A garden on shifting sands at Camber near Rye by Kent designer Jo Thompson is through to the final rounds of the Society of Garden Designers 2013 Awards.

A simple design lies behind a complex brief. The garden had to offer its owner privacy as the space is continuous with the public beach, provide shelter from salty winds and be in keeping with the area’s Site of Special Scientific Interest status.

Jo Thompson’s garden for Sea Gem incorporates curvaceous seating, a barbeque pit, rinsing stations for sandy feet and cedar decking which leads to a timber gate. Rope from the Historic Dockyard in Chatham provides an appropriate nautical boundary fence. The dunes are planted with tough species that will cope with sand and the climate.

Jo said: "Right from the start this garden was all about the elements. The strong, salty winds, its constant state of flux and finding plants that will take hold and not blow away. I am delighted with the result."

The Society of Garden Designers has been championing excellence in garden design for 30 years. It is the only professional association for garden designers in the UK and counts some of the UK’s leading garden and landscape designers among its growing membership.

The annual awards programme, in its second year, is designed to recognise and reward outstanding achievement in the garden and landscape design profession, from private domestic gardens to engaging public spaces. Out of a total of 95 projects, 35 have been named as finalists.

The next round of judging will take place in October and the winners will be announced at the SGD Awards ceremony in London on January 24, 2014.

Jo Thompson’s garden design practice is in Stone Street, Cranbrook. She set up her practice six years ago, after studying garden design at the English Gardening School, and is now recognised as one of the country’s leading garden designers.