Jo Thompson • Garden Designer • The Gardening Mind

I’m delighted to announce that @jothompson.studio will be creating a garden at the #rhschelseaflowershow 2025 for The Glasshouse, a social enterprise providing second chances through horticulture to women based in UK prison, to create a garden celebrating the support, inspiration and hope they provide to women in custody. Funded by Project Giving Back, the garden is inspired by conversations with women supported by The Glasshouse programme, and will be centred around a translucent pavilion designed by @hollawaystudio emerging from the foliage. The Glasshouse provides horticultural training and employment to women in prison alongside resettlement support as they approach the end of their sentence. The programme has a zero percent re-offending rate, showing how building purpose, self-belief and hope for the future can break the cycle of re-offending. Following the show, the garden will be re-built in a women’s prison in the South of England where it will provide a nurturing space for training and planning second chances for a new community of women. For more details of the garden, and for the story behind the garden, head to The Gardening Mind in Substack, where the story of the garden and its development will unfold over the next few months. @project.giving.back @theglasshousebotanics #gardensforgoodcauses #projectgivingback #allaboutplants #rhschelsea #thegardeningmind #jothompsongardendesign @the_rhs @ryanalexanderassociates

In The Gardening Mind, this is the big announcement, my new book, published by @rizzolibooks -you can discover more about it in this week’s Substack newsletter #thegardeningmind . . . . . . . . . . #gardening #gardendesign #gardens #gardendesigner #howtogarden #gardenbooks #gardenlife #gardentalks #thenewromanticgarden #romanticgarden #newromanticgarden @raewarne

Late summer colour in The Gardening Mind, a worldwide gardening community - come and be part of it. Head to the second link in my profile to get to it #thegardeningmind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #easygardening #gardening #howtogarden #gardeningwithlove #gardenideas #gardenlife #gardeninspiration #gardenlove #gardeninspo #gardensofinstagram #countrygarden #cottagegarden #wildlifegarden #wildlifegardening #smallgardenideas #inmygarden #gardenideas #gardenlover Photo: GAP/Clive Nicholls

Day 13 of this #roseadvent Introducing Ispahan, straight out of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. You’ve probably heard of Scheherazade, Sinbad, Alibaba, Shahryār, Aladdin, Jafar, Dunyazad and Morgiana: I imagine Ispahan was a servant-girl who knew her own mind, determined to escape the lowly status to which she’d been unfairly assigned. She was witty, smart in intelligence if not in appearance, and astute. Working out that the gender pay gap between her and the boy servants was not acceptable, she distilled a knock-out perfume which not only made her smell jolly good; it also made her employer Prince’s mind go all funny and he promoted her to Attorney General. I made that up. Here are some close-ups and in-situ photos of this slightly-dishevelled girl: on close examination the blooms are asking to be tidied up, but en masse they produce a Perfumed Pink Pow. Also known as Rose d’Isfahan or Pompon des Princes, (I do love that - Princes have their very own Pompom) this paragon amongst Damask roses has been seen growing wild on the hills of Iran, especially between Shiraz and the old caravan trading centre of Ispahan. Residents of Shiraz still grow it in their walled gardens, where plants and pools are a release from the hot, dry land outside. When in full bloom, the bush is absolutely smothered with flowers - a fountain of pink. . . . . . . . #ilovesroses #ispahan #rosestories #arabiannights #garden #rosegarden #rose #mygarden #inmygarden #advent #plantingdesign #gardendesigner #landscapedesign #gardendesigner #landscapeinspiration #inspiration #instachristmas #adventcalendar

