A TELEVISION presenter, former actress and gardener gave a talk in Benson.
Rachel de Thame, 64, known primarily for appearing on BBC Two’s Gardener’s World, presented “Gardening for Wellness and Wildlife” to about 200 people at the parish hall on Thursday, March 5.
Her talk is part of a series organised by Benson Garden Club.
De Thame said: “I have felt passionate about gardening for as long as I can remember. My parents are such keen gardeners as well and that’s where it all started for me.
“I was always a London girl but, after my children were born, who are now in their mid-20s, we moved out to a farmhouse in Oxfordshire. I feel it’s so important to instill a passion for plants at a very young age. I let the children go out and get mucky and just enjoy being outside.
“It’s a terrible cliché but, once the seed is sown, I think that gardening is something people are definitely drawn back to. Even if you don’t have a garden, there are other ways of gardening, even if you’re growing house plants.”
De Thame told of her mother, 90, who recently suffered a stroke and lives in a care home but still loves to be out in the garden to “look at the plants”.
She added that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she was given a leaflet entitled Cancer and Gardening.
De Thame told of when she was having chemotherapy at a hospital in London, she could see a tree several gardens away that was “bare” which she followed through her treatment.
She also spoke of different flowers that are important for wild pollinators, including The Lady’s Blush rose, the Millennium allium and the Cephalaria gigantea.
The talk concluded with a short question and answer session.
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