Image: https://www.rhs.org.uk/
When King Charles turned 50 in 1998, one of his gifts from Sir Elton John was not jewellery, art or another conventional luxury. A rare Manchurian ash was given to him by the Dalai Lama and planted in the meadow in 1999. In 2008, when Charles turned 60, the Australian Monarchist League gave him 60 tree ferns. The Duchy of Cornwall acquired the estate in 1980, and Charles gradually transformed its grounds. In a 2010 documentary discussed by ABC News, Charles spoke openly about talking to the plants and trees at Highgrove. ABC News later reported that Charles continued to speak about his habit, telling the BBC documentary team in 2010 that he talked to plants and trees and listened to them. Sky News likewise recalled the 1986 episode, reporting that Charles was ridiculed for the comments but later stood by his connection with plants and trees. In July 2025, PM Narendra Modi arrived at Sandringham estate carrying a Sonoma dove tree sapling. The gesture later took on a reciprocal character: for Modi’s 75th birthday in September 2025, King Charles sent him a Kadamb sapling, bringing the exchange full circle.
Because the ferns helped inspire a new part of the garden: the Southern Hemisphere Garden, the story became even more interesting. Because it demonstrates the strange longevity of such presents, the magnolia is particularly fitting. Contemporary accounts reported that the plants had made such an impression that they contributed to the development of the new garden.
The Royal Horticultural Society describes the garden today as reflecting his “planting passions” and “whimsical design”, with gifts from friends and overseas visitors incorporated into the landscape. Former royal gardener Jack Stooks described how Charles would ask for “trees, shrubs, roses, hedging” as gifts, saying that he would plant them in one of the royal gardens. The tree became a towering feature of the orchard, and Brosnan and his wife were later shown the tree they had given Charles, according to Stooks.
It was a golden Indian bean tree, Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’. The tree was planted in the Cottage Garden at Highgrove. The Indian bean tree has large, heart-shaped leaves, white flowers and long, bean-like seed pods. And despite its name, it is not from India and does not produce real beans. Charles himself reportedly noted the tree’s unusual name and origins in his writing about Highgrove. But Elton John was not the only person to give the future king something that would eventually become part of his garden. At Highgrove, botanical gifts accumulated over the years, turning parts of the estate into a kind of living album of Charles’s relationships. Then came perhaps the most extravagant tree-related birthday gift of all. The Australian gift was not a decorative bouquet that would disappear within days. Not every plant gift had such a happy ending. Some reports say the Australian tree ferns eventually failed to survive, a reminder that even a royal garden cannot simply command nature to cooperate. That philosophy fits unusually well with Charles’s approach to Highgrove. Charles became famous for his enthusiasm for organic gardening and for treating the garden almost as a living ecosystem. Highgrove eventually developed areas including a wildflower meadow, arboretum, orchard and other distinctive gardens. The estate also houses collections of plants and trees, including beech and large-leaved hostas. And then there is the detail that made his relationship with the garden famous far beyond Britain. “I happily talk to the plants and trees, and listen to them. I think it’s absolutely crucial. Everything I’ve done here, it’s like almost with your children. Every tree has a meaning for me. But his relationship with plants was once treated very differently. The same report described him as an early advocate of organic practices. What looked eccentric at the time eventually became one of the clearest windows into his personality. His gardening was intensely personal. That is why the list of plants at Highgrove is more interesting than it first appears. The Elton John tree represented a 50th birthday. The Manchurian ash connected the garden to the Dalai Lama. The Australian tree ferns marked Charles’s 60th. Apple trees from the National Fruit Collection had another purpose altogether: conservation. Stooks also recalled botanical presents from celebrity friends, including a magnolia from actor Pierce Brosnan and his wife and a snakes-head fritillaria from Sting and Trudie Styler. The choice was especially fitting for Charles, whose decades-long passion for trees and gardens is well known. A gift had become a landmark. And that may be the real reason trees became such perfect presents for the gardening-obsessed royal. Flowers can fade. A bottle can be emptied. A piece of clothing can eventually go out of fashion. But a tree can keep growing. It can cast a different shadow every year, flower in a different season, provide a home for wildlife and quietly become part of the place where it was planted. At Highgrove, some of Charles’s presents did exactly that. Looking for trusted parenting advice? Follow TOI Parenting Circle on Instagram for expert guidance, relatable stories, and practical tips delivered every day.
The royal who was once mocked for talking to plants Today, Charles’s reputation as an environmental campaigner and passionate gardener is well established.
The Royal Horticultural Society records the gift as part of the gardens’ history and says the ferns were given to the then Prince Charles for his 60th birthday. It was an entire collection of living plants intended for the grounds of Highgrove.
Because they responded, in 1986, when he was still Prince of Wales, Charles told an interviewer that he talked to plants. The remark was widely mocked.