Jo Thompson’s stunning coastal garden, Sea Gem, at Camber Sands, has won the Society of Garden Designers' Future Designers Award.

The judges agreed Sea Gem was a “beautifully simple and confident design that has a natural picturesque quality.

They said: “This is a very comfortable space that has a good sense of place and a perfect balance of private and public for the location."

Jo, based in Cranbrook, said she was ‘delighted’ to receive the award. She said: “The client was specific about what was required and then let me get on with it. That was the secret to this success!”

Cedar boardwalks, curved seats, a firepit, timber bollard lights, oak groynes, dunes, footwash stations, salt-and wind-tolerant planting and woodcarving combined to complement the modern beachfront property.

Mum-of-two Jo has a busy year ahead during which she will be building a 3D miniature garden at the Strand Gallery, London from March 5 to March 8.

She will also be designing two gardens at RHS Chelsea from May 20 to May 24.

For the Strand Gallery March event see www.lcgd.org.uk. For RHS Chelsea see www.rhs.org.uk.