Judi Dench Unveils Backyard Memorial Forest Planted for Departed Loved Ones

Actress plants a backyard forest where her dead loved ones can live on and “communicate with each other”

Every time a love one dies, British actress Judi Dench plants a tree in her backyard as a living memorial a forest dedicated to those close to her who have passed.

The tradition started when her husband, actor Michael Williams, died, and has extended to friends, family members and beloved fellow actors.

“Every time a relative or friend died we would plant a tree,” she told the Telegraph.

The forest is comprised of 6 native species, and each tree is unique.

“There is one for Stephen Hanley, who performed in A Little Night Music at the National. It’s very like him, he was very tall and pale.”

“It’s about remembering and for me it’s something living that goes on.”

The most magical part about the trees, Dench said, is that they’re all interconnected and even “talking” to each other.

“I will never think of trees as individuals again,” she said. “A forest is a very social place.”

“Everyone is sharing and passing on things to everyone else.”

Though she may sound like a crazy fairy lady, there’s emerging science that trees actually do “talk” to each other.

“When I planted trees in memory of my friends I always hoped they would be part of a community, that they would be communicating with each other. And now it’s so reassuring to find out it’s true.”

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