Green room or greenhouse? British comedy star Caroline Quentin says she’s happiest pottering around outside
We know Men Behaving Badly and Jonathan Creek star Caroline Quentin best as an actor, so you might be surprised to know her first book is about gardening – and she also did the illustrations.
It all started during the Covid pandemic. After gardening each day, she’d tell her husband about her endeavours with the miscanthus, forest pansy, sunflowers, carrots etc, until one day he’d had enough and said, “Why don’t you tell someone who cares?”
This led to her sharing her gardening endeavours on Instagram where she found a community of folk who do care – like-minded amateur gardeners who love what they do and want to share the joy.
What’s the best thing about being a garden influencer?
The best thing about having @cqgardens and having written Drawn to the Garden is that I now have a tribe, a ‘family’ all over the world. We share our triumphs and disasters and have a few laughs along the way.
Caroline draws on her lifelong passion for gardening in her first book, a delightful read in which she shares some personal stories, cheeky sketches, gardening successes and funny failures.
Gardening is like wellness therapy; how does it help you?
It’s good for me in so many ways. Being in the open air, moving about, bending, lifting and keeping active. There is a growing awareness that nature and the outdoors are great for our mental health too.
Spending time either in the garden or walking in the woods, watching the birds, and being near the water, all help me manage my stress levels and propensity for low mood. If I feel down, the very best thing I can do is sow a seed or pull up a carrot.
What are your favourite plants and why?
This is like choosing a favourite child, I have two kids, so I’ll choose two plants. An apple tree gives so much and demands so little. A small pruning now and then and we get blossoms, beautiful leaves, majestic yet domestic grandeur from their lovely shapes, and apples, of course. I could wax lyrical for days.
I do love lavender too, it’s so useful in the garden; the glaucous blue-green leaves and the wonderful purple flowers and, of course, the scent.
Drawn To The Garden by Caroline Quentin, $65.60, at Paper Plus
What’s your biggest triumph?
I suppose the veggie plot is my proudest achievement and my greatest disaster. Every year I try to grow new things and I’ll get something that does unexpectedly well such as onions or potatoes, then I’ll get a disastrous crop, toms ruined by end rot, or beans devastated by greenfly. As gardeners know, that’s the fun of it and it keeps us on our toes and constantly learning.
Advice to new gardeners?
Grow what you love. Whether that be roses or rhubarb. I’d also suggest starting with things that germinate quickly: lettuce, rocket, sunflowers and herbs. There is nothing worse than sowing seeds and getting despondent before you even see the little lime-green shoot appearing. Oh, and don’t worry – it’s only a seed, there are lots more and all they want to do is grow.
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