See Tom Leonard, the Drag Queen Gardener, at the Show on Sunday on the We Grow Stage, on the Secret Homestead Garden.
Tom Leonard is a horticulturist from Warwickshire, who has a passion for gardening… and drag. It all started after a break up in 2019 when he decided to get an allotment. His love of gardening blossomed into a career, from training with the RHS to becoming a professional working gardener.
The gardening world was calling out for something fresh and Daisy Desire is now a well known face within mainstream society for adding some sequins to the horticultural scene, her joyful personality and a refusal to take life so seriously, has proven a tonic to audiences of all ages as she sets out with the aim to promote the mental wellbeing benefits of horticulture whilst giving people the motivation to be who they want to be and simply do what makes you happy. The Drag Queen Gardener has been breaking both barriers and ground, and is fast becoming the next rising star in the gardening world!
Find out more about the session on gardening for mental wellbeing on the We Grow Stage
Learning from nature and from others as well as about yourself – we don’t just learn gardening we learn patience, resilience, hope, we learn about our own capacities as well as how we can learn and reach for more, whether that be a skill or a quality in ourselves. Our own mental wellbeing can often challenge our ability to believe in ourselves, but seeing a shoot emerge from the soil, or a flower come into bloom can prove to us that we can do something, that we are successful. Join Tom Leonard (The Drag Queen Gardener) for an informal talk on the benefits of gardening for mental well-being. Discussing what plants allow you to connect with nature on a more intimate level and why gardening can be beneficial to us. Tom draws on his own research and personal experiences to promote the nurturing advantages of horticulture for oneself and why it is so important to consider when taking care of your own growing space.