Connor Smith (UK)

Alpines around Santiago and northern Patagoni

Alpines around Santiago and northern Patagonia – Connor and Luca Magi travelled to Chile, after a 20 year long drought had ended we enjoyed tremendous flowering of an exquiste flora.

Connor is currently in charge of the Rock Garden at Utrecht Botanic Garden which is one of the largest in Europe. Connor Smith has worked in America for Iseli nursery, one of the world’s leading conifer nurseries. Work for Zu Jeddeloh nursery in Germany Then, it was on to Vannucci Piante in Pistoia, Italy – the largest growing area in Europe. Connor gained an interested in alpine plants from alpine expert Elspeth MacKintosh at RBGE. Elspeth’s passion and knowledge inspired Connor to further pursue a world in alpine plants. In 2019, he worked for the Schachen Alpine Garden high in the German mountains on a Merlin Trust placement. Connor travels widely to see plants in the wild and has given talks on a varied assortment of plants in around 12 countries.