Tom Nielsen, biocentric garden designer

Tom Nielsen is planting designer for Biocentric Design and Harris Bugg Studio and also runs Biocentric Plants, a small nursery specialising in plants that are beautiful, resilient and with high nature value. Following a MSc in Advanced Environment and Energy Studies, Tom trained through the HBGBS programme and then worked at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden before going self employed.

With years of experience in practical horticulture, Toms was increasingly asked to do garden and planting design projects and has recently joined the team at Harris Bugg on a part time basis allowing him to continue to develop Biocentric Plants Nursery and his private practice. Tom gardens on nutrient poor sandy soil on the site of a ruined farmhouse in west somerset and is constantly sowing new seeds and trialling new plants in his wild, naturalistic garden.

If you have come to this via the website, we’d like to remind you that we have two dedicated podcast channels! One is here on Substack where we try to provide a weekly opportunity to listen to someone in the garden, botanical or landscape world; these might be the audio channel of our regular Thursday Garden Chat series, or they may be interviews we have recorded specially, with Annie, Noel or Claire Greenslade.

We also have a channel for members only, which is more information heavy, an opportunity to listen and learn whilst weeding, potting, driving, cooking, all those opportunities where the hands are busy but the brain likes to be engaged.