Show Gardens - Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/tag/show-gardens/ London and Sussex Landscape & Garden Designer Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:49:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cropped-favicon-ampersand-32x32.png Show Gardens - Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/tag/show-gardens/ 32 32 The Glasshouse Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/the-glasshouse-garden-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2025/ Tue, 20 May 2025 10:20:39 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=7317 The Glasshouse Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 Gold Medal winner Designed by Jo Thompson, the only female designer of a large show garden at…

The post The Glasshouse Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

The Glasshouse Garden

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025
Gold Medal winner

Designed by Jo Thompson, the only female designer of a large show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025, The Glasshouse Garden was a bold, immersive space celebrating feminine strength, second chances, and the healing power of nature. The garden was unveiled at the show, where it was awarded a Gold Medal in recognition of its exceptional design and execution.

The design was inspired by the women of The Glasshouse, a pioneering social enterprise supporting women leaving prison through horticultural training, resettlement support and employment. With a 0% reoffending rate, The Glasshouse programme transforms lives, offering a positive and purposeful future for women in custody, their families and wider society.

The garden’s colour palette was inspired by the idea of “strong beauty”, blending deep reds, pinks and crimsons with soft peach and apricot hues. Roses took centre stage, including varieties such as ‘Tuscany Superb’, ‘Wild Rover’ and ‘Emma Bridgewater’. River birch (Betula nigra) and Zelkova serrata formed a light, delicate canopy, with the peeling bark of Betula nigra, in warm peachy tones, echoing and complementing the pavilion’s softly tinted panels.

“The planting combinations in the garden of Jo Thompson are divine.”
Clare Foster, Gardens Editor, House and Garden

At the heart of the design was a translucent elliptical pavilion, created in collaboration with Hollaway Studio, formed from recycled acrylic in a soft, four-colour botanical tint. This elegant structure sat amongst the rich, layered planting and offered a safe space for reflection, connection and support. A flowing stone rill wove through the garden, ending in a tranquil pool.

“The Glasshouse Garden at Chelsea Flower Show is a masterclass in bold, meaningful colour,”
Homes & Gardens

Following the show, the garden was relocated to HMP Downview, a women’s closed prison in Surrey, where it now provides a permanent space for horticultural training and rehabilitation, supporting women as they plan for release through The Glasshouse programme.

“Romantic, classic, elegant”
Adam Frost, BBC Chelsea

“No garden has more beautiful planting this year than Jo Thompson’s creation, where a plethora of roses create a wonderful mix of sight and scent.”
Country Life

Watch ‘The Story of The Glasshouse Garden‘.
A behind the scenes look at the making of this RHS Chelsea Gold Medal Winning Garden. 

Back to Portfolio

The post The Glasshouse Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> The Wildlife Garden RHS Hampton Court 2023 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/the-wildlife-garden-rhs-hampton-court-2023/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:06:15 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=6150 The Wildlife Garden RHS Hampton Court 2023 The RHS invited Jo and team to create a wildlife sanctuary for RHS Hampton Court. The garden was…

The post The Wildlife Garden RHS Hampton Court 2023 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

The Wildlife Garden RHS Hampton Court 2023

The RHS invited Jo and team to create a wildlife sanctuary for RHS Hampton Court. The garden was inspired by the idea of an ‘accidental’ landscape and is imagined as an urban corridor reclaimed by nature. The garden shows how wildlife can naturally thrive in what are often thought of as unexpected, unlikely and forgotten places: the landscapes in-between.   

The garden is bounded by a hawthorn hedge – a star species for wildlife. Hawthorn’s spring blossom provides food for pollinators, while its spiky branches act as an ideal nesting spot for birds. Its bright red berries are an important food source in the winter months.  Other plants include Angelica sylvestris ‘Vicar’s Mead’, Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’, Campanula lactiflora ‘Loddon Anna’ and Achillea millefolium. 

