TV : Documentary : TV quality : English





Around the World in 80 Gardens, BBC2 (2008)

Originally broadcast 27th January – 30th March




Episode 1, "Mexico & Cuba"

New series. Setting out on his horticultural tour, Monty Don finds a tasteful blend of ancient and modern landscaping in the antiquated water gardens of Mexico City, and the post-modern surreal fantasies of Luis Barragan in the Mexican rainforest. On the Caribbean island of Cuba, the intrepid gardener discovers a crumbling urban landscape playing host to a budding natural revolution.
Duration: 59:19

Episode 2, "Australia & New Zealand"

Monty Don continues his horticultural tour with a visit to the dreamy climes of Australia and New Zealand. Visiting the renowned Botany Bay, Monty investigates the effect imported plant-life, favoured by colonial settlers, has had on the natural beauty of New South Wales. In New Zealand, the green-fingered presenter goes in search of the wild heart of the country, revelling in a lush rainforest conservatory made entirely of native plants.
Duration: 59:23

Episode 3, "India"

Monty Don heads to India, where he takes in some of the most masterful examples of horticultural and architectural extravagance in the world - including the gardens of the Taj Mahal. Along the way, the green-fingered presenter investigates the majestic tomb gardens of the Mughal emperors, and a unique rock sculpture garden created from discarded objects and rubbish.
Duration: 59:21

Episode 4, "South America: Brazil, Argentina and Chile."

Monty Don visits the world's 80 most inspiring gardens. This time he is in South America, a continent twice the size of Europe and the home of more than 50,000 endemic plant species. In Rio de Janeiro, Monty visits the private garden of Brazil's most famous artist, Burle Marx. He views the ingenious floating gardens of the Amazon. He visits a crumbling estancia (ranch) in the windy Pampas. He ends his journey on the Pacific coast of Chile in a garden that sits harmoniously in its landscape.
Duration: 58:37 

Episode 5, "The United States Of America"

Monty Don takes his global tour to the US to investigate whether the world's most powerful nation expresses its wealth through its beauty spots. In New York he meets a group of garden guerillas transforming derelict land into community oases. In Virginia, he visits a conservation project that details America's history, and in California he searches for plots that reflect the glamour of Hollywood.
Duration: 58:37

Episode 6, "China and Japan"

Armed with a long-standing interest in Zen Buddhism, Monty Don takes his globe-trotting tour to the Orient, where he investigates two very different approaches to gardening in China and Japan. His research leads him first to China's ancient scholars' gardens in Suzhou, and after gaining a new insight into oriental horticulture, he journeys to Kyoto, the Japanese city of gardens.
Duration: 59:30

Episode 7, "The Med: Morocco/Spain/Italy"

Monty Don journeys to the Mediterranean, the cradle of European civilisation, for the next stage in his horticultural tour. In Italy, he witnesses the elaborate stone and water gardens created during the high Renaissance. He also investigates the influence of Moorish culture on European gardens, visiting the Aguedal in Marrakesh, and Spain's magnificent Alhambra.
Duration: 59:00

Episode 8, "South Africa"

The horticultural tour continues with a trip to South Africa, one of the greenest zones in the world. In Cape Town, Monty Don visits the renowned Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens, where he encounters the country's national plant, the strange king protea, and discovers an abundance of plant life in the Drakensberg mountains.
Duration: 59:32

Episode 9, "Northern Europe"

Monty Don journeys to Northern Europe, where an abundance of botanical oases reveals a culture obsessed with creating gardens. He discovers the floral splendour of Britain's Sissinghurst Castle and the landscape palette of impressionist painter Monet at Giverny, before witnessing the midnight sun in Norway as he discovers how plants behave 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Duration: 59:22

Episode 10, "South East Asia"

Monty Don brings his globe-trotting botanical tour to a close with a visit to South East Asia, where he hopes to witness a true tropical oasis. Visiting the immaculately presented garden of Jim Thompson House in Bangkok, he discovers an exotic plot with a Western flavour. He also meets former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who once stated that Singapore should be `a city in a garden'. Last in series.
Duration: 59:15


Technical summary (files 1-3 & 6-10):
Video: DivX 6.0, 720 x 404, 25 fps @ 1200 kbs
Audio: MPEG Layer-3 Audio, Stereo, 48000 Hz @ 160 kbs

Technical summary (file 4):
Video: XviD 1.0.3, 640 x 352, 25 fps @ 1500 kbs
Audio: MPEG Layer-3 Audio, Stereo, 48000 Hz @128 kbs




Enjoy and Seed!!