Lost Loved Gardens Feature

Printed in etc magazine, Nov 2010

A Lost Loved Garden

Ralph and Linda Nichols are fast developing a reputation for their award-winning organic gardens.
Martin Elvery discovers the secret of their success

NHS workers Ralph and Linda Nichols have always had a passion for gardening, but in 2008 they began
designing gardens of their own, working with The Royal Horticultural Society and local sponsors to create a series of imaginative set-piece gardens.

This began a journey that has seen them win two RHS bronze  medals, appear live on Gardeners’ World and take their garden to the Hampton Court Flower Show in 2010.




A Lost Loved Garden



There is far more to Ralph and Linda’s gardens than winning the support of the judges. They have an organic ethos which means growing all the plants in their own nursery.“We use wild plants which mature, grow and evolve bythemselves,” Ralph explains. “This means pruning should only be
required to strengthen the plant. Our organic ethos means that no insecticides or pesticides are used which may be damaging.”

This summer they took their ‘Lost-loved garden’ design to the Hampton Court Flower Show.
“The inspiration came from photographs of neglected gardens,” says Ralph who lives with wife Linda in Waterlooville. “The purpose of the garden was to demonstrate the importance of the conservation and preservation of buildings and gardens for future generations. The plan was that the derelict house would act
as a backdrop for a garden which until recently was still cared for by – perhaps an elderly neighbour,” says Ralph.


“The garden is losing its former glory as nature begins to creep in.”The bronze medal-winning garden achieves this, dramatically evoking the nostalgia of a hidden corner of granny’s garden. “We used the kinds of plants that would be found in a derelict garden: hops, brambles, white hydrangeas, hollyhox, scabious and even nettles,” says Ralph.


“We aimed to enhance the various greens of the foliage with the pastel shades of the pink, white and blue flowers,” says Ralph. “It’s a bit like painting with plants.”


It’s obvious that Ralph and Linda have been overwhelmed by the response to their design.  “There were over 180,000 people at the show,” says Ralph excitedly. “It was amazing just spending all day talking to people about the garden.We were especially pleased when one passer-by compared our garden to the TV show Cider with Rosie.”


Their design was also singled out as one of 10 must-see gardens at theflower show by former Chelsea award-winner Andy Sturgeon.


Yet this isn’t the only highly original design that Ralph and Linda have
created. In 2009 the couple appeared live on Gardeners’ World with their ‘Something in the Air’ garden.
This was another trip down memory lane with the centrepiece of the garden – a wrought iron 1960s table and chair – surrounded by the evocative scents of lavender and thyme. Structure and height was provided by rambling roses and willow, all planted on a raised bed.

The Something in the Air Garden from the 2006 Gardener's World TV show

As part of their conservation drive the couple use only reclaimed materials in their garden designs. They are sponsored by Tiger Enterprises, a Brighton-based reclamation company which salvages building materials such as bricks, windows and floorboards and re-sells them for renovation work. “The ethos of Tiger Enterprises is similar to the environmental considerations and organic nature of our gardens,” says Ralph.
Ralph and Linda are also working with Growing Southwark, a London-based charity which aims to create gardens in deprived and built-up areas.

The husband and wife team have exciting times ahead of them as they continue to establish themselves as eminent designers. “For next year’s Hampton Court Show we are planning a church garden
based on The Beatle’s song Eleanor Rigby,” says Ralph.

They are also hoping to use reclaimed railway sleepers to create a design called ‘Beach Station,’ which evokes an end-of-the line 1950s railway station with its faded seaside charm.

Because Ralph and Linda’s gardens make use of buildings as a central feature, they have drawn an unexpected response. “We’ve been told that our gardens have provoked a lot of debate in the
RHS about what a garden actually is,” says Ralph.


But what role does Ralph think his wild nostalgic gardens can play in the modern, neat urbanised world of the south coast? “Our hopes are that more people will want to renovate their gardens in a natural way,” explains Ralph. “I would like to see local nurseries take on
garden designers so they can advise people on organic gardening.”


And maybe we could all benefit from a little untamed organic wilderness in
our busy consumer-led lives.
For more details visit http://www.lindaandralphgardening.co.uk/