We are FOLD

A man with dark, curly hair and a beard standing on a garden path, surrounded by lush foliage and rocks, wearing a plaid jacket, sweater, and pants.

Andy Jackson

I’m Andy, a planting designer with a background in landscape architecture and a particular interest in how planting can shape spaces, connect landscapes to their surroundings and give places character over time. My approach brings together the broader design perspective of landscape architecture with a practical understanding of plants, ecology and horticulture.

Working at Urquhart & Hunt gave me experience of developing planting as an integral part of wider landscape and architectural proposals. This has always been led by hands-on horticultural work at York Gate and Wildside, where I’ve developed a genuine passion for the craft of gardening and the skills needed to establish and sustain successful landscapes. Together, these experiences inform how I collaborate with landscape architects and architecture practices, helping translate design ambitions into planting that works both visually and ecologically.

Gardening alongside Professor James Hitchmough has further shaped my understanding of naturalistic planting and how diverse plant communities can be established to respond to their environment. I’m particularly interested in the relationship between plants, substrates and site conditions, and how this can lead to more inventive, resilient approaches to planting design.

Through FOLD, I bring these perspectives together to develop planting that is integral to the wider design, combining strong spatial thinking with ecological understanding and horticultural knowledge. From public landscapes to private gardens, the aim is to create places with lasting character and significant ecological value.

A person standing on rocks by the ocean holding shoes, with waves and the horizon in the background, in a black-and-white photo.

Tom Nicholls

 I’m Tom, a planting designer and horticultural consultant interested in how plants, their environments and the communities they form can inform the design of gardens and landscapes. My work combines practical horticultural knowledge with an appreciation of planting as both a creative discipline and an ecological process.

My experience spans the intimate Arts and Crafts setting of York Gate Garden, where I developed the Sand Garden, redesigned the White Garden and worked with the garden’s meadows, to public planting projects in Sweden with plantsman Peter Korn. York Gate strengthened my appreciation of horticultural craftsmanship and the relationship between planting, materials and the character of a place, while overseeing the development of a garden in Knutsford designed by Tom Massey gave me further insight into translating design ideas into established landscapes.

Working for Peter Korn at his nursery in Klinta broadened my understanding of alternative substrates and how plant communities can be established in challenging conditions, encouraging me to look beyond conventional approaches to planting.

Through FOLD, I draw on these experiences to create distinctive, resilient landscapes grounded in horticultural skill and ecological understanding. Whether collaborating with landscape architects and architects or designing private gardens, I’m interested in planting that responds to its surroundings, supports biodiversity and develops greater character and value over time.