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00:01From vibrant blooms in every imaginable shade,
00:06to magical landscapes that feel like they've sprung from a fairy tale.
00:11Breathtaking clifftop vistas and lush tropical sanctuaries, alive with the extraordinary.
00:18This UV light will reveal what insects see.
00:20It is so symbolic of the flower figures on the island.
00:24Four of Europe's most enchanting horticultural wonders.
00:29It only flowers once every ten years.
00:32Everything grows so tall that we feel like we are being smashed by nature.
00:36Where every garden tells a story.
00:39This is our star of the garden.
00:41It really tells us the history of the garden instead.
00:45And every corner reveals a secret.
00:48You realize why they picked this point for the Game of Thrones?
00:51This has been like a vault with all our most precious treasures.
00:55We'll share tips and tricks for your own gardens.
00:58Are they starting to turn brown?
00:59Are they losing petals?
01:01And immerse ourselves in the legacies that continue to inspire garden lovers the world over.
01:08Welcome to Europe's greatest gardens.
01:13Welcome to Europe and welcome to Europe and theIST.
01:19Nestled on the Dutch Coast, just south of the vibrant city of Amsterdam is Leyden, known as the City of Discoveries.
01:25Though small in size, Leyden is a treasure trove, bursting with a rich tapestry of history and culture.
01:39Charming cobblestone streets and serene canals lined with historic buildings and bustling
01:44green spaces.
01:48Home to the esteemed Leiden University, this city has been a beacon of knowledge and innovation
01:54since the 16th century.
01:58And right at its heart is one of Leiden's most cherished gems, the Hortus Botanicus.
02:05It's the oldest botanical garden of the Netherlands, and it was founded in 1590.
02:09It was open to the public since the beginning, which is quite special.
02:14But also we are a scientific botanical garden, we are linked to the university, and that means
02:18that there's a lot of research being done here, and this is also very important.
02:25This is a garden of wonder.
02:29As we journey through the retreat, we're greeted by serene pockets of beauty.
02:35Here, vibrant flowers bloom in a kaleidoscope of colours, while towering trees from all
02:41corners of the globe stand tall.
02:46But this isn't merely a sanctuary of beauty, it's a haven of great significance.
02:52Within these grounds, the garden's first director, esteemed Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius,
02:59popularised tulips throughout the land.
03:04But that's just the beginning of this garden's remarkable story.
03:08In the 1800s, it emerged as one of the pivotal forces in revolutionising European horticulture,
03:15by introducing a stunning mix of plants from the Far East.
03:19Among these treasures were wisteria and hydrangeas, plants that transformed the very fabric of gardens
03:25across the continent.
03:31At the heart of this oasis, we discovered the true stars of the garden, a complex of glasshouses,
03:39showcasing some of the rarest and most unusual plants from around the globe, including the
03:46majestic giant water lily, and the largest orchid in all of the Netherlands.
03:56Our journey begins in the Winter Garden, the first glasshouse we encounter when we enter
04:01this Eden.
04:02It's very spacious, but it's most of all very practical.
04:07And it's because we use it to store our tub plants in the winter.
04:11In the top of it is where we keep a very special, very popular collection.
04:16Roger van Vucht is head of horticulture, and has worked here for over 15 years.
04:24He's responsible for all the flora in the collection, including this rather sinister mini-jungle
04:30of killer plants.
04:31This is a bogland.
04:35It's a completely self-supporting ecosystem of mosses.
04:40And between the mosses, you have various species of carnivorous plants.
04:44And carnivorous plants are, for me, one of the reasons why I love plants.
04:49When I was a kid, the fact that a plant would lure and then capture and then eat an insect
04:55was something otherworldly because it's just not something that plants are supposed to
04:59do, but they do exist.
05:04By far the most famous of these carnivorous plants is the Venus flytrap.
05:12With its bright green fanged leaves often tinged with red, it's visually striking, but it's also
05:18as fearsome as it looks.
05:23Because they are waiting for an insect, and when the insect enters the leaves, they will
05:26shut, they will close, and then they will kill and digest the insect.
