Still not over the magic of Raby Castle 💛✨

Raby Castle in March - so beautiful 🏰 🌳

Woodland management offers a great opportunity to create wildlife habitats while also shaping beautiful woodland sculpture 🪵🪲🐝🕷️🪾 At this North Yorkshire project, I have been marking trees for removal or coppicing and the client’s wonderful grounds maintenance guy Rob has done an amazing job of putting my vision to life 🪵 The woodland is over 20 years old and was never thinned after the initial dense planting of native saplings. By thinning it out, individual trees gain more space and light to grow, with less competition for water and nutrients. It also allows more sunlight to reach the woodland floor, creating the conditions for ground-cover species to germinate and providing an opportunity to introduce understory plants such as dog rose and hazel which in turn provides more habitats and forage for wildlife. Log piles also provide habitats for wildlife and will soon be a haven for moss, lichen, fungi, insect and bird species. Some dead trees will be left standing and others which have naturally fallen will also be left. This will provide further diverse habitats for microorganisms in different forms of decaying wood 🪵🪾

Snowdrops, winter aconites and beautiful wildlife structures at Goldsborough Hall 🌱🪵🪲

January on site at this beautiful new build in North Yorkshire 🪏 Progress despite the relentless rain and freezing temperatures. Architect: @bramhallblenkharnleonard Main contractor: @johnellisbuilders Garden concept design: @thelandscapeagency Garden detailed design: @laurawhitwamgardendesign 1. Sawn Yorkshire sandstone quarried just an hour away from site 2. Always exciting to see my drawings on site 3. Beautiful outward views will be framed by a double border 4. Contrasting material finishes 5. Careful work laying tumbled sandstone setts 6. The contrast of sawn and tumbled 7. The sun came out! 🌞 8. Testing material palettes

Happy Imbolc 🕯️✨ We are halfway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox 🌙 Imbolc marks the return of light, growth and fertility. Although the signs are still small, life is busy preparing for spring 🌿 1. Galanthus (snowdrop) 2. Possibly Oyster mushroom on deadwood (my fungi knowledge is limited!) 3. Malus ‘Evereste’ (Crab apple) 4. Corylus avellana (Hazel) 5. Hamamelis ‘Rochester’ 6. Prunus mume

Scampston in early October 🌾🍂🌝

I’m pleased to introduce Laura Whitwam Garden Design 🌳 Combining my @londoncollegegardendesign training with @the_rhs qualifications and practical horticultural experience, I am now offering garden design services within a 50 mile radius of York, North Yorkshire. Whether you are looking for a complete garden redesign, planting design or maybe just some advice, I would love to hear from you. Please visit my website by clicking the link in the bio to find out more. 🌻

October visit to one of my favourite gardens @mountstjohngardens 🍂

Graduation last week from @londoncollegegardendesign ✨ A great day celebrating a year of hard work and steep learning with fellow plant and design lovers. Studying at The London College of Garden Design has been a dream come true and I have never learnt so much in such a short space of time. To be awarded a distinction and short listed for the judges award by two of my favourite designers @harrisbuggstudio was an incredibly surreal moment that I will never forget. I think 14 year old me who loved graphic design and plants would be pleased to know that I do find my feet in the end! I am so excited to continue my horticulture career by moving into garden design 📐✍🏼👩🏻‍💻👷🏻‍♀️🌻💚

Some favourites from #rhswentworthwoodhouse 🌾🌻 @the_rhs @wentworth_woodhouse

A family garden in North Yorkshire The clients love the outdoors and wanted a design that would allow them to enjoy every part of their garden. The layout includes a large dining terrace for entertaining family and friends, as well as smaller, more intimate areas scattered throughout—from morning coffee spots to benches ideal for conversation and reading. Each part of the garden has its own distinct character, with a mix of sunny, open spaces and shaded woodland areas. The main sunny planting scheme features many architecturally striking plants in a warm palette of golds, yellows, and contrasting deeper, earthier tones of red. In contrast, the woodland is planted with more delicate species in soft shades of white, pink, and green. The design draws inspiration from the local landscape and incorporates traditional materials such as dry stone walls, repurposed stone water troughs, and reclaimed Yorkstone cobbles.

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Laura Whitwam Garden Design

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