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3 Episodes 2013 - 2017
Episode 1
58 mins
Monty examines the history and evolution of the gardens of the French powerful and wealthy. His look back begins in the Renaissance and the formal and structured gardens of royalty that looked inward both as privilege and security. This idea exploded in the seventeenth century into what most would consider the stereotype of the formal French garden, that explosion largely in size. The new ideas were to build gardens along a central axis for a grand vista, and to incorporate large water features, often along much of that axis and/or as focal points for the vista. The chief designer of these gardens is André Le Nôtre, and while Versailles is probably the most well known of his gardens of the era, arguably the one most seen are the Tuileries in Paris, the extension of which is the grand boulevard of the Champs d'Elysses currently stretching over five miles through the Arc de Triomphe to La Defense. Monty then looks at the history of the French love of roses which arose from Josephine Bonaparte's love of the flower, she who wanted a collection of every known rose variety in the world at that time. He then looks at what the rich and powerful of modern times are doing in creating gardens, whether they are trying to create something along the scale of those earlier gardens, or if they are limited to the tight urban spaces of inner city Paris. He then concludes with a look at such historic gardens if they are allowed to evolve with modern sensibilities.
Episode 2
59 mins
Monty Don moves to the potager or kitchen gardens where vegetables and flowers are planted together in beautiful displays, a style that is copied the world over.Monty Don visits some of the most famous gardens in France. He turns to France's artistic tradition to see what influence it has had on the country's gardens.
Episode 3
59 mins
Don once again travels across France in search for the country's most venerated gardens. This segment focuses on the relationship and intersections between gardens and art. Don visits the gardens of two of France's most famous artists, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet, to explore how their landscapes influenced their work and also tours more contemporary gardens that fuse together artistic aesthetics with the natural and doctored landscapes.