Nigel Dunnett: Tower of London ‘Superbloom’
film
In the summer of 2022, over 20 million seeds were sown in the moat surrounding the Tower of London to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, creating a beautiful, new naturalistic landscape designed to attract pollinators which developed and morphed over the course of the summer.
Joining us for this exclusive talk is the man behind the planting scheme of the ‘Superbloom’ flower field project Nigel Dunnett, an ecologist, landscape architect and Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture at the University of Sheffield. Nigel Dunnett has implemented innovative, immersive and sustainable planting schemes both nationally and abroad, in sites as conspicuous as the Barbican, Stratford’s Olympic Park, Italy’s Bergamo Square, the streets of Sheffield and, this summer, the historic Tower of London moat.
In conversation with our Head Gardener Matt Collins, Nigel discusses his approach to bringing wild nature, colour and dynamic planting into the public realm, and touches upon other high profile and ambitious schemes, both temporary and permanent.
Biographical information
Nigel Dunnett is Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield, and is one of the world’s leading voices on innovative approaches to planting design. He is a plantsman, designer and pioneer of the new ecological approach to planting gardens and public spaces. His work revolves around the integration of ecology and horticulture to achieve low-input, high-impact landscapes that are dynamic, diverse, and tuned to nature.
Nigel’s work is based on decades of detailed experimental research, and widespread application in practice: he works as a designer and consultant and regularly collaborates with a wide range of other professions, and his work has been widely applied in the UK and abroad. In 2016 Nigel was appointed as an Ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society, and is a former Garden Club of America International Fellow.
Matt Collins is a garden, landscape and travel writer, and Head Gardener at the Garden Museum. He contributes articles and essays for publications including The Guardian, The Times, Gardens Illustrated, RHS’s The Garden and Hortus, and writes a monthly column on plant provenance for the Daily Telegraph. Matt has several books published internationally including Forest, Walking Among Trees (Pavilion), which was shortlisted for an Edward Stanford Travel Writing award.
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