Photography: Anna Omiotek-Tott

Back to Portfolio

The post The Wildlife Garden RHS Hampton Court 2023 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> RHS Rosemoor – Cool Garden https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/rhs-rosemoor/ Sat, 06 Feb 2021 16:50:08 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1659 RHS Rosemoor The Cool Garden at RHS Rosemoor A new Cool Garden, designed by Jo, opened to visitors at RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon in…

The post RHS Rosemoor – Cool Garden appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

RHS Rosemoor

The Cool Garden at RHS Rosemoor

A new Cool Garden, designed by Jo, opened to visitors at RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon in July 2019. The new garden centres on the use of water and features plants with blue, white and pastel coloured flowers complemented by grey foliage, providing a calming contrast to the fiery colours of the nearby Hot Garden.

Faced with some of the highest recorded annual rainfall in the UK, Jo wanted to harness the abundance of water, by channelling it to a particular part of the site, to create a bog garden.

This is a good example of how garden designers need to embrace the conditions they have to work with and turn a potential problem into a focal point.

Photography by Jason Ingram, Built by Rural Stonework & Landscapes Ltd

Back to Portfolio

The post RHS Rosemoor – Cool Garden appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> BBC Springwatch Garden, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/bbc-springwatch-garden-rhs-hampton-court-flower-show-2019/ Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:59:17 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1630 BBC Springwatch Garden, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019 Wildlife Garden Jo’s BBC Springwatch Garden at Hampton Court shows how small changes can have a…

The post BBC Springwatch Garden, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

BBC Springwatch Garden, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019

Wildlife Garden

Jo’s BBC Springwatch Garden at Hampton Court shows how small changes can have a big impact and provide vital support for wildlife.

Recent research shows that private gardens in Britain cover an area bigger than all of the country’s nature reserves combined and could offer crucial resources for wildlife.

Working with wildlife gardener Kate Bradbury, Jo’s garden showed visitors how they can re-wild their gardens and take steps to halt the decline of the UK’s wildlife population, using a range of practical design elements.

Key to the design is wildlife corridors which allow insects, birds and mammals to travel from garden to garden in search of food and shelter to help our ever-fragile species survive and thrive.

Not only does the lack of hard division between the gardens promote the idea of pathways for wildlife but also promotes the notion of working together for our environment and wildlife.

“I want to encourage people to come together in their communities to chat about their gardens, discuss how they can potentially work together and foster a sense of community in people, as well as supporting wildlife. Gardening is a great way to open a conversation with your neighbours and having good relationships and getting outdoors can boost our health and wellbeing – a win-win as far I am concerned.”

 

The first garden, owned by an older garden lover who isn’t able to garden as much as they used to, offers a cottage feel with untamed and wilder planting full of nettles providing the perfect habitat for wildlife. There are also log piles for beetles and a nestled bench to sit and watch the birds at the bird feeder and bath.

The second garden is a lawn with daisies and clover, which forms the central garden, ideal for families. Curved bends create a natural feel and a dry-stone bench left without a coating will encourage bugs to live and nest amongst its gaps.

Meanwhile, behind the seating area there is a curved palisade inspired by Kate Bradbury’s own summerhouse and a pond trickles as a stream through into the next neighbour’s garden.

Belonging to a younger couple, the third garden features formal perennial planting rising from wildflower turf. Formal topiary punctuates the space as a smart Belgian paver terrace sits into a gentle slope at the end providing an area to relax, while smart timber insect hotels are situated along its border.

Photography by Rachel Warne.

Back to Portfolio

The post BBC Springwatch Garden, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2019 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/the-wedgwood-garden-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2019/ Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:41:22 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1591 The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 Jo Thompson’s garden for Wedgwood; a breathtaking blend of industrialism and romanticism. Etruria, built in 1769, was…

The post The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019

Jo Thompson’s garden for Wedgwood; a breathtaking blend of industrialism and romanticism.

