SGD New Fellowships announced
The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) has announced its 2023 Fellowships with six leading garden designers being awarded the honour in recognition of their exceptional contribution to the profession.
(credit: Chaz Oldham)
James Alexander-Sinclair, (pictured above) Marian Boswall, Tommaso Del Buono, David Robinson, James Scott and Jo Thompson have all been named as Fellows of the Society of Garden Designers (FSGD).
All six designers have worked with the Society either as judges of the SGD Awards, speakers at SGD Conferences or as Council members and have made an invaluable contribution to promoting the profession and educating the public.
James Alexander-Sinclair is one of the foremost garden designers in the UK. He has served 10 years as a member of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society, is a RHS Vice-President and was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal for an outstanding contribution to horticulture in 2022.
James is the RHS Ambassador for Garden Design as well as an accredited RHS gardens judge and a member of the RHS Gardens Committee, the Community Actions Group and the Shows Advisory Group.
Tomasso Del Buono (pictured left- credit Marianne Majerus) is one half of the renowned design duo del Buono Gazerwitz.
He has sat on the editorial board of the Garden Design Journal and on the judging panel of the SGD Awards.
On being awarded a Fellowship he said: “I am surprised and thrilled in equal measure. I shall continue upholding the Society’s high standards and professional ethics as well as supporting its invaluable work promoting this complex and fascinating art!”
David Robinson (pictured right) is an award-winning garden designer and founder of Up the 
Garden Path. He is also a mentor lecturer to garden design students and has served on the SGD Council.
David says: “I consider myself very fortunate to be in this lovely profession and involved with the Society and to have the recognition from my peers is very special to me and I am flattered.”
James Scott (below left) is founder of The Garden Company and was recognised by Pro Landscaper in 2022 as one of the most influential people in landscaping.
He has served on the SGD Council for six years from 2012 including leading the SGD Awards from 2014 to 2017.
On being awarded the Fellowship he said how delighted and humbled he was and what a great honour it was: “I very much look forward to contributing to the Society in the future in any way I can,” he said.
Jo Thompson (pictured below right) is one of the UK’s leading garden designers and plantswomen who has been an SGD judge and is a member of the RHS Gardens Committee, a garden advisor for RHS Rosemoor and an RHS judge.
She is also a member of the RHS Show Gardens panel. Jo lectures both nationally and internationally and is a visiting tutor at the London College of Garden Design.
Marian Boswall (pictured below left) is a leading landscape architect and horticulturalist with a reputation for creating beautiful regenerative landscapes.
Marian is also co-founder of the Sustainable Landscape Foundation – an initiative to unite the landscape industry in delivering landscape design and management in a way that serves a wider ecological environment.
Co-Chair of the SGD Lynne Marcus MSGD said: “All of this year’s Fellows share our passion for better, more sustainable garden design and are distinguished by the fact that they have all demonstrated an exceptional commitment to bringing about positive change in the industry. We are delighted to be able to recognise their contributions, both to the profession and to the Society, by making them Fellows of the Society of Garden Designers.”
