Jo Thompson to mentor Malvern spa gardens
Leading UK garden designer, Jo Thompson, will be mentoring the very first International Spa Garden designers to showcase at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival.
The mentor scheme has been introduced as part of an international exchange programme between Moscow Flower Show and the RHS Malvern Spring Festival. The new initiative will see one international design entry built as part of the Spa Garden Category at RHS Malvern and one UK design brought to life at Moscow Flower Show at the end of June.
Sharing her expert knowledge and experience, Jo (pictured left) will support and mentor winning design duo Denis Kalashnikov and Ekaterina Bolotova with the build of their Molecular Garden (pictured banner above.)
The winning duo fought off still competition from over 20 other designers to win mentoring from Jo and also the chance to experience a build at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Jo feels that supporting new talent is incredibly important which is why she jumped at the chance to mentor these exciting new designers at the start of their journey: “I was part of the selection process and I was blown away by the standard of entries from all over the world,” she said. “Their design stood out and I’m thoroughly looking forward to helping them realize their dream.”
The new Spa Gardens category offers emerging design talent a supportive platform to showcase to a national audience.
Jo will be helping the designers with advice on all aspects of their build and any design alterations and planting advice.
Russian designers, Denis and Ekaterina are delighted to be working with someone of Jo’s calibre and both expressed how privileged they felt at this once in a lifetime experience.
They can’t wait to be representing Moscow on Malvern soil and there is no doubt that their Molecular Garden, which draws inspiration from individual components drawing together to create a unified entity, will draw the Malvern crowds. The garden is imagined as a secluded peaceful area for guests relaxing after Spa treatments in a Russian resort.
Celebrated award-winning garden designer, Jo Thompson, is a member of the RHS Gardens Committee, an RHS Judge, a Gardens Advisor to RHS Rosemoor and a Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers.
Good luck to Denis (pictured right above) and Ekaterina, (pictured left) who we know we learn a lot from such a talented designer as Jo Thompson.
The over arching theme of the festival has taken inspiration from Malvern Spa’s Victorian heyday as a fashionable health resort where day trippers descended to take advantage of the clean air and to enjoy the health giving waters amongst the beauty of the Malvern Hills. Designers in the Spa category are invited to re-imagine the ‘live well’ entertainment and pleasure garden experience from that heyday, in a contemporary take on a spa resorts reinterpreted for a 21st century visitor.
The RHS Malvern Spring runs from the 11th to 14th May 2017 at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern. For further information and tickets visit: https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/malvern-spring-festival/plan-your-visit
