By Sorrel Everton

Published: Thursday, 20 January 2022 at 12:00 am

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When Troy Scott-Smith, head gardener at Sissinghurst discovered that some of the roses that the garden’s original creator Vita Sackville-West had planted were no longer growing there, he set out to put them back.

“Vita’s own diaries and notebooks, along with catalogues she marked with potential rose orders, have helped us identify many of the roses she grew, while lists left by former head gardeners have provided greater detail,” he explains. “We may never find all of the lost roses, but tracking them down and discovering some new favourites has brought great pleasure.”

Discover more about the garden at Sissinghurst garden and some of its most special roses in this video with head gardener Troy Scott-Smith, and find out the names of Vita’s top 15 roses below.