About Laura
Growing up in Cornwall I was surrounded by beautiful gardens, many of which are world-famous, and although I didn’t realise it at the time, these have had a huge influence on my work as a designer. I was lucky to live near to the Falmouth Art School with its beautiful grounds, and to visit the gardens of Barbara Hepworth, which cemented my passion for blending garden design and contemporary art. I am instinctively drawn towards architectural and foliage plants, combined with tender perennials that you don’t often see outside of Cornwall, to create magical spaces.
It was when I moved to Wiltshire, where I bought my first home and became a young mum, that my thoughts turned to creating my own garden, somewhere we could grow as a family together. I learned as much as I could through reading and asking more experienced gardeners, and I was lucky enough to have access to small, independent nurseries where the owners were always more than happy to give advice on how to care for more rare cultivars. Thirty years later I have created three of my own gardens, plus two community gardens and an allotment project for a charity.
While raising my family I worked as a therapist and teacher with young people and adults, often with issues related to mental health. Throughout my work I looked for ways to include nature, gardening and physical activity, knowing the huge benefits people find from becoming more connected to their environment. In 2017 I took the plunge and started Laura’s Gardening TLC, initially offering garden maintenance services, however, I soon realised my real passion was designing gardens and bringing them to life. My business is now a blend of working with customers to redesign and develop their gardens, along with some ongoing work for gardens that I have designed over the past few years.
I really enjoy connecting with people around their love of gardens, and particularly like to work with families where I can get children involved in the garden. My approach to gardens is that they should be spaces we share with nature, they must be both good for people and the planet. I will never use high maintenance plants that need lots of chemicals to thrive, I include planting for birds, bees, and other pollinators, which means no use of pesticides or slug pellets, and will never recommend artificial turf.
When I am not gardening, I love to spend time walking my dog, Stanley, who is often a guest while I’m working. I have a close group of friends, many of whom are connected to art and music, both of which I get to enjoy sharing with my husband Paul, who owns a record shop and is a drummer. We’ve been fortunate to travel to some amazing countries and be inspired by the gardens we’ve visited, and this year I’ve been able to share in my daughters’ growing interest in gardening as they both now have homes of their own – I knew they would get the bug eventually!
