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
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