05:31One of the most amazing things about the Venus flytrap is not that it can only move, it can
05:36also calculate.
05:38On every leaf half, there are three little trigger hairs.
05:42If they are touched once, then it could be, for example, a fallen leaf or a raindrop, and
05:46nothing will happen.
05:47However, if they are touched twice, the trap will close, and it will capture the insect.
05:54And if the insect keeps moving, they will shut even more tightly, and then it will digest
05:59the prey.
06:02You can grow these killer plants quite easily in the UK, provided you create the right conditions
06:07to mimic their natural habitat.
06:10For best results, plant them in a pot filled with acidic, well-draining soil.
06:16It features a mix of sphagnum and sand, with plenty of sunlight.
06:24This miniature world really is like looking at alien invaders from a sci-fi movie.
06:32The Venus flytrap may be the most famous, but there are actually hundreds of species of
06:38carnivorous plants that grow everywhere from the Arctic to Australia.
06:43One of the most beautiful is this, the sundew.
06:48But don't be misled by its beguiling looks.
06:50It too is a killer.
06:53The sundews are in fact related to the Venus flytrap, but they work in a very different
06:58way.
06:59Their leaves are covered in long hairs, and on the tip of every hair there is a droplet
07:03of sticky fluid, like a sort of mucus.
07:05Once an insect is attracted to these leaves and it will land on the leaf, it will be glued,
07:09stuck.
07:10And more tentacles will bend towards the insect to cover the insect in the fluid, and inside
07:15it are enzymes which will dissolve the insects.
07:18And then the fluids of the insect will be absorbed by the plant, and this is how the plant eats.
07:23And this is a South African species.
07:25There are, however, several species which are native to our continent.
07:29In the UK, for example, you have three different species of sundew.
07:35All three British species thrive in boggy environments, many of which are protected due to habitat loss.
07:42Fortunately, these native varieties, the oblong, great, and round-leaved sundews can be bought
07:47from many nurseries or specialist growers.
07:51This South African cape sundew is one of the easiest and most forgiving to grow, making
07:56it perfect for beginners.
07:59Grown in peat moss on a sunny windowsill, sundews can thrive in your home, adding a touch of exotic
08:05beauty and functional pest control.
08:15While all of these weird and wonderful specimens are on show for all to see, there is one glass
08:21house that remains strictly out of bounds to the public, for very good reason.
08:28Well, welcome in one of our most sacred places.
08:34This is basically like a vault with all our most precious treasures.
08:38And this is because some of the plants are of very high scientific value, and therefore
08:43the risk of them getting stolen or damaged is too big.
08:47Among the rarest and most valuable plants kept here are a number of carnivorous pitcher plants.
08:56Maybe not as fearsome as the Venus flytrap, or as pretty as the sundew, they are one
09:01of nature's botanical marvels, blending beauty and ingenuity with a touch of the macabre.
09:11This is a pitcher plant, and this is not just any pitcher plant.
09:14This is an appendix Rigidifolia, and it's one of the rarest species in the world.
09:19It comes from Sumatra, and it's nearly extinct.
09:22But it's a very good species to explain how a pitcher plant works.
09:26So the pitcher is formed at the end of a leaf.
09:30And it's basically a tube from which the inside is very smooth.
09:33So any insect that drops in is not able to walk out anymore.
09:38On the bottom, there's a little bit of fluid, which will help to digest the insects.
09:43And there are little pores inside that can absorb the nutrients.
09:46If we move up to the pitcher, we see this band when insects are attracted to it because
09:51it has a bright color.
09:52But it's also slippery.
09:53So when they are close to the edge, they often drop in.
09:57And then on top of the pitcher, you have the lid.
09:59And it has two functions.
10:01First of all, it prevents the pitcher from raining full with water.
10:04Because if it would, then every insect that falls in can just walk out.
10:08But there are also tiny nectar glands.
10:10And these nectar glands produce very sweet nectar.
10:13And wasps and ants and all kinds of insects are attracted to it.
10:17And they are on the underside of this lid.
10:19And every now and then, especially if there's a raindrop falling on top of it, the insect will
10:23drop in to be devoured by the plant.
