Lecture Description in James’ own (lightly edited) words:

My professional life has run parallel with extensive UK Research Council-funded research into what lives in UK gardens. It had long been assumed invertebrates are hard-wired to prefer native plant species, but research shows that our gardens are actually extremely rich in native invertebrates, despite the fact that most gardens contain many non-native plants. Invertebrate diversity is richest where gardens are most spatially and taxonomically complex, so gardening ambition drives greater richness. The realization that as gardeners, we are wardens of our very own nature reserves has come as something of a shock, and has raised questions about how one should balance nature conservation with the traditional aesthetic values of gardens. In this talk I will discuss how I have approached this in my own, relatively new 2.5 acre garden in rural Somerset.

Speaker’s Bio:

After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Bath in 1984, James held a lectureship in environmental horticulture at the University of Melbourne, where he worked for 10 years and conducted research into nature-like plant communities as an urban form. He then spent 27 years teaching and researching in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield. He retired in September 2022 and was named professor emeritus.

James has worked as a consultant on landscape projects around the world, often using these experiences to translate his research into practice and policy. With Nigel Dunnett he was lead planting designer at the London Olympic Park (2007-14), following the publication of the first edition of “The Dynamic Landscape” (2004), a seminal text on the application of nature-like planting to the urban realm.  After 2010 he focused on projects in China, often in collaboration with Chinese government agencies to advance the use of local native species in large scale nature-like design projects. James designed the first native woodland garden in China at Lotus Lake, Beijing, the acclaimed New Silk Road Garden at the Beijing International Expo, and the planting of the Monet Garden in Chengdu. Since retiring, James has been engaged in major design and management projects in the UK and internationally. He is a sought-after writer and speaker and was recently appointed to the RHS Council for a five-year term.