by James Alexander-Sinclair
Sometimes it's OK to say "hang it all" to the garden and spend the day bundled up in the warm, in front of the television.
The weather outside is frightful: rainy, cold and in every way disgusting. It may well be that by the time you read this the weather might be balmy in your part of the country but, just in case…
What can the diligent and conscientious gardener do in such ghastly conditions? To fossick around on either border or lawn will cause more damage than good. You could tidy the shed or do some useful work in the greenhouse, but some days are too miserable even for that.
Sometimes it's OK to say "hang it all" to the garden and spend the day bundled up in the warm, in front of the television. Rather than watching any old nonsense (or even recorded repeats of Gardeners' World) I've been thinking about films which feature great gardens.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but merely a start:
The Secret Garden is an obvious candidate. Based on the Frances Hodgson Burnett book and made in 1993, it also stars Maggie Smith, who can do no wrong, in my eyes.
Greenfingers (2000) starring Helen Mirren (who, if anything, is even more perfect than Maggie Smith), Clive Owen and David Kelly (whom older readers will remember as the one-armed Irish washer up in Robin's Nest). Based on a true story it follows a group of convicts who discover a passion for gardening.
The Draughtsman's Contract (1983). Beautiful Peter Greenaway film about love and lust amongst formal gardens and sweeping landscapes. Filmed at Groombridge Place in Kent, which was also used in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice.
Green Card (1990) starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell. A marriage of convenience so he can stay in the USA and she can get the apartment of her dreams. But any gardener will especially remember the fabulous greenhouse on top of the building.
Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol 1 is perhaps not a film noted for its horticulture, being much more concerned with casual dismemberment. However, there is a wonderful scene in a snow-covered Japanese garden. Admittedly it ends up spattered in scarlet, but it looks good up until then.
Atonement. Ghastly film, great gardens - lots of meadows and waving grasses.
Any more?
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