Etruria, built in 1769, was the pioneering Staffordshire village that Josiah Wedgwood built for his workers ten years after the founding of The Wedgwood business, which was known as ‘the factory on the garden’ as it has plentiful green space alongside a canal.

Water was fundamental to the functionality of Wedgwood’s production and transformation to an international industry. The Wedgwood Garden references this with a watercourse that flows through multiple levels, unifying and delineating differing areas, with a trickling stream connecting key elements and echoing the canals and watercourses of Staffordshire.

Jo was inspired by classical architecture whilst living in Rome. Standing proudly above the garden and beautifully framing the space, are interlinked arched pavilions that echo the foundations of the past while delivering a fresh new approach. The pavilions related ever-changing framed views providing different perspectives of the creative landscape.

The variety of angles is brought together by repeated use of materials in the garden, with subtly contrasting surfaces and textures. They are used alongside delicate decorative metalwork and artfully placed sculptures highlighting key junctions and motifs.

Planting

A dynamic, natural and untamed scheme, with mass plantings that are both textural and structural. The planting palette features soft lemons, creams and peach with accents of fresh green, zingy lime and rich, deep claret.

Photography by Clive Nichols. Videos by James Bloomfield Videography.

Back to Portfolio

The post The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/the-wedgwood-garden-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2018/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:21:36 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1727 The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 A garden pavilion Gold medal. A striking space for a strong, successful woman for the Wedgwood Garden…

The post The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018

A garden pavilion

Gold medal. A striking space for a strong, successful woman for the Wedgwood Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018.

Nature, flowers and horticulture have always been at the heart of Wedgwood’s design work and this has been Jo’s source of inspiration for the garden. Stone, streams and majestic weeping willows all work together to create a peaceful, relaxing entertaining area.

The centrepiece of the garden is the exquisite and complex, sculptural pavilion which represents the curves of femininity and innovation at the same time. It sweeps through and over the garden, with an almost imperceptible lightness.

Inspiration for the pavilion was drawn from renowned sculptor Barbara Hepworth’s delicate Winged Figure, crafted in 1961 for the flagship John Lewis store in Oxford Street. The sweeping lines of Hepworth’s String Figure, described in art literature as ‘rejecting the weight and solidity of male forebears’, are also referenced in the weightlessness of the bronze structure.
The curved structure was a collaborative project with ‘The Seduction of Curves’ author Allan McRobie and the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge.

Below the sculpture sits a pond with York stone stepping stones, leading to a terrace with stone seat and coffee table, hewn from the same boulder . From here the whole garden can be admired: there is a view through to a delicate stream which appears to come from a spring in one of the vast York stone boulders at the other end of the garden.

Photography by Jo Thompson and Marianne Majerus.

BBC TWO - The Wedgwood Garden, designed by Jo Thompson

Back to Portfolio

The post The Wedgwood Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> Chelsea Barracks Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/chelsea-barracks-garden-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2016/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 23:20:38 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1714 Chelsea Barracks Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 A public garden Gold medal-winning show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Meticulously researching this garden on…

The post Chelsea Barracks Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

Chelsea Barracks Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016

A public garden

Gold medal-winning show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Meticulously researching this garden on behalf of the client, our discovery that one of London’s lost rivers ran under this part of Chelsea, inspired the dramatic yet restful water feature in the form of a majestic water wall flowing into an undulating rill which then flows through the garden. Combining perfectly with exquisite planting and bespoke seating areas, the communal garden provides a relaxing and beautiful recreational space.

This garden was relocated to the Royal British Legion Industries village, where it provides a welcoming communal space for residents and visitors. Thought-provoking sculptures were commissioned from Barbara Myers. The benches were our third collaboration with Gareth Neal.

Photography by Rachel Warne.

