The Scene: Great Dixter Lecture

Every year, the New York Botanical Garden hosts a Patron Lecture. This year, the lecture, on Wednesday, June 22, 2011, was underwritten at Sotheby's and held at Sotheby's showroom.

This year's speaker was Fergus Garrett, the head gardener of Great Dixter House and Gardens in East Sussex, England. Great Dixter is famous for being the home of the late garden writer Christopher Lloyd, who lived at Great Dixter for more than 50 years. The gardens are noted for their mixed borders and complex meadows, and Garret's ability to create scenes within the garden. Garrett was awared the Associate of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society in 2008, and he spoke about the design and the management of the garden, as well as the legacy of Lloyd.

Fergus Garrett presenting, with a slide of gourds.

Friederike Biggs, Karen Sutton (COO of Sotheby’s), Mish Tworkowski (Board Member, The New York Botanical Garden)

Gregory Long (CEO and The William C. Steer Sr. President of The New York Botanical Garden), New York Botanical Garden Board Members: Marjorie G. Rosen, Lionel Goldfrank III (Chairman of NYBG Executive Committee), Dotty Goldfrank, Jeremy Biggs

The Honorable Adrian Benepe, (Commissioner New York City Department of Parks & Recreation), Todd Forrest (Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections of The New York Botanical Garden), Kenneth Roman (Executive Committee, The New York Botanical Garden), Arleen Rifkind, Marco Polo Stufano (Founding Director of Horticulture, Wave Hill)

Jeff Downing (Vice President for Education, The New York Botanical Garden), Diane Katzin (Board Member, The New York Botanical Garden), Richard Kurnit, Caroline A. Wamsler, (Board Member, The New York Botanical Garden), DeWayne Phillips