BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine Podcast Grow your own Hamnet-inspired herb garden
Mar 17, 2026
Dr Kim Walker, medical herbalist and biocultural historian who advised on the film Hamnet, shares plant lore and on-set herb craft. She talks about historic herbal medicine, seasonality and sourcing for film, foraging and cultivation, the Nine Herbs Charm and symbolic plants like mugwort and plantain. Learn how to create a Hamnet-inspired herb garden with authentic, aromatic and medicinal choices.
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On-Set Foraging And Seasonal Adaptation
- Kim Walker was hired to consult on Hamnet and spent weeks on set ensuring herbs and remedies looked and were handled authentically.
- She read the book, adapted seasonal plant choices for filming in July–September, and foraged fresh material daily to keep scenes accurate.
Herbs Versus Humoral Medicine
- In Shakespeare's era herbs were the primary medicines and often preferable to doctors who used bleeding and leeches based on humoral theory.
- Kim Walker notes herbs contained active chemicals, making them practical treatments compared with risky medical interventions of the time.
Workshops And A Scrapyard Herb Walk
- Kim ran a practical workshop with Chloe Zhao and Jessie Buckley teaching period techniques like making poultices and using a pestle and mortar.
- She led a herb walk on urban scrap land full of medicinal weeds, which excited the actors and led her to attend set daily.