Back to Portfolio

The post Chelsea Barracks Garden, RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> Natural Swimming Pool, RHS Chelsea Flower Show https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/natural-swimming-pool-rhs-chelsea-flower-show/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 20:37:30 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1491 Natural Swimming Pool, RHS Chelsea Flower Show A writer’s retreat This romantic garden is a quintessentially British restorative retreat, where its owner can unwind, away…

The post Natural Swimming Pool, RHS Chelsea Flower Show appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

Natural Swimming Pool, RHS Chelsea Flower Show

A writer’s retreat

This romantic garden is a quintessentially British restorative retreat, where its owner can unwind, away from the hustle and bustle of city living.

The 2015 M&G Garden featured a two-storey oak framed building inspired by the garden retreats of, amongst others, Vita Sackville-West, Virginia Woolf, Dylan Thomas and Roald Dahl. A large natural swimming pond was edged with water-loving plants, and surrounded by a woodland of river birches and acers. This is all nestled within planting beds of tumbling roses and peonies in a palette of greens, punctuated by soft pinks, lavender blues and creams, with a touch of orange. A bespoke sculpture of Purbeck stone was created for the garden by Tom Stogdon.

The relaxing atmosphere was enhanced by seating from Gareth Neal, floral designs styled by Flora Starkey and styling by Kendra Wilson.

Partially covered by trees and lush planting, the M&G Garden design for 2015 drew on local influences: from the vernacular architecture features synonymous with the Sussex and Kent countryside where Jo currently lives, to the use of Purbeck stone at the far end of the swimming pond owing to her childhood in Dorset.

Style – Traditional British
Location – London, UK
Size – 220 sq m

Photography by Katy Donaldson.

Back to Portfolio

The post Natural Swimming Pool, RHS Chelsea Flower Show appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> RHS Chatsworth, Derbyshire https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/rhs-chatsworth-derbyshire/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:29:18 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1402 RHS Chatsworth, Derbyshire Sculptural installation over the River Derwent Best in Show and People’s Choice at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire’s Peak District. The Brewin Dolphin…

The post RHS Chatsworth, Derbyshire appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

RHS Chatsworth, Derbyshire

Sculptural installation over the River Derwent

Best in Show and People’s Choice at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire’s Peak District.

The Brewin Dolphin Garden, in the new FreeForm category, was an installation celebrating the landscape of the 1,000-acre parkland and the elegance and beauty of Chatsworth House.
Embracing the majestic setting of Chatsworth House, the garden made the most of the beautiful views and natural curves of the landscape and provided a spectacular contemporary viewpoint from which to enjoy ‘Capability’ Brown’s historic vistas.

Sited on the banks of the River Derwent, the scale of the garden reflected the grandeur of its setting, combining contemporary industrial materials with naturalistic planting. Central to the design was an imposing contemporary sculpture crafted from reinforcing steel bars which swept through the space, taking in the shape of the river before cantilevering dramatically out over the water. Here, it hung suspended in mid air before sweeping back to the riverbank and spiralling into a circular enclosed building.

This garden won Best in Show and People’s Choice.

A series of garden areas dotted along the sculpture’s main frame were connected by wildflower turf following the organic shape of the structure. At one end, majestic field maples and hornbeams created a glade of trees surrounded by meadow. At the other, an ornamental garden curved around the imposing steel building. A soft pastel planting palette of blues and pinks with highlights of apricot contrasted with the patina of the steel sculpture

Photography by Ben J Davies.

Back to Portfolio

The post RHS Chatsworth, Derbyshire appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]> RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/portfolio/rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2014/ Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:00:03 +0000 https://www.jothompson-garden-design.co.uk/?p=1368 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 A small city space Award-winning design for a public space in London. This elegant space is the corner of a…

The post RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014

A small city space

Award-winning design for a public space in London.

This elegant space is the corner of a London garden square. Drawing inspiration from the residential squares of the 19th century and continuing the tradition of great London squares, the design includes four multi-stem Betula utilis var. jacquemontii to create privacy and height. The marble sculpture by Frederic Chevarin reflects the colour of the trees.

Photography by Katy Donaldson.

Back to Portfolio

The post RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 appeared first on Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design.

]]>