Over her thirty-year career, designer Jo Thompson has become recognised for her timeless planting, well-proportioned, English-style gardens rendered modern by a her commitment to biodiversity – to the eye this translates as a looser formality than English gardens of the past, though every bit as romantic.
In her new book, ‘The New Romantic Garden’, Thompson reminds us that we are never, in complete charge of how gardens grow; other forces are always at work, as they should be when we allow sustainable practices to help us guide rather than try to dominate nature’s own efforts. With beautiful photos and case studies of individual gardens designed around various themes, Thompson provides inspiration for all gardeners who want their gardens to feel not merely well planted, but truly alive and atmospheric.
“I can’t begin to tell just how much this book means to me – it’s my third, and probably the one that has required the most soul-searching as I dive into what it is that gives a garden its soul”, explains Thompson.
Award-winning garden designer, Jo Thompson has numerous awards (Gold, Silver Gilt and People’s Choice Medals) at RHS shows. She is an RHS judge and member of the RHS Show Gardens Selection Panel. Thompson’s landscape design practice, made up of a small team of garden designers and project managers, work throughout the UK and overseas. The studio’s projects include residential gardens, private developments, public and commercial spaces, in a range of styles from large country gardens and estates, contemporary town gardens, roof terraces, public parks and show home developments.
The New Romantic Garden: Classic Inspiration, Modern Mood (Rizzoli) will be released on the 18th of February, 2024.