about jonathan radford

GARDEN DESIGNER ITALY

Jonathan Radford is an English garden designer and he has been gardening since the age of 5 years old. Both Jonathan's parents were gardeners and he accompanied his father while he worked in his allotment and for his private clients from a very early age. He began working on forest restoration projects and various landscape projects in the south of England.
Age 15 he began attending the West Sussex college of horticulture, where he gained a City and Guilds in Commercial horticulture and an N.C in landscaping and landscape design.
He set up a small business while attending college, named 'Enchanted Gardens'. He began designing, landscaping and maintaining many gardens in the South of England before moving to Italy in 1994.

After several head gardener positions in the north of Italy Jonathan set up a business named 'Ecologica Gardens' which uses the logic of ecology to save up to 80% of water and 80% on general maintenance while saving over 50% on initial installation.
Jonathan's main emphasis is on the creation of indigenous ecosystems in the form of chic ecological gravel gardens and wild flower meadows with a strong Italian flavour.

Jonathan has been involved in numerous forest restoration and landscape projects since the age of 13. At 16 years of age, while still studying, he established a small landscape business, named “Enchanted Gardens”, which concentrated on the maintenance of private gardens in and around West Sussex. Jonathan was involved in forest restoration, tree-surgery and the design and construction of gardens,

Most notable amongst these was the renovation of an ancient, 7 acre property in Watersfield, West Sussex. This project involved the entire renovation and re-landscaping of a large area of a famous wildfowl reserve and, therefore, required some careful forest renovation. This extensive project consisted of the establishment of large formal gardens, lawns, orchards and meadows, all of which followed a strong ecological theme.

Jonathan had already spent a year with Anthony Archer-Wills, the famous pond and water garden specialist. While working with Anthony he gained a wide range of experience, creating ponds, lakes and water features such as waterfalls and natural pool filter systems. He was also involved with the cultivation of specialist water and marginal plants at Anthony’s plant nursery in West Sussex.

Aged 22 Jonathan made the move to Italy and worked in various plant nurseries in Bolzano (Dolomites), Bologna, Turin and eventually in Tuscany. In this time he also took on several important Head gardener/ garden design consultant positions at Castle Rubein, Castle Forst, Castle Banna where he gained a wide range of plant knowledge. In 2001 Jonathan took on the renovation of the grounds surrounding a large Renaissance Palace, Renaissance castle, Romanic church and a charming Renaissance hermitage on an extinct volcano in Tuscany (near Montalcino). The Palace had an extensive formal garden and large fine lawns and antique roses. The emphasis here was on low maintenance and Jonathan designed and established a Mediterranean gravel garden in a wonderful 16th Century courtyard, which the Countess is particularly fond of. Jonathan is still involved in the project and he is currently establishing large wild flower areas, using the ecologica germination system.

In the last 5 years Jonathan has also been involve in various projects using his ecologica system to transform high maintenance estates/gardens into efficient, beautiful ecological landscapes that require very little water and maintenance.

Jonathan's design practise has been concentrating on the establishment of ecologically efficient, low-water gardens that pick up on Italian nuances. His primary aim is to create beautiful, chic yet efficient garden spaces with a strong Italianate theme, without harming surrounding landscapes.

Jonathan is specialised in the creation of gardens with a strong Italian/ Mediterranean flavour because he developed his system (ecologica) while working in Tuscany. However he does run a garden design business in the UK, where he was born and studied horticulture. In the UK he worked on various forest restorations and large lake and water garden construction before taking on some very large projects with a strong ecological emphasis.

Jonathan took his first garden restoration project, aged only 16 years old, while still studying horticulture at the West Sussex college of Horticulture. This particular project consisted of the renovation of a 7acre garden for a charming gay couple on part of a wildfowl reserve in West Sussex. After various similar projects throughout the UK and France he moved to Italy, aged 22 years of age, in order to follow his passion for Italian style gardens.

Having worked for local government organisations, dealing the rehabilitation of the disadvantaged (HIV sufferers and the mentally handicapped) Jonathan set up his own garden design consultancy. Jonathan is now based in Tuscany but he has worked on projects in Piedmont, Bologna, Bolzano and Chianti. He has also worked as one of the garden consultants for La Foce, one of the most exclusive private gardens in Italy: La Foce. Jonathanhas also been involved in the renovation and maintenance of the garden of a 12th century fortress, named Chiarentana, again in Tuscany.

For the past 6 years he has been the garden design consultant to a noble Italian family who own a Renaissance estate in Southern Tuscany. He is slowly renovating the gardens surrounding the family’s Renaissance Palace, 13th Century Church and 16th Century Hermitage, where Jonathan has his studio: Palazzo Cervini

Jonathan performs garden designs all over Italy and offers a complete garden design/ consultancy service, following an ecological, classical or contemporary theme. He also works in close contact with constructors of natural swimming pools that do not use chlorine. Jonathan's speciality regards the reduction of water, maintenance and initiation costs, which can be surprisingly significant. Jonathan insists that this can all be done while doing something positive for the environment, without comprimising aesthetics.

CONTACT JONATHAN HERE