Day 12 of the #roseadvent Voilà Rosa Adelaide d’Orléans. If you have a pergola or an arch or anything you a want a rose to tumble through, Miss Adelaide is your girl. Or even duchess: as she’s a d’Orléans then there’s a fighting chance she’s very noble indeed. Adelaide d’Orléans is regal, elegant, immaculately presented, approachable, serene, confidently relaxed - everything you want from a rambling scrambling rose. And from a duchess, for that matter. An added bonus to her general splendour is the confetti she sheds, but that’s only after she’s provided a veil of flowers for you to walk under. It feels like you’re walking down the aisle every day she’s in bloom And she shares the cover of my new book too. The New Romantic Garden is out in February 🎉 . . . . . . @david_austin_roses #plantingdesign #gardensofinstagram #instagardens #landscapedesign #instaflowers #englishcountrygarden #ukgardens #flowersofinstagram #rose #flowers #countrygarden #rosesofinstagram #roses #instagarden #rosegarden #planting #englishcountrygardens #plantsmakepeoplehappy #gardendesigner #flowermagic #blooms #instagardeners #gardenlove #instablooms #flowerlover #floweroftheday #plantstagram #gardeninspiration #colourpop 📷 @raewarne

Day 11 of this #roseadvent 💫 I didn’t know this rose until I saw it in bloom for the first time about ten years ago, in the most exquisite flowering around the front door of Mary-Jane Paterson, my @rhubarbrhubarb_ co-author. After poring over books we identified it as the noisette Rosa Desprez à Fleur Jaune - though I think she’d be better named Desprez à Fleur Apricoty-Peachy-Pinky-Creamy-Beige. Noisette roses aren’t, as you’d think, anything to do with little nuts. They’re actually named after the French nurserymen Louis and Philippe Noisette. Louis in Paris sent an ‘Old Blush’ China rose to his brother Philippe in South Carolina in about 1802. Philippe gave a cutting to his neighbour, a farmer called John Champneys. On his farm it JUST HAPPENED to cross with Rosa moschata to produce ‘Champneys’ Pink Climber’. Philippe, in great excitement, sent seeds of this to Louis, one of which produced the repeat-flowering climber Blush Noisette. And then there followed many, one of whom was this gorgeous rose. True story. And now she’s in my garden. There’s always room. You HAVE to have this rose. A fabulous old climber which gives impossibly-fabulously perfumed flowers all summer - but swipe along and just look at the shape of those flowers. It’s as if someone has decided to make Rose-Flower Pastry - they’ve come along and just gently squished the bud, and so you get this kind of crimped bloom, looking like a gardenia-ish. And how she then opens out - just look at the first picture again. If I’ve tempted you, go for it - you won’t regret this beauty. Swipe along ➡️➡️➡️ for Rhubarb Rhubarb illustrations . . . . . . #rosegarden #plantingdesign #gardensofinstagram #instagardens #landscapedesign #instaflowers #englishcountrygarden #ukgardens #flowersofinstagram #rose #flowers #countrygarden #rosesofinstagram #roses #instagarden #rosegarden #planting #englishcountrygardens #plantsmakepeoplehappy #gardendesigner #flowermagic #blooms #instagardeners #gardenlove #instablooms #flowerlover #floweroftheday #plantstagram #gardeninspiration #colourpop

Day 10 of this #roseadvent Introducing Charles de Mills. He is the fourth son of the Viscomte du Mills; CdM fell on hard times and so in desperation took a job as assistant to La Grande Déception, a second-rate magician residing in a seedy quarter of Marseilles. Unfortunately, Le Grand Déception was somewhat tired and emotional at his last performance, and his eye wasn’t in. Come to think of it, nor was Charles de Mills’s eye by the time LGD had finished with him. His ‘slice-the-assistant-in-half’ illusion was less illusion and more grim reality: the neatly-sliced flower of Charles de Mills bears witness to the oh-so clean blade to this very day. None of the above is true. It’s a flight of fancy- who knows who Charles de Mills actually was? I love this rose so much and was wondering if he could be a she, even though the name is definitely a he, and once the pondering had started, I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sure that instead he had a distinguished career in the French Civil Service or similar. A gorgeously well-turned-out Rose is Charles de Mills, with petals all present and correct and a colour that would look jolly good in velvet. He smells good: fresh and clean with a cologne that isn’t overpowering. His mother would be proud of him. . . . . .. . #plantingdesign #gardensofinstagram #instagardens #landscapedesign #instaflowers #englishcountrygarden #ukgardens #flowersofinstagram #rose #flowers #countrygarden #rosesofinstagram #roses #instagarden #rosegarden #planting #englishcountrygardens #plantsmakepeoplehappy #gardendesigner #flowermagic #blooms #instagardeners #gardenlove #instablooms #flowerlover #floweroftheday #plantstagram #gardeninspiration #rosestories 📷 @raewarne

