The secret gardener - Ben Shepherd

When he’s not presenting TV programmes including Good Morning Britain, Ben Shepherd enjoys spending time in his garden with his wife Annie and two boys Sam and Jack.

Pictures of his lovely garden posted on social media include one of a gravel seating area with circular metal benches and a firepit.  The well-kept lawn area is surrounded by large beds filled with herbaceous plants, hydrangeas and lavender, and in the middle is a striking metal sculpture.  Ben captioned the image. ‘Is there anything more satisfying than stripes in a lawn!  Yes, I’m very aware I’ve hit peak middle age – and quite frankly I couldn’t be happier!’

The garden is well used by the family.  Ben has said, ‘What we really love about the garden is how it's been zoned off to create separate rooms.’  There’s a lovely wide gravel walkway framed by rose arches, an apple tree and vegetable beds where the couple have enjoyed growing plants such as tomatoes, peppers and aubergines.  ‘Is there anything more satisfying than getting produce from the garden and eating it?  Delicious!,' Ben has said.  There’s also an astro turf lawn for the kids to play football on - something for everyone.

Ben only just slipped into this category as he admits it’s his wife Annie who does the lion’s share of the gardening, only letting him loose on the lawn.  But he did build a garden bench in a relaxed seating area for gin and tonics – does that count as gardening?