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Rachel's burning passion for plants

Helen Tither
7/ 7/2008

POPPING up among the petunias at The RHS Tatton Flower show you can always spot a green-fingered celebrity or two. Well, it is the most glamorous gardening event of the year.

But none draw quite so much attention as the Gardeners' World team, who spend most of the week on site filming for the BBC show. They have an almost cult status for the hundreds of horticultural visitors to the five day event.

This year, star of the primetime show Rachel de Thame will be back among the blooms filming with the rest of the team.

And, she says, she can't wait to dig in. "I love all the big shows," she says. "But I love them all for different reasons - I think they all have a different atmosphere and special quality.

"Tatton is the last of the big shows, so for me it's a bitter sweet feeling being there.

"But it's an incredibly friendly event - the most friendly of all the shows and I always have the most fun there. Plus the quality of everything on display is just extraordinary. I was so impressed by the exhibitors last year."

While she is used to appraising the gardens on show in her role as presenter, earlier this year 46-year-old Rachel had a taste of life on the other side when she was invited to design her own garden for the Chelsea show.

With progress filmed for Gardeners' World, she says it was months of hard work to get it all looking picture perfect on the day.

"It was a good nine months of preparation and that was just for a small garden," she recalls. "I was still putting the finishing touches to it the morning of the judging!

"I would love the opportunity to do it again though, the best thing was just being able to show it to friends and family, from a personal perspective."

Eager to talk about all things green-related, it's clear that the down-to-earth presenter has a genuine passion for plants. In fact, even at this time of year - when she barely has a minute to herself between filming projects - she says there's only one way she likes to relax. "Everyone on Gardeners' World is genuinely passionate about gardening," she smiles. "Even when I've been filming gardens all day, as soon as I get home I'm straight out in the garden again!"

The fact that Rachel is so busy with TV commitments seems to illustrate the public's recently rediscovered love of all things green, from Jamie Oliver's obsessions with growing your own herbs, to Springwatch's tips on tracking wildlife in your back yard.

As if to prove gardening and glamour go hand in hand, none other than socialite Tara Palmer Tomkinson is up at Tatton Park tomorrow, to talk about her love of gardening ahead of this year's show.

Does Rachel, who spent years as a model prior to retraining at the English Gardening School, think that gardening is back in fashion?

"People seem to have been asking me that for the past few years," she laughs. "I think it's very, very popular - perhaps what has become more fashionable over the last few years is this idea of growing your own vegetables."

Rachel herself has only recently started growing her own veg - and reckons it the must-try trend of the season. With four kids of her own to keep happy, she says it's also the perfect way to keep them busy this summer.

"I'm just developing my own vegetable garden, something I haven't done since I was a child with my dad. It's such a huge learning curve - but now I am almost evangelical about it. It's great to be growing your own food and the difference is really noticeable. The lettuce is crunchy instead of floppy.

"Plus, people want to know where their food is coming from and teach their children about it. My first crop to come through was radishes and I went to pick them with my children which was just such a thrill."

The RHS Tatton Flower Show runs from July 23-27. For tickets call 0870 842 2234 or visit rhs.org.uk/tattonpark