I am a serious Downton Abbey fan; love the era and anything related to England. I can’t wait for Season V to start this Sunday, January 4, on PBS. But I am equally interested in another PBS show premiering after the second episode of Downton Abbey. The Queen’s Garden will be on PBS on Sunday, January 11, 10:00 EST. Below is a short description and link from the PBS web site. To all of you gardeners, this promises to be as great as Downton Abbey!!
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365385033/
Using cutting-edge natural history film-making methods, this film explores and captures the garden from every angle to offer viewers a rare, rich and intimate insight into a 39 acre oasis in the center of London (equivalent to 30 American football fields). The techniques used include aerial photography, time-lapse, thermal imaging and remotely-operated motion-sensitive cameras positioned around the garden that will capture animal activity when no one is around.
We will witness the striking transformation as each season brings different sights, sounds, smells and visitors to the garden. Surprises, delights, and unusual and unexpected discoveries abound as wildlife and plantlife are filmed in all their forms, both commonplace and rare, both by day and by night. And we will discover how the garden is used inside the Palace: from the mulberries that are used by the royal kitchens to cook dishes for the Queen to the foliage collected from the garden to decorate the Palace at Christmas.
And the expertise, organization, craft and graft required to meet the challenge of maintaining a garden fit for a Queen is shown as senior garden staff share their approach and unique trade secrets — such as the use of the invaluable ‘arisings’ (Buckingham Palace argot for fertilizer from the Royal stables).
Over the year spent at the garden, The Queen’s Garden yields stories and spectacles rarely heard or seen beyond its secure walls. Royal historian Dr. Lucy Worsley describes the garden’s origins as part of a much bigger hunting ground for Henry VIII and its evolution to its present day dimensions via its role as a playground for the Queen and Princess Margaret during their childhood. And the Royal Family’s attachment to the garden is brought to life with rare archival footage.
From its wildest corners, where it functions as one of the most important havens for wildlife in London to its role as the sumptuous venue for an 8,000 strong Royal Garden Party, The Queen’s Garden will offer viewers privileged access and a unique perspective into a special place.
