The Finnis Scott Award
There are two award opportunities each year
APPLY NOW - Closing Dates 28th February and 30th September each year
The Finnis Scott Award provides a bursary to support opportunities for professional gardeners to experience the working environment of another garden for a few weeks. The objective is to develop existing skills or learn new skills to enrich which will benefit both the gardener and their workplace. The award will be granted to professional gardeners planning a secondment or an exchange. Joint applications between gardens are welcome.
It is the time spent with hands-on learning that really teaches the craft and makes good use of the principles learned from study. This is exactly why the Scott Finnis Award is so important to professional gardeners. In an industry where both physical and technical skills are the mark of expertise, secondments to other gardens provide the invaluable means for traditional skills to be passed on to the next generation.
The Award is flexible and can support, for example, loss of earnings, the cost of backfill whilst the beneficiary is away, accommodation, transport costs and travel insurance. The Award may not be used support the purchase of food or photographic equipment nor may it be used to support the study of plants in the wild.
Examples of where the award may be granted:
• Taking part in a particular task such as pleaching, topiary, bedding
• Travelling to visit a series of sites that present a similarity e.g. vegetable production, events management, conservation planning
• Job shadowing a manager, trainer, volunteer guide, contractor
• Joining a specific project, such as the development of a management plan, installing disability access, tree surveying, managing a wildflower meadow
To download an application form, click here.
To download guidance notes, click here.
Further advice: Please read the guidance notes (see above). If you have any queries or would like to discuss your ideas in advance of applying, please contact Fiona Dennis on fiona.dennis@english-heritage.org.uk or tel. 01737 244 664
Completed forms: Please send completed forms and supporting documentation to the Honorary Secretary by email to helen.seal@ntlworld.com or by post to
The Secretary, Professional Gardeners' Guild Trust, 8 Tenison Avenue, Cambridge, CB1 2DY
In addition to the application form, you may be required to complete further documentation to support the proposal, such as confirmation of loss of earnings or agreement with the host garden.
The Award is granted annually from the investment income generated by the Finis Scott Fund and is administered by the Professional Gardeners' Guild Trust (registered Charity 1101169) Funding may be granted in full or in part, at the discretion of the Trustees.
2011 Finnis Scott Awards:
Phillip Kay: Finnis Scott Award November 2011
Phillip works as a gardener at the University of Liverpool's Ness Botanic Gardens managing the potager at Ness Botanic Gardens and looking after a dedicated Team of five Volunteers. His duties include ordering seed, working out bed plans, and organising the volunteers to sow seed and maintain the area. He would like to spend two weeks on secondment at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.
He intends to spend one week with the gardening team in the alpine nursery and the second week with their garden nursery team. The secondment would help him to gain knowledge of working practices and propagation techniques in both departments. He is particularly interested in the accessioning system they use for propagated material and how they link this to the gardens database. The secondment would be for 2 weeks next April. The Finnis Scott Award gave Phillip a bursary of £625 towards the cost of his travel and accommodation.
To read Philip's personal statement, click here.
In March 2011, the Professional Gardener's Guild Trust gave £1,378 in Finnis Scott Award bursaries to four professional gardeners:
Robert Alcock is a Kew Diploma Student. He is planning to study wall trained fruit cultivation by visiting a number of exemplary walled kitchen gardens: Cotehele, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Barrington Court, Knighthayes, Audley End and West Dean. Rob will also spend one week at the Royal Horticultural Society Wisley fruit garden. Rob's project is planned in 2 stages -1 week in August and 1 week in January 2012. Rob will be using his annual leave to do this and the Finnis Scott Award is £403.
Maureen Newton is the Laboratory Manager at the Eden Project Seed Bank and went to Garden Organic, Heritage Seed Library to study seed harvesting, storage and record management. Maureen was on site for 2 weeks in July 2011 and has put £50 of her own funds into the project. Maureen's employer gave her time off and The Finnis Scott Award is for £600.
Joanna Fawcett, Trentham Estates Craft Gardener (including the Piet Oudolf borders) worked in Piet Oudolf's own garden to gain an insight into creative process of an Oudolf scheme. Jo took one week in May 2011 to achieve this. Her employer gave her some time off and the Finnis Scott Award is for £200. To read a report of Joanna's award, click here.
Catherine Cutler, Supervisor new to post in the Mediterranean Biome at the Eden Project, shadowed the manager at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in the Great Glasshouse in June/July 2011. Catherine's award was for £175, to read her report, click here.
Valerie Finnis VMH (1924-2006)
Horticulturist and photographer
Valerie Finnis worked for 30 years at Waterperry Horticultural School for Women and developed specialist knowledge of alpines. In 1961 she was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for her photographic work. In 1962 the RHS appointed her to the joint rock garden plant committee where she served for 20 years. In 1990 she established the Merlin Trust in memory of her husband's son, helping young gardeners to travel and explore the natural flora of the world. In 1975 she was awarded the RHS's highest accolade, the Victoria Medal of Honour. Her abounding enthusiasm for plants and gardening will be remembered by all who were fortunate to meet her.
