It is easy to think of gardening as a one-way process. The gardener buys the plants, or the seeds, and grows the flowers, fruits and vegetables. These living things are helpless, dependent on our watchful eye, for life. But what if it went both ways?
What if those plants we tend to also look after us? If we take greater care of them, the food we eat, then surely they are also looking after us too. And more than just food, is the practice of gardening itself not also great for the mind? Gardening less as a chore, and more as a form of therapy, both mental and physical.
When nature is working as it should, it is anything but silent. Amid the birdsong, the snores of a dog, and the purrs of a cat, sits Poppy Okotcha. The horticulturist and author joined the Country Life Podcast this week to discuss all things gardening and, specifically, its restorative effects on not only nature but people.
A former model, Poppy walked away from the world of fashion to 'return to the earth'. From humble beginnings growing ginger in a houseboat in London, now she lives in rural Devon, growing regeneratively and organically. But it's not just plants, but people, that the garden improves. After spending 30 minutes talking to her, it's difficult not to believe her.
Her book A Wilder Way: How Gardens Grow Us is a compelling look at her life in gardens, and she's also giving a talk at the Cheltenham Science Festival, which runs from June 3–8. If this podcast is anything to go by, it's one you can't afford to miss.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Poppy Okotcha
Producer and editor: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
-
A secret swimming pool at Buckingham Palace? Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 20, 2025Friday's quiz peeks behind the door of a royal palace and asks about one of the cruellest twists of fate in Greek mythology.
-
Horses eating ice cream and buying a last-minute Ascot winner: An evening at Goffs London SaleWith some smart bidding, you could end up in the winner's circle in less than a week.
-
Steve Backshall on sharks, quicksand, and getting his fingertips eaten by piranhasThe adventurer, broadcaster, scientist and writer Steve Backshall joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Saving swifts, naked protests and the bird that nested in my hairThe campaigner and writer Hannah Bourne-Taylor joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
Monty Don's dog, The King's new rose and the 'perfect' garden: What not to miss at the Chelsea Flower Show 2025Country Life's gardens editor Tiffany Daneff shares her favourite flowers, gardens, clever ideas and nicest surprises from the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show.
-
Crossing the Alps on horseback and gap years in Mongolia, with Louis D HallThe writer and adventurer Louis D Hall joins the Country Life podcast to talk about his latest book, In Green, as well as his charity the Big Hoof.
-
George Monbiot: 'Farmers need stability and security... Instead, they're contending with chaos'The writer, journalist and campaigner George Monbiot joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Vintage tractors and memories of summers past, with Oliver GodfreyOliver Godfrey, head of machinery at Cheffins, joins the Country Life podcast to talk about the joys of vintage tractors
-
How an app can make you fall in love with nature, with Melissa HarrisonThe novelist, children's author and nature writer Melissa Harrison joins the podcast to talk about her love of the natural world and her new app, Encounter.
-
Chloe Dalton: The woman who swapped top-level geopolitics to rescue a baby hareAs an expert foreign policy adviser, Chloe Dalton's life revolved around international travel and walking the corridors of power. Then a chance encounter while out on a walk changed her life forever.
