A FINE ROMANCE

In her thoughtful new book, designer Jo Thompson shows how her trademark style can be modernised with a commitment to biodiversity, says Claire Masset

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This new volume from publisher Rizzoli presents the work of one the UK's leading garden designers, Jo Thompson, winner of four Chelsea Gold medals and five Silver Gilts. She is known for her romantic creations blending thoughtful design with loose and environmentally friendly planting. Thompson is the book's author, so the cynically inclined may presume it to be a glossy portfolio designed to attract new customers. And, on the surface, it is. But aside from the dreamy photography – mostly by Jason Ingram and Rachel Warne – the elegant layout, and the superb production, it is Thompson's generous and inspiring prose that makes The New Romantic Garden such a rich reading experience. It is a coffee table book, but it has depth.