My gardening world
Jo Brand
Jo Brand is a comedian, writer and actor. She’s a regular guest on the BBC’s QI and Have I Got News For You and presents Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. Jo lives in London and is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.
Why do you enjoy gardening?
I get to have a bit of time to myself, I’m so antisocial really and don’t get much time off. With my family constantly around and my job talking to people, I can get fed up, so it’s a big plus to be in the garden thinking rather than speaking.
You started growing veg this year, why? We got given some kits to grow veg from seed for the kids. I couldn’t interest the girls, obviously – they had their heads buried in social media – so I decided to grow them myself. It was nice to do, as normally I’m too busy. But I probably could have looked after them better!
Biggest disaster in the garden?
I’ve had plenty of big disasters in The Guardian, I can tell you! In the garden, I tend to be a bit of a bull in a china shop, pulling up things without properly looking at them. But I’ve got an app now that helps me know what plants are
– just don’t test me on names!
Tell us about your garden
It’s a decent size, but totally bog standard. I have a rose that does well, even though it’s so neglected. It’s called ‘Cherie Blair’ and was gifted to me, perhaps because it’s left wing.
How do gardens benefit people with dementia?
My dad had dementia, and there can be far too much sitting down. Gardens are great for natural memory, moving around and spending
time outside. It stimulates neurons in your brain. Sadly, you can’t grow doughnuts.
Are your family gardeners?
My dad was a decent gardener and spent a lot of time doing it when we were young. He rented a field with woodland to grow Christmas trees on, thinking of selling them, but our neighbour’s donkeys broke in and ate them all. That was the end of his career as a Christmas tree producer.
What’s your Christmas like?
We go on a massively long walk with my brother’s family to deserve the 18,000 calories we are about to eat. In reality we only burn off 200, but no one thinks that – instead they think: I can have an extra 17 roast potatoes now. Mum is a way away in Shropshire, but it’s nice to see her waving at us on Zoom, rarely hearing anything. She always presses the wrong button and disappears for 10 minutes down some electronic rabbit hole.
Jo will be dressing up as an elf to help raise funds for people affected by dementia on Elf Day, 4 Dec. Sign up for your free kit to host you own Elf Day: alzheimers.org.uk/ElfDay