Paul is the Head Gardener at RHSI Bellefield in County Offaly, a property bequeathed to the RHSI by the renowned architect and garden designer Angela Jupe. Alongside its house and cottages, the estate features a two-acre walled garden celebrated for its collection of perennial plants and rare bulbs. The wider grounds encompass pasture, forestry, a bog area carefully managed for biodiversity, and a plantation of native trees. Bellefield also holds one of the finest collections of snowdrops in Ireland, both named varieties and naturalised drifts.

Paul Smyth graduated from Waterford Institute of Technology in 2015 with a BSc in Horticulture. He worked as chief propagator in Crug Farm, the internationally renowned nursery in North Wales, for 3 years. His work at Crug brought him to Vietnam on plant hunting expeditions and he has helped create award winning nursery displays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. He has also recently co-authored ‘Gardening Together’ with Diarmuid Gavin.

He was mentored by Angela, herself a visionary thinker, designer, plantswoman, architect, and collector. Drawing on this legacy, he will share his experience of caring for and continuing to develop this beautiful exceptional garden.