It’s Day 9 of this #roseadvent and I’m thinking it’s time to be a little bit controversial. I’ve lost count of the number of times people say to me that they ‘don’t like yellow or orange’. BUT. I’m sure I don’t like jellied eel, but to be fair I’ve never tried eating one (out of sheer common sense though) so how do I know that I actually don’t like it? I felt the same about rollmop herrings until recently when basically there was no getting out of it. And let it be said that they are delicious. I have a feeling that the same sort of thing is going on with yellow/orange flowers amongst people who’ve heard other people say they don’t like yellow/orange and thus assume it’s a bit infra dig to have these sunshine colours in the garden. But you have sun in the garden so why then would sunshine look out of place there? I would like to call my first witness: Rosa Port Sunlight. Those colours. A bit of egg-yolk, a bit of peach, and a bit of apricot, all blurred together so well that you can’t see the joins. These flowers appear ALL SUMMER, and peek out from dark spots to make your day more zingy. These flowers vogue their way through their blooming, striking poses as they move out of their buds, furled into the perfect sliced bud and unfurling with a backward glance. So chic. The fragrance is indescribable - I’m rubbish at describing rose smells but I can assure you this one is fantastic. You get a whiff of it before you’ve got anywhere near the plant - that’s a bonus in my book. Rosa Port Sunlight is a step into the unknown for the citrus-haters, but they love her once they’ve got her. She’s a little bit cheeky and no shrinking violet, never backwards in coming forwards: swipe along and you’ll see her stepping forward like a very pushy bridesmaid taking all the limelight. She really should clash with the pinks, and she knows she’ll out-dazzle the reds, but we forgive her because she’s fizzy. . . . . . . #instagardens #landscapedesign #flowersofinstagram #rosesofinstagram #roses #instagarden #rosegarden #gardendesigner #flowermagic #gardenlove #flowerlover #gardeninspiration #rose #rosegarden #iloveroses @david_austin_roses #adventcalendar

It’s Day 8 of this Rose Advent, and today we have a new rose to this year’s advent calendar. Can you cast your mind back to summer? The summer solstice, in fact. Feet soaking from the daily dawn wanderings around looking for the latest garden treasures, grass cuttings traipsed into the kitchen floor as I’d been too impatient, as every morning, to take an extra few seconds to put on shoes before going out to see what the sunrise was bringing with it. To read on, head to The Gardening Mind - where you’ll also find anti-squirrel fortress news, tractor parades, and a chance to win tickets to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 🌱💚 . #roses #rosegarden #roseadvent #adventcalendar #rosegardening #rose #cottagegarden #countrygarden #englishcountrygarden #countrygardenstyle #englishcountryhouse #countryhouse #countryhousestyle @david_austin_roses #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow #chelseaflowershow