10:26So another nice trick to lure insects is the color of the peristone.
10:30So for us, it's a reddish color.
10:33But for insects, it looks even better than that.
10:35But to show that, I have a UV light.
10:38And this UV light will reveal what insects see.
10:41And suddenly, the rim turns a beautiful bluish hue, especially at night.
10:45This is very, very spectacular.
10:47So it's really the rim, the opening of the pitcher, where the plant wants the insects to go.
10:52Beyond their alluring appearance, pitcher plants are masters of survival, thriving in nutrient
11:04poor soils by transforming insects into sustenance.
11:07But be sure to buy from reputable outlets.
11:10A species like the Nepenthes rigidfolia have been driven to the edge of extinction by illegal
11:16poaching and loss of habitat.
11:18So these plants are absolutely priceless when it comes to not just their financial value,
11:26but also the fact that they are very, very important for the future of the species.
11:33Coming up…
11:34Way before the stock markets, way before the Bitcoin.
11:38We uncover the captivating history of a Dutch icon, the tulip.
11:43This tulip was the first economic bubble.
11:46And we meet one of the garden's true stars.
11:50It's unbelievable to see how fast everything grows.
11:53The majestic giant water lily.
12:12We are in the charming city of Leiden, just 40 kilometers south of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
12:20Hidden away from the bustling streets and canals lies a green oasis, the Hortus Botanicus, one
12:27of the oldest botanical gardens in the world.
12:31In 1593, this remarkable garden appointed its first director, the plant pioneer Carolus Clusius.
12:41Renowned for his extraordinary contributions to botany, Clusius was among the first in Europe
12:46to celebrate flowers and plants for their stunning beauty, rather than simply their practical uses.
12:52Notably, he was the man who brought tulips to the masses.
12:58Thanks to his legacy, 400 years later, the Dutch are still the largest producer of tulips
13:03in the world.
13:07And just up the road from the Hortus Botanicus is the family-run Pennings Farm, one of the
13:12biggest in the Netherlands.
13:15We grow now about 200 million tulips, about 450 different varieties on 200 acres all over
13:22the Netherlands.
13:25But before they became so common, tulips were highly sought after and extremely valuable.
13:32Way before the stock market, way before the Bitcoin, this tulip was the first economic bubble.
13:39And in 1636, they paid 10,000 guilders, and that's now calculated with inflation 2.1 million
13:46euros for single tulip bulbs.
13:52With single bulbs being so precious back in the 16th century, Clusius established a dedicated
13:58area for them at the Hortus, a replica of which still exists and is still used today.
14:06Clusius had this fenced section.
14:11I think the fence is not so much to save them for stealing, because you and I can jump over
14:17the fence, but more to express the value, the rarity of these very new novelty bulbs.
14:26Carla Tuna first came to work at the Hortus almost 60 years ago.
14:33She was the world's first female head of horticulture at a botanical garden, and even had a tulip
14:38named after her for her 70th birthday.
14:41And it is a beautiful tulip, pink purple.
14:45Although now retired, she still likes to muck in planting tulips in the same way that Clusius
14:51did 400 years ago.
15:13In the early 1600s, everyone who was anyone wanted tulips in their garden, and this tulip
15:22mania meant that a huge area south of Amsterdam was taken over with tulip production.
15:32But in 1637, the bubble burst, prices plummeted, and investors were ruined.
15:40The tulips, though, have proved somewhat more resilient.
15:46The Netherlands is still the largest producer of tulip bulbs in the world.
15:51Around 2 billion are grown each year.
15:5375% of the global market, worth billions of dollars, are exported to over 100 countries.
16:02I absolutely adore the flower.
16:03It's, I think, the best flower in the world.
16:05It's so diverse in shape, in color, in size, also with the richest history.
16:11It's just a phenomenal flower.
16:15Surprisingly for Sylvia and her family, it's not the flower that holds the key.
16:21Just like Clusius 400 years ago, the true treasure lies in the bowl.
16:28Every year, this vibrant, multicolored blanket is cut down in its prime.
16:34We top the heads off the stem of the flower.
16:38And it's, of course, a very sad period.
16:42Visitors to our area are sometimes literally crying next to the field, like, what are you
16:45doing to the field?
16:47But we do that to make the bulb grow and to make it, starts to make baby bulbs.
16:53So as soon as you cut the head off, the energy from the bulb goes, instead of upwards, back
16:59into the bulb, and that's what makes the bulb grow.
17:03So we are bulb growers.
17:05We do nothing with the flower.
17:07So it's organic feeding for the soil.
17:10In late summer, the bulbs are dug up and taken inside this giant nursery building where
17:16they're cleaned, dried, and peeled.
17:19So this is the smallest bulb we have.
17:23This is size one.
17:25And it takes seven years before you have a sellable bulb out of this small size.
17:30So we plant these smaller bulbs back into our, on our fields in November again.
17:36So seven years, it has to be harvested again, planted again, field again.
17:41So the whole process for seven years.
17:44The bigger the bulb, the bigger the flower.
17:46So you need to have a lot of patience before you have, yeah, a big sellable bulb out of
17:51this small baby bulb.
17:55Tulips prefer sunny, sheltered areas with well-drained soil, making them ideal for beds, borders, or
18:01pots.
18:02Plant the bulbs in autumn with the pointed end facing up.
18:06In the UK's mild climate, they are often grown as annuals.
18:09But you can extend their life by lifting and storing the bulbs in a cool, dry place after
18:15flowering for another season of blooms.
18:17400 years ago, they were a lot more expensive during the tune of mania.
18:22It's a shame we don't live in those ages anymore.
18:25Otherwise, I would be probably on Hawaii or something, but…
18:2820 minutes away, back in the Hortus Botanicus, we have more to thank Clusius for than just
18:37tulips.
18:42He was a pioneer in the use of glasshouses in botanical gardens, recognizing their advantages
18:48for creating controlled environments for plant growth in the late 16th century.
18:58This practice laid the foundation for modern greenhouses in both botany and horticulture,
19:04a practice that's continued today in greenhouses around the world.
19:08After a sensitive restoration of its historic buildings, today, Leiden features three sprawling
19:15glasshouses.
19:17One of the most impressive is the Victoria glasshouse, built especially to house a remarkable giant,
19:24the Victoria Amazonica, or giant water lily.
19:31Introduced here from the Amazon River Basin in South America in the late 1800s, this species
19:37is celebrated for its impressive size and striking beauty.
19:49In conditions that mimic its natural habitat, the giant water lilies are thriving.
19:55In fact, they grow so quickly that horticulturalist Theo Oteske has a job keeping them under control.
20:02Yeah, for me, every day it's unbelievable to see how fast everything grows.
20:07For example, this leaf will be in one week as big as this one, so it's really, really powerful.
20:15It's a very aggressive plant.
20:17If you let it go, it will take all over the whole pond.
20:22So I have to cut some leaves out to make space for the new leaf.
20:28I cut two leaves in one week, and most of the time we have two flowers in one week.
20:35So every time you get one leaf, and then one flower, and then one leaf, and then one flower again.
20:48In the wild, these giants can stretch up to an awe-inspiring three meters in diameter, their
20:54edges curling upwards like a delicate rim, forming a natural basin to catch rain and keep
20:59the water from spilling over.
21:03With their vibrant green hue, they float gracefully on the river surface, supported by air pockets
21:09in their thick leaves.
21:12A look at the underneath of the leaf reveals some fascinating secrets to this plant's success.
21:20So what you can see here is that the underside of the leaf is very aggressive to animals.
21:27Otherwise the fish will eat it, so it's very important that he can defend himself.
21:32It really works because they are very, very sharp, and I cut myself many times, even when
21:38I use gloves.
21:41And what you also can see here is you see some airbags.
21:45For this plant it's very important that it will stay on the surface, and when it's raining
21:50there comes a lot of weight on the leaves.
21:53The airbags are not only in the leaves, but also you can see them quite well in the stem.
22:01You can see here they are quite big.
22:09While cultivating these giant water lilies requires tropical conditions like this, many
22:14varieties can thrive in the UK climate.
