in the National Trust. Guided by features created during the collaboration of Thomas Mawson and Reginald Cory and developing our plant collections in the same fashion as Reginald Cory himself, we are looking to restore the splendour of these expansive gardens and their parkland setting whilst building a plant collection encompassing the newest, brightest and boldest planting that we can find.”

Placement opportunity: 2 year

Staff numbers: 11 full-time gardeners; 60 volunteers

Ease of access: Cardiff Central station is 7 miles away and Cardiff Airport is 5 miles away. There is also a train station and other amenities in Barry (6 miles away). Bus links are limited, so it is advisable that the trainee has their own transport.

Accommodation: No dedicated accommodation available.