Joanna Brinkman

Garden Designer

  • Graduate of English Gardening School, based at The Chelsea Physic Garden
  • RHS Silver Gilt Medallist, Long Border at RHS Chatsworth 2019
Joanna Brinkman Garden Designer

As the daughter of a keen gardener married to a tea planter you might say that plants were in my blood. Having worked in television in Asia and the UK, it wasn’t until I was in my late twenties that my love for all things plant related really took hold. My mother was unwell and unable to manage our garden at home, and I was working in a pressurised environment, but keen to help out. At the weekends we would go into the garden and set about the various tasks needing attention.

Soon I was writing notes in the margins of gardening manuals and spending more and more time researching plants. This started a career change and after working for a landscaping company for three years, I set up Pots of Style in 2004. Since that time, I have graduated from the English Gardening School based in Chelsea Physic Garden and exhibited at RHS Chatsworth with my regular collaborator, Will Scholey, winner of RHS Young Designer of the Year 2022 at RHS Tatton.

I find inspiration in many places, but I like to create gardens with a focus on the final results appearing naturalistic and consistent with their surroundings. I seek to cultivate gardens in which plants can be enjoyed year-round from new growth to seed head, with the most rewarding part of my work being the creation of magical spaces for clients to enjoy for years to come.