22:18Hardy species such as Nymphaea alba and Nymphaea maliac can withstand cooler temperatures.
22:25Just be sure your pond has a depth of around two feet in the centre to protect the plants
22:29from freezing during the winter months.
22:34These aquatic wonders are regarded as the most beautiful and colourful in the water garden,
22:40leaving a lasting impression.
22:42The full-size leaf of a giant water lily is often reported to support up to a whopping
22:4880 kilos, and its blossoms are nothing short of spectacular.
22:54As evening descends, these magnificent flowers open to reveal pristine white petals.
23:00And then as the sun rises, they gradually transform into deep pink, releasing a sweet intoxicating
23:06fragrance into the air, creating a fleeting yet enchanting spectacle that makes every appearance
23:14truly special.
23:17Coming up...
23:18This is the deadly nightshade, as poisonous as hell.
23:22We dive into the dark but fascinating world of the apothecary.
23:26It's from this latex that heroin, all those opiates are produced from.
23:31And say hello to one of the rarest plants in the entire collection.
23:36This is our Amorphophallus Titanum, also known as a giant penis plant.
23:40We're visiting the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the
24:01world.
24:06While its many glasshouses are home to an impressive mix of exotic species, the garden's rich history
24:12is firmly rooted in its outdoor landscape.
24:17Just next door is the University of Leiden, which established the garden in 1590 to support
24:23the emerging study of medicine, botany and pharmacology, key to producing essential medicines.
24:32At the forefront of this venture was Carolus Clusius, the garden's first director and renowned botanist,
24:38who played a vital role in shaping its collection.
24:42This area of the Hortus has been meticulously recreated from Clusius' original drawings
24:48and notes showcasing the very plants he cultivated here.
24:53So, what we know from the original planting scheme is it's not just medical plants.
25:01There's quite a variety.
25:02I mean, some of them are very familiar to us.
25:04Most of us know rosemary and thyme from the kitchen herbs that everyone uses.
25:10There is some medical plants that people use for all kinds of things, from headaches to treating
25:16infections or burns.
25:19Roderick Baumann is the scientific collection manager here at the Hortus.
25:24Every medical student had to learn during their studies about different plants, some with
25:28medical uses, some with which ones are poisonous and you should avoid them, and which ones are
25:35poisonous but fine in small doses.
25:38Here you have this one, which is a species of foxglove, which is poisonous.
25:44The other one is this one.
25:47This is the deadly nightshade.
25:49It was poisonous as hell.
25:51In its Latin name, it's called Atropa belladonna, and belladonna is then for pretty lady.
25:58And that's from the old story that people used to use part of this plant, not too much,
26:03of course, to make your pupils dilate and that you then become prettier.
26:09Actually, most of this plant is poisonous.
26:13Not just the very nice bright black berries, but also like the leaves, which is actually
26:19most of the plants in this family, the Solanaceae.
26:23We like this family.
26:25Other plants in this family, it's the potato, the tomato.
26:28I mean, the tomato is there, even Lucius had them.
26:33In the 1600s, the Hortus Botanicus played a vital role in the study and use of medicinal
26:38plants throughout the world.
26:44And it inspired another garden, which began to take shape on the banks of the River Thames,
26:48here in London.
26:51This new garden concentrated on cultivating plants specifically for the city's apothecaries,
26:57the Chelsea Physic Garden.
27:01There was a desire to have a bit of an accreditation to give people training how to correctly dispense
27:07herbs, spices, plants as medicine.
27:10Because some plants are so toxic that it's all about the dosage.
27:15And so, 351 years ago, the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, who are kind of like modern
27:20day pharmacists, created this garden here.
27:25But the gentlemen of Chelsea's Worshipful Society had a problem.
27:30So for the first ten years of the garden's existence, they actually struggled to find
27:34a gardener or a curator to run the garden.
27:37And eventually, they recruited a man named John Watts, who was an apothecary.
27:41John Watts then approached Leiden University Botanic Garden and started a seed exchange
27:47between the two organizations to try and get more plant specimens for the garden.