Hello Day 7 of this #roseadvent, though looking out of the window I can’t see any signs of the day yet. It’s windy out there, so I’m feeling it’s a pink rose kind of a day. For a wintry read, you can find thermals, a tractor parade and how to eat your Christmas tree, head to The Gardening Mind. No matter what, a pink rose seems to cheer everyone up. I’m not sure whether it’s something deep within our subconscious self which, upon seeing a doorway smothered with scrambling, rambling pink climbing rose immediately triggers dopamine/serotonin/endorphins/one of those, I get confused which one. I’m not suggesting Prehistoric Man had climbing roses around the entrance to his cave; the trigger is probably way more recent, such as illustrations in The Secret Garden or postcards of Tudor cottages in Stratford upon Avon, or, even more likely, watching too much Bridgerton. Mentally skim-reading my immediate thoughts on how to describe today’s Rose, Rosa Louise Odier, the key words to jump out are Old, French, Prickly, Fragrant, Bourbon. On first reading, I have to admit these words conjure up an image of an irritable elderly Grande Dame, smelling of lavender water, with a tray of untouched stale chocolate biscuits in front of her in her once-busy but now deserted Salon on the Rue Saint-Honoré. But how words can be so very deceptive when taken out of context.... Rosa Louise Odier is an elegant beauty who grows so well in my garden. She is indeed French and Quite an Old Bourbon; her long stems have lots of no-nonsense thorns and she has a wonderfully-enticing scent. And as for those neatly-organised petals....... one can almost visualise her linen cupboard with its perfectly-arranged, room-labelled, size-labelled sheets. . . . . . . . . . #rose #rosegarden #flowerstories #salonniere #garden #gardendesign #landscapearchitecture #landscape #planting #iloveroses #mygarden #inmygarden #inspiration #calm #advent #inspiremyinstagram #winter #wintergarden #roses #storiesfrommygarden #gardendesign #gardendesigner #landscapedesigner #plantingdesign #landscapearchitect #winterwonderland #winterbeauty #colourinspiration @peterbealesroses @david_austin_roses

We are delighted to introduce award-winning designer Jo Thompson as the designer of The Glasshouse Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. 🌸 The garden is an immersive space centred around a translucent elliptical pavilion emerging from the foliage. Informed by conversations with women who have been through the programme, the garden Jo will create is full of sensory delights including jewel-like colours, fragrant plants and the sound of water. A narrow rill winds its way through the space connecting different areas and ending in a tranquil pool. The planting is rich and full of texture, and includes beautiful river birch trees, ferns, grasses and roses. @jothompsongarden, we are so excited to see your vision come to life! #projectgivingback #gardensforgoodcauses #jothompson #jothompsongarden #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow #gardendesign

A big rose for a small garden, on Day 6 of this rose advent calendar 💫 I was intending to share this rose with you on Day 24 , the day upon which you find behind the door, depending on your advent calendar-giver, either the Baby Jesus, or a slightly larger Dairy Milk than all the other Dairy Milks. I’d completely forgotten that feeling of having to hold oneself back from taking a little sneaky peak behind that final door until this year when I race downstairs to open my wonderful @daylesfordfarm advent calendar…. I couldn’t wait to share today’s rose, absolutely my absolute favourite (I have a feeling I’ve said that before). Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ is she: thousands of buttery pale sulphur primrose (Primrose, Gamboge and Lemon according to Werner and Syme) flowers which are so tiny, sweet and joyful. They explode into bloom around late April/early May - I’ve seen them in Cornwall in mid-April looking stupendous. There are so many best things about this rose that I struggle to select the very best of all these bests. The flowers, the sheer earliness (usually) of the buds which start tempting you in March and make you think that the really excellent bit of the year is nearly here. For those who don’t like yellow, think again. And as for the general Fabulousness of the arching stems which explode out in all directions and grow and grow and grow.... I can no longer see out of one window in my house (see photos) because of the banksiae outside with all her arms waving around in the air as if she’s just finished a barnstorming performance of “I Am What I Am”, sequinned dress and all. 💫 . . . . . . #adventcalendar #landscapearchitecture #gardendesign #rose #roses #rosegarden #plantingdesign #gardendesign #landscape #momentsofmine #inspiration #mygarden #inmygarden #wintergarden #advent #december #chooselandscape #roseadvent #roseoftheday #colourinspo #gardenlove #englishcountrygarden #countrygardendesign #countryhouse #plantinginspiration #colourcollective