Wilf Nicholls is the Director of Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden, St. John's, Canada.

Born in London, England, Wilf Nicholls has degrees in botany from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and the UBC Vancouver. Following his Ph.D. and post-doctoral work (plant chemotaxonomy) he left academia to pursue horticulture. After several years in business he joined UBC Botanical Garden as a research scientist managing the acclaimed Plant Introduction. His breeding and fieldwork have brought several new plants into the industry most notably ‘Mandarin' honeysuckle.

Since 1997 Wilf has been director of the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden and is cross-appointed into the biology department (teaching applied biology and plant biology). He has recently established an R&D program called Plant Atlantic to bring new and under-used ornamental plants into the Atlantic horticulture industry and his team is looking at the potential of native roses as sources of nutriceuticals. Since 1998, Wilf has been on the Recovery Team for the Limestone Barrens species at risk and co-chaired the Habitat Stewardship Program. Currently he oversees the ex situ conservation of these rare and endangered calciphiles.

Wilf served on the AABGA program committee (mid 90s), is on the board of the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation, Canadian Botanical Conservation Network, Past-President of the Newfoundland Horticultural Society and on the executive of Landscape Newfoundland & Labrador. He serves on several community boards including the Community Food Sharing Association, the St John's Tree Committee and the Pippy Park Heritage Committee.

Wilf has organized/moderated sessions and workshops at APGA (AABGA) meetings, is a frequent speaker to industry, public groups and learned societies; has authored many articles and was a columnist for the Vancouver Sun. He is host of a TV gardening show, a regular on a phone-in radio show and is a common face/voice of horticulture in Newfoundland.