Chelsea Barracks Garden for RHS Chelsea 2016

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced that award-winning designer Jo Thompson will be designing The Chelsea Barracks Garden at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show for sponsors Qatari Diar.

In what will be Jo’s eighth year at Chelsea, she will be presenting a traditional British rose garden, reimagined for the 21st century. Jo, a firm favourite with show visitors, is inspired by the heritage of the Chelsea Barracks site – a neighbour of the RHS Chelsea site. She has taken her cues from the architecture and landscaping of the new development of the Barracks site, which will see the establishment of a new unique London neighbourhood.

Jo has shown through her designs that she is a master of designing with roses so we can expect something special.

Commenting on her design Jo (pictured left) said: “As a former local resident I used to walk past Chelsea Barracks every day on my way to work and so I was thrilled to have the chance to discover more about the impressive plans for this unique site. I’m also delighted to be designing my eighth garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and look forward to creating something really beautiful for the public to enjoy.”

Roses, with perennial planting between, will be a main feature of the garden. They reference the listed Garrison Chapel, with its stained glass Rose Window, which is preserved as the development’s centerpiece.

The garden will be a place where people can relax and socialise with a bronze sculpture paying tribute to the Barracks’ former residents. A sculpted stone tidal rill will reference the lost River Westbourne, symbolizing its original path under the Barracks site.

Jo Thompson is one of the UK’s leading garden designers. She was named a Society of Garden Designers ‘Future Designer’ in 2014 and is a member of the RHS Gardens Committee and Garden Advisor to RHS Rosemoor.

Her style is quintessentially British with a contemporary twist. She is also recognized for working with, and introducing, high caliber British craftspeople.

We wish her well in her preparations for RHS Chelsea 2016 and will be bringing you regular updates in the run-up to RHS Royal Chelsea Flower Show, 2016.

Picture credits: banner (plan of garden) ©RHS – Picture of Jo© Reckless Gardener