Silas Clifford-Smith - My horticultural background
I have worked professionally as a gardener for 32 years. I trained for four years at Ryde College in Sydney and qualified with an Associate Diploma in Horticulture in 1994. From 1994 to 2000 I was the Senior Horticulturist at Admiralty House - the official Sydney residence of Australia's Governor-General. In that role I was responsible for the care and supervision of this highly manicured property located on Sydney Harbour.
With experience looking after old gardens I was later appointed Head Gardener for the National Trust in New South Wales with responsibilities for several gardens including the restoration of the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum in the Blue Mountains and the recreation of the lost garden at Experiment Farm Cottage. Since 2004 I have worked as a self-employed horticulturist looking after many public and private landscapes. Some noteworthy commissions include care of Vaucluse House, Elizabeth Farm, the Rouse Hill Estate, the Lewers Bequest garden and Eryldene.
In recent years I have been working mainly in private practice around Sydney. My projects include one-off restorations as well as regular maintenance of new and established gardens. I also work as a landscape consultant advising garden owners on planting plans, maintenance programmes and advice on heritage matters.
My qualifications include, not only an Associate Diploma in Horticulture but a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney. I occasionally lecture on garden and heritage related matters and have appeared on the Gardening Australia TV show as well as ABC radio.
If you would like to discuss your garden's problems please approach me care of the CONTACT page on this site.
With experience looking after old gardens I was later appointed Head Gardener for the National Trust in New South Wales with responsibilities for several gardens including the restoration of the Norman Lindsay Gallery & Museum in the Blue Mountains and the recreation of the lost garden at Experiment Farm Cottage. Since 2004 I have worked as a self-employed horticulturist looking after many public and private landscapes. Some noteworthy commissions include care of Vaucluse House, Elizabeth Farm, the Rouse Hill Estate, the Lewers Bequest garden and Eryldene.
In recent years I have been working mainly in private practice around Sydney. My projects include one-off restorations as well as regular maintenance of new and established gardens. I also work as a landscape consultant advising garden owners on planting plans, maintenance programmes and advice on heritage matters.
My qualifications include, not only an Associate Diploma in Horticulture but a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney. I occasionally lecture on garden and heritage related matters and have appeared on the Gardening Australia TV show as well as ABC radio.
If you would like to discuss your garden's problems please approach me care of the CONTACT page on this site.
While employed as the Senior Horticulturist at Admiralty House in the 1990s I developed an interest in garden history. Since then I have been an active member of the Australian Garden History Society and have served on several National Trust technical committees.
I contributed to the Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002) and a National Trust guide to Interwar Gardens (2003). I have also written for several respected publications including Australian Garden History, Qantas [inflight magazine], Australian Horticulture, Landscape Outlook, Garden Drum and the National Trust magazine. I occasionally lecture on garden subjects and have led several garden tours.
I contributed to the Oxford Companion to Australian Gardens (2002) and a National Trust guide to Interwar Gardens (2003). I have also written for several respected publications including Australian Garden History, Qantas [inflight magazine], Australian Horticulture, Landscape Outlook, Garden Drum and the National Trust magazine. I occasionally lecture on garden subjects and have led several garden tours.