the designer

Jo is based in Great Bookham and works mainly in London and Surrey, although she has also worked on garden projects in Wiltshire and the South of France.

She moved into gardening and garden design from a career in international telecommunications and has now worked in horticulture for over 20 happy years with the last 18 years running her own garden design business.

"Gardens not only have to be beautiful, but they must be practical too. They have to be robust and yet have a magical quality. They need to change with the seasons and they must be designed with consideration for the person who will look after them, whether that is a willing home owner or an employed gardener. Only then will they improve with age!

I like to be sure that my gardens get off to the best possible start and that the selection and positioning of every plant is spot on, that's why I like to plant every garden myself. I also have a tidy streak a mile wide, so I like to be the last to leave the garden when it is completed, to ensure everything is as good as it can be.

Beautiful things make me happy ...  great architecture, the work of craftsmen, sculptural forms, fresh leaves in spring, the scent of roses, the movement of grasses in the breeze, seed heads, birdsong, the hum of bees and being outside...."