I barely slept last night. The news of Nigel Dunnett’s passing filled my feed and caught me completely off guard.
Nigel was a professor in the Landscape Department at the University of Sheffield. He was my teacher during my Master’s studies, as well as my supervisor for both my research proposal and thesis.
He was one of the few academics I’ve known who truly bridged academia, research, and industry. He approached each with quiet dedication, steadily advancing his work without ever seeking recognition. I always saw him as someone reserved, focused, and deeply committed – never boastful, which made his achievements all the more admirable.
Thanks to Nigel, and to James Hitchmough, my perspective shifted from architecture toward landscape. I once saw plants as merely decorative elements in a design. That changed entirely through their teaching, as they opened our eyes to the roles of plants in design, ecology, and biodiversity.
Nigel was always generous with his students. He openly shared his projects and actively encouraged us to get involved. It was he who suggested I become a teaching assistant at the University, a role I embraced with enthusiasm and one that later expanded as I worked alongside other professors.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with him in many ways: contributing to RHS shows, illustrating one of his books, working with the Green Roof Centre, and more. All of these opportunities came from his belief in me and his persistence in bringing me on board.
There are many words of wisdom I could share, but of course one that has stayed with us all is this: “The right plant in the right place.” And he wasn’t speaking only about plants.
To honour his work and the impact his work/philosophy/research had on all of us, I created a digital interactive map for everyone to leave a memory or some thoughts of kindness.
The link is here:
