A Deal With Gardening
Kate Bush has recently made headlines when during an interview she was asked why she had been inactive for the past six years and Kate responded simply “I’ve been working on my garden”. What followed was a slew of fairytale imagery of Bush looking every bit the fey queen we remember surrounded by the fruits of her labor.
As we know too well, gardening is a passion that never really leaves no matter where life may take you, even if you reach the dizzying heights of superstardom as the people featured in this piece have.
Today we’re going to look at some of our favorite celebrity gardeners and how their fingers were made so green.
Kate Bush
The impact of Bush’s family home and garden was first made apparent when her brother, photographer John Carder Bush, published a collection entitled Bush’s Cathy – presumably named in honour of the protagonist of Wuthering Heights which Bush wrote one of her smash hits about.
It is clear in John’s early portraits that Bush was a flower child and in later photos we can see her clear love and affinity with all things green – even if many of the photos are in black and white.
Prince Charles and Princess Anne
Although it might be difficult to believe, even some members of the royal family are lifelong gardeners. Prince Charles and Princess Anne have previously remarked that their friendship was forged in a mutual love of gardening as children.
Since moving to Highgrove House in 1980, the former has also spent many hours and countless resources in transforming and maintaining the palace grounds as well as other estate gardens across the UK.
Oprah Winfrey
Alongside being a lover of books, philanthropy, and Christianity, Oprah has also had a passion for the natural world instilled in her from a young age.
Raised on a small farm in Mississippi, she now owns her 16-acre freehold on the island of Maui.
True to her altruistic nature, Winfrey uses her farm to supply food to local residents in an effort to make the island more self-sustainable as well as give those less fortunate an opportunity to eat more healthily.
Jake Gyllenhaal
The actor famous for Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, and Spiderman: Far From Home is an organic vegan and avid gardener. Alongside growing how own fruits and vegetables, Gyllenhaal is so passionate about the hobby that he is a volunteer and ambassador for the Edible Schoolyard Project.
The charity aims to help more people recognize that knowledge of nutrition, as well as how food is grown and produced, is central to a well-rounded education.
Martha Stewart
Although she is a somewhat obvious addition to our list, she is no less deserving of a place for it. This iconic businesswoman made her name developing domestic innovations and means of beautifying the home but her ambitions haven’t stopped there.
In recent years Stewart has also become a regular contributor to several horticultural blogs whilst also raising a sizeable garden of her own.
That about wraps it up for our list of celebrities and their gardens and we hope that you get the chance to pump some Kate Bush song and get your hands dirty taking care of your own garden this weekend. As always, thanks for reading.
