The Good Morning Britain star has turned to the F@Fgarden as a “kind of therapy“
In a “very emotional” appearance on ITV’s Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh on Tuesday evening, Kate Garraway presented the garden she has grown to help her husband Derek Draper’s rehabilitation.
The Good Morning Britain host recalled the moment her husband first saw the changed home with Derek saw smiling as she told him: “This is your part of the garden.”
Since Derek’s COVID-19 hospitalization two years ago, Kate has revealed that gardening has been helpful for her. Before being permitted to return home, the former political aide spent a year in hospital, but he still has a variety of long-term health issues that require specialist care.
With a particular area of the garden stocked with plants to promote the family’s health and wellbeing, the 54-year-old has found new ways to help his recovery.
Speaking about the idea on Love Your Garden, Kate said: “I love the idea that there are plants that look good, smell good and do good. I hope it works.”
The garden has three different plant beds: one for tea-making plants, another for medicinal plants, including antioxidant-rich plants, and a third that is dedicated to aromatherapy.
“If you look past the initial beauty of the plants, it can give you so much more. I haven’t quite proved you can grow yourself well but I think I’ve definitely learned you can grow yourself happier,” Kate said.
Sharing the idea behind the garden on Instagram on Tuesday, the mum-of-two told her followers: “It started out as a kind of therapy – gardening & nature helped distract me when life felt on the edge and then, thanks to the team @loveyourgarden, I took it a step further & turned our garden into a beautiful factory for physical healing too.
“They even helped me carry Derek outside so he could see the fruits of our labor too – a very emotional moment.”