The secret gardener - Nigel Havers

When he’s not on screen or stage, actor Nigel Havers enjoys working in the garden, describing himself as a keen gardener.

Becoming a home owner, after buying a house in Wandsworth in the 1980s, was what first ignited his interest - he even installed a greenhouse in the pretty garden.  Nigel now lives in Chelsea but also owns a converted barn in Wiltshire that he shares with third wife Georgiana Bronfman.  She’s ‘keen as mustard’ on gardening, she absolutely loves it,’ he said.

Together they revamped the London garden, which Nigel has described as quite small (50ft by 40ft) with a lawn surrounded on all sides by white roses.  ‘I have a strange, thorny African tree which I put in a few years ago.  I forget its name but it’s doing very well,’ he told the Express.  The garden also has a garden sculpture - a lion cub holding on to a turret.

As you’d image from the quintessential Englishman, Nigel loves an old-fashioned English country garden and has a particular fondness for roses. In Wilshire he has planted rosemary and lavender amongst his roses – partly because they’re drought-tolerant and he is aware of the importance of planting sustainably.  Another passion is the lawn.  ‘I like to cut the grass.  It’s very therapeutic so I’m always looking at the latest lawnmowers,’ he said.  And although he describes himself as an  ‘over-tidy person’ he also enjoys a rural country cottage style garden that encourages wildlife.  ‘I used to hate nettles but I’m keen on them now because they provide sanctuary for lots of insects.’

Well done Nigel, we say!