Actress Elizabeth Hurley lives with her son Damian in a large country house in Herefordshire, with extensive grounds. She’s long been a hands-on gardener; in fact she used to own and run a small organic farm in Ampney Knowle, close to Genus Gardenwear’s Gloucestershire HQ and was very involved with its day-to-day running including keeping lambs and bottle feeding piglets.
She’s equally involved with her current beautiful garden, being quoted in Hello magazine last year as saying: ‘Secretly, I'd much rather be gardening than doing anything else. I've been outside doing things for at least five hours a day. I have my own shed with all my tools in it, and woe betide anyone else who uses them.’
Elizabeth told Harpers Bazaar US that she’d been getting friends and family involved during lockdown. ‘I’ve been gardening like a fiend. I’ve been very bossy and made all my houseguests apart from the elderly do three hours of manual labour day in return for their keep.’
The actress also spoke about how she likes to counteract show business with manual labour, saying she would rather bend and stretch by raking leaves or cutting a hedge and making something look beautiful than going to the gym. ‘I do a lot of exercise, but it’s really the gardening… using my chainsaw to cut down a tree, logging, all of that stuff I do,’ she said. It’s better for you she said,’ because you’re using your muscles achieving something.
But it’s not all work. Her large garden which includes a fishing lake also has plenty of entertaining areas including a terrace with wicker furniture and heaters, set against the backdrop of her stunning Georgian house, clad in climbers. She also posted an Instagram image of herself barbecuing on her Big Green Egg with her immaculately maintained lawns and perfect hedges in the background. With such a large and stunning garden it’s no wonder she has had to put her guest to work!