Jo ThompsonGarden Designers blog

January, 2012 archive

January 27, 2012

Comparing nightmares

When I posted the following in a blog I write for HortWeek, I had no idea the culprit would come clean. But I should have known he’s be as honourable as ever, and he’s admitted  his identity.

“We know there are only a few months to go when the Chelsea nightmares start to kick in. I’ve had my first: the protagonist knows who he is as I called him in the cold light of day to tell him off about his appearance in my dream, in which he, at the 2012 show, decides to change his design at the last minute, incorporating, instead of the proposed structure, a life-size galleon made of Playmobil. The garden was accessorised by matching pine wardrobes and  chests of drawers.

I have absolutely no idea where this would come from, but if a ship appears on Main Avenue in May, you heard it here first.”

I’ve forgiven Mr. Sturgeon. He knows I wasn’t bothered as much about the pine as I was about the height at which he piled it. He has been a gentleman in suffering  without complaint from that ‘completely innocent victim of a bad dream’ situation.

In reality, matters are productive. The prototype of the seats was thrown out in what can only described as a Prima Donna moment: “It is NOT Father Christmas’s grotto and if I want a sleigh I’ll ask for it”. Neither becoming nor productive. I’m a bit embarrassed.

The trees, however, are fabulous even in their nakedness.

A little peek:

Shiny, slightly peachy stems and a very nice blue sky which would be very handy on the Judgement Day, please.

And this way round would be good. Last night I dreamed that they were growing upside down, and woke up with an image of a dozen judges standing round the trees, assessing their rootballs 6m in the air.

My second best bit of this week has to be visiting http://www.herberthall.com to ensure that the wine they are kindly supplying to sit in the cooler, is just right.



January 21, 2012

Chelsea – the idea

I’ve just realised that I’m giving little snippets of the Caravan Club garden here and there for RHS Chelsea , without actually having described what we are attempting to achieve.

So here goes.

This garden was always intended to be a ‘REAL’ garden. I’ve written before about my lack of fulfilment in designing conceptual spaces, and I desperately wanted this garden to be a place that people could identify with; a space that you might find at the bottom of your own garden.

A 1950s caravan that I spotted whilst on the Isle of Wight might seem an unusual addition, but I’ve hankered after an Airstream as a studio for long, long time – this is an impossibility at the moment, but Chelsea is a rather fab place to test the theory.

Pink  and cream roses are going to be used liberally to soften a fairly geometric and simple layout that holds a few places to sit (no change there then). Curving, in a sense ergonomic,  timber benches ( I was going to say undulating but I  know exactly who would seize upon that word with gleeful mockery) are around and about (if of course we can work out how to make them, as one of them hovers beautifully unrealistically above a stretch of water which is going to earn its keep by doubling up as a wine cooler – who on earth designed this garden?).

And there are dog kennels and hammocks – I think there may be a theme of ’sitting’ going on here……



January 12, 2012

Red Sky in the Morning and Magic Spells

Having very uncharacteristically woken up at 5am this morning, I was lucky enough to see an ice cream-coloured sky. Pinks and blues and vanillas all over the place.

Straight out of a Botticelli

Sometimes you just don’t need flowers.

And sometimes you do: the rose list for The Caravan Club’s RHS Chelsea  garden has been finalised with Roger Platts at his nursery in Kent, and there are some treats in store. Delicious pastels are on their way: I’m taking the opportunity to indulge my inner Chintz Lover, and I’m proud of it.

It all seems a far cry from the recent spell in Florida, spell being the operative word. Finding myself in the giftshop (Olivander’s naturally),  next to a lifesize replica of Hogwarts,

It's as real as it looks

I managed to acquire a wand. Yes really. I’m just learning how to use it. I’m contemplating it to Chelsea with me and use it on an unsuspecting judge. I’m currently   pointing it at the screen in the studio and it’s working wonders.Next I’m going to wave it over a fab Burwash project just to see what happens.