The Chinese plants that reshaped British gardens

CGTN Europe

Do you know that many of the plants we take for granted in British gardens actually originate from China?   From the hydrangea to the magnolia, these botanical treasures have quietly reshaped landscapes, adding colors and fragrances once unseen in Georgian London.   #tracesofchina

Transcript

00:00What it is, it's taking the principles behind Chinese design and applying them to our English,

00:14I say contemporary garden design.

00:16But if you look at a Chinese garden, well, they're reflecting their landscape.

00:21If we were to superimpose a Chinese garden here, we're not reflecting our landscape.

00:26These fundamental principles of Chinese design have underpinned, really, what we do in British

00:34garden design for a long time.

00:36So many plants that we take for granted are Chinese.

00:41I can just list them, but it would take me to the end of the film to list them all.

00:45But a good one is a chrysanthemum, magnolia, camellia, hollyhock, hydrangea.

00:54I mean, the hydrangea, though, it's so British, it's so synonymous with the British garden, right?

01:02So you think of Georgian London as being sort of, you know, brick-coloured.

01:07And then the Chinese plants, all of those would bring colour that you've never seen before.

01:12Yeah, it's funny, you're talking there and there's a rich smell of flowers in the air right now.

01:19And I'm wondering which one of these that is.

01:21God, it's beautiful, isn't it?

01:23That's where it's coming from.

01:25All the way down the street.

01:26God, that's amazing.

01:27You can smell that from all the way down the other side of the street.

01:33That is amazing, isn't it?

01:34It's intoxicating.

01:35Oh my gosh.

01:37And that is a gift, not just everybody who lives here, but everyone just passing through.

01:42Nature is public, by definition.

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