Till and Wild is a partnership between husband and wife, Phil Cormie and Gabrielle Laidlaw, who met while living in Edinburgh. Together they combine their professional and creative strengths and share a boundless enthusiasm for horticulture.

Phil Cormie

Phil grew up in the north east of England in a home that backed onto a deciduous woodland which became his playground. His dad was a keen allotment gardener and he encouraged Phil to get his hands dirty growing vegetables and flowers.   

A childhood spent outdoors led to the pursuit of a career in the natural environment. He initially completed a horticulture course at Newcastle College which was the gateway to the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh for a BSc in Horticulture with Plantsmanship. Here emerged a thorough understanding of planting design, skilled horticultural techniques and plant husbandry as well as consciousness of Scottish ecological and environmental issues.  
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On completion of his studies in Edinburgh, Phil began working at the Himalayan Garden in North Yorkshire where he was employed to lead and oversee the creation of an ambitious woodland garden. This project took the garden from 22 acres to 45 acres with an aim to transform ecologically barren coniferous plantation into a beautiful and naturally diverse space.​
Within two years, Phil was promoted to Head Gardener where he was able to implement significant environmentally conscious changes to the management strategy of the commercial nursery whilst increasing revenue and profit. Phil’s management of the garden ushered in a more holistic approach; organic principles were adopted across the garden with the eradication of the use of herbicides and a more naturalistic planting scheme with pollinators being a key driver in plant choice.  
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In 2019 Phil became Head Gardener at the award winning Newby Hall in North Yorkshire where he oversaw the start of an ambitious five year project to restore their nationally important rock garden. He was also responsible for overseeing the maintenance of one of the biggest double herbaceous borders in Britain. The extensive formal gardens focus upon a high standard of herbaceous planting which enabled him to absorb a varied palette of perennial plants, annual flowers and bulbs. Phil was also heavily involved in the management and reinvigoration of the historic fruit orchards and transformation of areas of formal lawn to the wild romance of flower meadows.

Gabrielle Laidlaw

Gabrielle grew up near Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands with an abundance of wild places on the doorstep. She was green fingered from the beginning and won Nairnshire Young Gardener of the Year with the space she designed to encourage biodiversity. As a member of the local children’s nature group, The Cawdor Hoglets, Gabrielle learned about the local flora and fauna and this fostered a passion for the vital need to protect the natural environment in all its beautiful complexity.  

Gabrielle left the Highlands to study Art History at the University of St Andrews. Her degree encouraged an ability to analyse and implement composition, form and colour in the garden. These skills were further enhanced by completion of an NC in Practical Photography at Edinburgh College, focusing specifically on interior and garden photography. When planning any alteration or new planting scheme, Gabrielle views the garden as if through the lens of a camera. 
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Gabrielle later relocated to North Yorkshire with Phil and it was here that she rekindled her earlier love of horticulture working in the plant nursery and grounds of the Himalayan Garden near Ripon.  ​
During her maternity leave, Gabrielle became increasingly passionate about the benefits of organic gardening. Inspired by productive French Potagers, she transformed their newly acquired back garden into a bountiful and beautiful space producing a year round supply of cut flowers for the home as well as pesticide free food for the family. 

Gabrielle brings romance to her planting schemes with an intuitive sense for colour and structure. Her interest lies in creating beautiful spaces that are both productive and beautiful but also a haven for wildlife. 
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Going Green


At Till and Wild we are committed to sustainability and we endeavour to have as little impact on the environment as we can. We are conscious at all times to implement horticultural methods that are not ecologically damaging and to actively promote biodiversity.

​Till and Wild uses Stihl battery powered tools where possible, producing lower noise pollution and being less intrusive than their petrol counterparts whilst still giving a high level of performance. 

You will see us driving around in our second hand, 100% electric van which demonstrates our efforts to reduce carbon emissions. 

We are committed to the principles of organic gardening and do not use harmful pesticides or herbicides. 

​As professional gardeners who work outdoors in all elements, we are unavoidably hard on our clothing. We have chosen to source our uniform from Rapanui, a company which is dedicated to providing ethically produced garments that are manufactured in a way that has as low an environmental footprint as possible. Rapanui offer a circular system where they take back any clothing that is no longer functional in order to make items anew.

​If you would like more information or have any questions then please contact us via our online form.