Alex Slazenger: Head Gardener at the Powerscourt Estate

Early mornings in the garden are just one of the things that keep Alex’s passion alive. As the head gardener of the Powerscourt Estate, he takes every opportunity he can to get his hands in the dirt. 

“The connection that you have of touching the bark of a tree. It just - It's like the sort of serotonin that boosts you every day.”

The estate has been in his family since his grandfather bought it. Everything that Alex does is an effort to keep the legacy alive and set the roots for the generations to come, hoping that they’ll follow in his footsteps to care for the magnificent gardens. 

“I want to pass something on to my children. I want them to be able to say, 200 years ago, my great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Alex, decided to plant this and look at it now.”

One of Alex’s biggest philosophies in caring for the garden is that polyculture is the most beneficial for the plants. He wants to educate people on how companion plants, while they might not always fit the aesthetics perfectly, are how to keep plants thriving longer. 

He compares the benefits of companion planting to people, and how certain relationships can help us grow stronger and better.  

“Both of them show off the other person, you know? So it's like when you meet that partner, you just look better or you do better because you're around them.”

When Alex observes guests walking through the gardens, he enjoys seeing them go off the beaten paths and let their intuition guide them naturally from plant to plant, as opposed to following the maps. It allows guests to discover so many more species that they might miss otherwise. 

“Rather than following paths around the garden, I say to people, follow plants.”

A film by Leslie Askew.

Drone operator, producer, and editor: Turlough White