Jo Thompson Garden Design

Jo Thompson Garden Design Jo Thompson Landscape & Garden Design work extensively across Europe from offices in London and East Town gardens, country gardens, roof terraces.

Landscape & garden design, private & public spaces, UK, Europe & South Africa.

In today’s Gardening Mind, I’m taking a look at this question: what is the Chelsea Chop and will you be doing it this ye...
18/05/2024

In today’s Gardening Mind, I’m taking a look at this question: what is the Chelsea Chop and will you be doing it this year?

If you’re not yet part of The Gardening Mind and wondering what it is, think of it as a worldwide gardening club, a community with its own magazine and its own kind of a WhatsApp group. As an example, this week we’re demystifying the ‘Chelsea Chop’ which is basically a way of making your garden flowers last longer 💪

We’re also taking a look at my Top 100 romantic plants - which are EASY to grow. This week’s selection are all plants which I’ve used in gardens over the years, stars of the show in May.

You can also find there, as I follow the first roses as they flower 🌹

There’s also a spot to ask questions - amelanchier problems anyone? Best lawnmower? What is No-Mow May? 🤔 and every Sunday we get together to - where you get the chance to share your photos from gardens literally all over the world 🌎

And that’s just part of it. Next month we’re having a Real Life Meet-Up in a gorgeous UK garden, and there are Zoom meetings-ups too…. Will you come and join us? 🌱💚🌱

A big thank you to for posting these photos of the garden I created for way way back in 2015

This is the story of an garden relocation, and a day to remember.In 2016 the Chelsea Barracks rose garden, full of pla...
15/05/2024

This is the story of an garden relocation, and a day to remember.

In 2016 the Chelsea Barracks rose garden, full of places for people to sit with others or to simply be by themselves, an accessible community space for all, had a very special final destination at RBLI in Kent. The garden had a life after the flower show, rebuilt at the Royal British Legion Industries, as part of a new development for disabled and disadvantaged veterans of the Armed Forces.

This garden is now enjoyed by veterans recovering from injury, living with disabilities and managing mental health problems; it is a perfect space for reflection.

The most wonderful element of this project was veteran involvement in the re-construction and maintenance of the garden. RBLI’s expertise is in employability and veterans were involved in formal horticulture training and in practical learning to look after the garden.

One of the veterans, John Ahben, who suffered a severe brain injury during service, was unemployed at the time with very low expectations of his future. Through this project John was able to imagine working outdoors and was encouraged to explore and undertake formal horticulture qualifications. Even though John was very anxious, particularly about remembering all the different plant names, he stuck with the course and was absolutely overjoyed to pass his exams.

John is now employed as a full-time groundsman working across RBLI’s 70 acre Village. He loves his work, is financially independent, settled with his partner, and when these photos were taken, had just had a baby girl! John’s world has completely altered since 2016 - and all his work rewarded by this visit by the late Queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

We were so so very proud to be involved with such a positive and life-changing charity
Swipe to see some other very special garden visitors


What I’ve bought for my garden, in this weekend’s Gardening Mind 📷
13/05/2024

What I’ve bought for my garden, in this weekend’s Gardening Mind
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It’s Sunday morning and time for me to show you my own garden. Here’s a corner of the gravel garden, with a tangle of g...
12/05/2024

It’s Sunday morning and time for me to show you my own garden. Here’s a corner of the gravel garden, with a tangle of geranium, lavender, fennel and viola which have all grown into each other and I see no reason to disturb them. There’s more on The Gardening Mind today, and you get the chance to upload what’s going on in your garden too.
Plus, a behind-the-scenes peek into the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and the first iris 💜
If you aren’t yet part of this worldwide gardening community, do come and join us - head to Stories to find out how

One of the big themes at this year is how to manage gardens alongside heavy rain and flash flooding . The Cool Garden ...
09/05/2024

One of the big themes at this year is how to manage gardens alongside heavy rain and flash flooding . The Cool Garden I designed for was created to address precisely this problem, with Rosemoor having the highest rainfall of all the RHS gardens. As an outdoor public green space, you can visit, walk round it and see how it works for yourself.

“With gardens distributed across England, the RHS is well-placed to see how climate change is impacting different parts of the country, with the west getting wetter and the east becoming drier. At RHS Rosemoor in Devon, the garden designer Jo Thompson has created the Cool Garden, so called because of its calming colour palette, to show how a garden can deal with heavy rain and flash flooding. Rills channel water, a permeable resin-bound gravel path reduces surface water run-off and plants able to cope with these conditions have been selected, such as hydrangea, Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’ – a great alternative for lavender as it can tolerate winter wet – and silver birch.”

✍️ 2021
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A garden design transformation - this magical garden is in the middle of the city, but it wasn’t very magical before, a...
08/05/2024

A garden design transformation - this magical garden is in the middle of the city, but it wasn’t very magical before, as you can see in the second photo.

Small gardens, large gardens - size doesn’t matter: atmosphere, magic and romance are what I’m looking to create in every garden we design.



This is what we’ve been working on… rethinking the Winter Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor
04/12/2023

This is what we’ve been working on… rethinking the Winter Garden at RHS Garden Rosemoor

09/07/2023

Welcome to this community, inspired by the magic of nature and landscapes. Gardens, art, design, regenerative methods, plants, trees, books, walks, how-tos and a podcast. If any of these catch your eye, then this newsletter is very definitely for you.

09/07/2023

This pink beauty is in Jo Thompson's RHS Wildlife garden & - my humble effort to show some beauty of nature.

🌸🪴🌸🪴🌸



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02/04/2023

PLEASE DONT...cut or poison your dandelions...these girls need them for an early forage..Thankyou the bees say!

22/12/2022

Garden designer and RHS Chelsea winner outlines 10 of the best roses to grow, whether you want a rambler, climber, or luxuriant shrub rose.

Visit our link in bio to read 🔗

Day 22And the new podcast RICH PICKINGS has followers! Thank you everyone who has listened so far - we know it’s a reall...
22/12/2022

Day 22

And the new podcast RICH PICKINGS has followers! Thank you everyone who has listened so far - we know it’s a really busy time of year so we’re hoping it’s a bit of easy listening whilst you race around ferreting for that extra-large tinfoil you bought in July in early preparation, and now have no idea where you put it. This podcast is about SO much more than gardens. As a clue: Snoopy, cats and dogs, and thermal underwear all get a mention, as well as Harold, the new member of our family. Who could he be….???
And just look at who’s turned the lights on this day after the Winter Solstice.

It’s been hard saving up my top three for these last days of this calendar, but there was no doubt as to whom should be appearing. This one so nearly made it to the 24th, but the truth is, I simply couldn’t wait.

David Austin did it once again with this jewel. Her name, Rosa The Lark Ascending, brings to mind exquisite beauty and harmony, and her flowers do the same.

Apart from the how-is-that-possible translucence and deceptive seeming-fragility of these wonderful flowers, I can never get over the light that they bring into the garden. They actually make light. I think that instead of the funny new light bulbs we are meant to be using, we should just pop The Lark Ascending into dark corners and wait for the flowers to sizzle into bright life.

Who knows what colour these flowers are: swipe along and you’ll see peach, pink, coral, yellow, orange, lemon and apricot. I have no idea how all those shades work together, but they do, in a manner that I feel can only be described as wondrous ✨





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