Viva España!
Join Monty Don as the green-fingered expert explores Spain’s most spectacular gardens…
MONTY DON’S SPANISH GARDENS Friday, 8pm, BBC2 Factual
Monty Don is embarking on a gardening odyssey across Spain to showcase the country’s variety of horticultural highlights. In this threeparter, the presenter travels through different regions to visit a range of private and public gardens, from historical estates to modern plots that have adapted to climate change and Spain’s difficult terrains.
‘I thought Spain wasn’t particularly a gardening country, but this was an eye-opener,’ says Gardeners’ World host Monty. ‘With summer drought and winter flooding though, garden designers must use ingenuity.’
While Monty journeys to the south and north of the country later in the series, he begins his trip in rugged central Spain. As well as exploring a lush park in Valencia that was the result of a local campaign for a green space, he marvels at the palace of El Escorial, north of Madrid, and in the capital itself, he uncovers incredible gardens inside a bank, a train station and a suburban school.
‘The school was fascinating,’ shares Monty. ‘They have huge window boxes so the children can see birds, insects and flowers, there are lessons in an atrium with palm trees, and they grow vegetables for their lunch. It’s brilliant!’
Monty was equally captivated by a garden on the outskirts of Madrid, which has a design based around the paths that the owners’ dogs naturally created as they wandered through the grounds.
‘I’m mad about dogs and that was extraordinary,’ he smiles. ‘The designer came at things sideways. You don’t have fixed paths, you shift them around by seeing the way the dogs move and what they like. It’s inspiring!’