This year’s biggest celebrity wellness trend is a reminder that one of the greatest modern luxuries isn’t a designer bag or an expensive watch, but a private patch of greenery – where vegetables grow, bees buzz and roses bloom.
At House Beautiful, we’ve long celebrated the joys of cultivating outdoor spaces that feel like natural extensions of the home. But lately, it isn’t just interiors enthusiasts turning their attention to gardens, as a wealth of celebrities find joy in sharing their well-tended green spaces online.
Pamela Anderson is perhaps the paragon of this. These days, the former Baywatch bombshell appears on red carpets bare-faced, with a French bob and a micro fringe framing her strikingly fresh look – and she credits her garden for this 360-degree image transformation.
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In June, she revealed to Architectural Digest, that her ‘new chapter’ began in her Vancouver plot. The sprawling space frequently features on her Instagram, with the Canadian actress pictured watering tomatoes and kale, digging in the soil and posing in floaty white clothes against a lush green backdrop.
Pamela isn’t alone in finding midlife solace in gardening. In the UK, David Beckham has long delighted the nation with glimpses from his vegetable beds, where he grows carrots, plums, radishes and roses (all immortalised on his Instagram), tends to bees and chickens and sheds his football icon image to put on his – literal – country hat (a felt baker boy cap).
@victoriabeckham//Instagram
Former supermodel Kate Moss also spends more time away from the limelight and close to her Cotswolds vegetable patch, where she grows potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lettuce and rocket. And while she doesn’t post about her homegrown produce on social media, Kate’s love of gardening is well-documented. In 2023, she told the Daily Mail: ‘Pottering in the garden is my favourite place to be. It’s when I am at my most relaxed.’
Elsewhere, singer Will Young frequently praises his two gardens for their anxiety-busting effects and TV presenter Stacey Solomon says her chickens and vegetable beds ‘heal her soul’. Gardening, it seems, is all the rage.
‘Gardening has evolved from a niche hobby into a lifestyle movement,’ says Brett Boulton, product development director at greenhouse manufacturer Gabriel Ash. ‘We’ve seen a remarkable surge in interest over the past few years, and the socio-demographic has widened incredibly which is really interesting.’
Arguably, it was the pandemic that acted as a catalyst for this surge, when many, locked down at home, found a new appreciation for their private green spaces.
A UK-wide survey by the University of Surrey found that personal outdoor spaces were used more frequently than any other natural environment during lockdown, with roughly 60 per cent of respondents visiting theirs at least once a day – and experiencing a boost in mental wellbeing as a result. An analysis of 22 case studies published between 2002 and 2016 showed that gardening can reduce depression and anxiety and increase life satisfaction and quality of life.
Downton Abbey actor Jim Carter later said that he relished the time he and his wife Imelda Staunton spent in their garden during the pandemic. ‘I really enjoyed lockdown […] We deadheaded, pruned, weeded and simply sat and observed with uncluttered joy,’ he wrote in a public letter to Parliament in 2023, in which he campaigned for gardening and horticulture to be added to the national curriculum.
Post-pandemic, having firmly returned to offices, pubs and other public places, we’re reminded of how precious time spent pottering in the garden really is. As celebrities show off their blooming gardens and talk about the peace they find in the soil, one thing becomes clear: time is today’s ultimate luxury. Gardening – slow, mindful, and full of benefits for both wellbeing and the environment – has quietly become a symbol of that truth.
The trend also offers a gateway to reconnecting with nature in a world that is governed by technology. ‘When celebrities showcase their gardens, […] it helps it to no longer be seen as just a pastime for retirees but rather position it as stylish, aspirational and deeply fulfilling,’ adds Brett.
In the end, perhaps the greatest luxury is this: a corner of earth to call your own, and the time to let it flourish.
Our favourite celebrity gardeners
David Beckham
David Beckham is a dedicated gardener at his Cotswolds home, where he tends to a large vegetable patch and enjoys harvesting produce like carrots, courgettes and onions himself.
You can follow all of his green-fingered projects over on his Instagram, and his wife Victoria Beckham frequently shares updates on her Stories, too.
WPA Pool//Getty Images
Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley is not only a celebrated broadcaster but also a passionate gardener. She has spoken about the joy she finds in her garden, particularly in creating naturalistic planting schemes and encouraging wildlife – and she has even collaborated on several RHS garden over the years.
Follow her on Instagram for the occasional tour of her garden.
Jeff Spicer//Getty Images
Kate Moss
In 2022, former supermodel Kate Moss left the hustle and bustle of London behind and permanently relocated to her Cotswolds home in Little Faringdon, where she reportedly grows her own veg. More of a secret gardener, Kate doesn’t post about her green activity, but you can find numerous photos of her countryside plot online.
Edward Berthelot//Getty Images
Will Young
Pop Idol’s first-ever winner, Will Young, is not just passionate about singing. His garden makes a frequent appearance on his Instagram feed and he has spoken about how spending time surrounded by greenery helps him ‘deal with his PTSD’.
C Brandon/Redferns//Getty Images
Stacey Solomon
When Stacey Solomon doesn’t look glamorous on TV, she is an avid hobby gardener, who says growing her own vegetables and keeping chickens ‘feed her soul’. On her Instagram, you’ll find countless photos shared from her garden, whether it’s Stacey beaming next to her homegrown brassicas or cuddling her toddlers among daffodils.
Tim Whitby/BAFTA//Getty Images
Jim Carter
The Downton Abbey actor discovered his love of gardening during the pandemic, when he and his wife Imelda Staunton spent all of their time outside. In 2023, Jim campaigned for gardening and horticulture to be added to the national curriculum, saying ‘Children need to put their phones away and get out into the garden.’
John Phillips//Getty Images
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Wanda Sachs is the Daily Writer for House Beautiful and Country Living, exploring the latest in interior design, home trends, property news, wellbeing and sustainable living. With a keen eye for style and a passion for storytelling, she previously served as an Associate Editor at The Berliner in Berlin, where she launched and led the magazine’s monthly style vertical, covering emerging fashion trends. Wanda holds a combined BA in English and German from Goethe University Frankfurt.
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