27:52And so this seed exchange program opened up the potential for London and Chelsea to start
27:56studying medicinal plants that came originally through the Dutch colonies.
28:01So it opened up a potential source of new medicines to treat the London population, which
28:05was hugely beneficial.
28:07There's a myriad of different plants that, either through ancient knowledge or scientific
28:13experimentation, were found to have medicinal qualities.
28:16So this is a really common garden plant, the poppy, loved by many people, lots of symbolism
28:22with poppies.
28:23But actually, a really important plant has been used medicinally for millennia.
28:27And if I make a little incision on the poppy seed here, you can start to see a white sap, a
28:35latex that starts to ooze out of it.
28:37And it's from this latex that things like morphine, codeine and heroin, all those opiates, are produced
28:44from.
28:45While the effects of opioids are well known and often contentious today, the medicinal benefits
28:51of other plants are more surprising.
28:56For thousands and thousands of years, humans were known to chew the bark of the willow tree
29:00when they had a toothache.
29:02And when scientists then synthesized the chemical from the willow, it was salicylic acid.
29:07And that chemical now creates what we know as aspirin.
29:11So aspirin has its original basis from plants such as the willow tree.
29:17The initial sharing relationship between the gardens of Leiden and Chelsea evolved into
29:22what was known as the Index Seminum, an international seed exchange program, which included nearly
29:30400 botanical gardens and universities in all corners of the globe.
29:37So the long-term effects of this seed exchange program is really evident in the gardens that
29:41we see today.
29:42If you look at the common garden plants, you might find many of the ornamentals are not
29:46native to the UK.
29:47They're from all around the world that have been spread by botanic gardens and have then
29:52ended up in our ornamental spaces.
29:54So a good example is the seed of Lebanon, a huge tree that we now see in lots of our parks.
30:00It's a conifer.
30:01And that tree came to London through Chelsea via Leiden.
30:05So Leiden gave us the seeds and Chelsea then propagated them and grew them all around the
30:11UK and shared them.
30:12So whenever you see a seed of Lebanon in the UK or London, there's a high chance that it
30:16might have derived from Chelsea and before that from Leiden.
30:20So from such a small beginning has become a really important program in botanic garden
30:26seed exchange.
30:27And that legacy, I think, is still really important today.
30:34And nowhere is it more important than back at the Hortus, where they study and preserve
30:39some of the rarest and most endangered plants in the world.
30:44Including one of the most unusual, originating from the rainforests of Sumatra and Indonesia,
30:50and now residing in Leiden's tropical glass house.
30:57Well, this is our Amorphophallus Titanum, also known as a giant penis plant.
31:03And you're very lucky to see it because it only flowers once every 10 years roughly.
31:09And it flowers for only two nights during that whole period.
31:12And the moment that we see here, it's already flowered for two nights.
31:16And it's just closing up again, but still a very pretty and impressive sight to see.
31:21The name Amorphophallus comes from the spadix that you see here, this big thing.
31:26And Amorphophallus literally means shapeless erect penis.
31:30So the person that gave it its name thought that this whole structure resembled an erect penis,
31:36and that's why they gave it this name.
31:38You know, size does matter, I guess.
31:41And this is actually one of the smaller ones we have.
31:44The bigger ones that we had were two, three times the size of this one.
31:49Yeah, they can get much, much bigger.
31:51But its phallic appearance is just one of its unusual qualities.
31:55This plant smells like a dead corpse, so a dead animal.
32:00That's why it's also known as corpse flower.
32:01I'd say a badger that's been left on the road for three weeks, full with maggots.
32:06That's what I'm smelling right now. Yeah.
32:09It secretes that bad smell because it's pollinated by carrion beetles and flies.
32:14And if you want to attract those, you have to smell like a dead animal pretty much.
32:17And so it mimics a rotting process.
32:20And besides the smell, it also produces heat, warmth in this spadex.
32:27If you were to put a heat camera on it, you could actually see it light up.
32:31And with the rotting process, you get a bad smell and warmth.
32:36And so it really tricks the pollinators into thinking that it's a dead animal.
32:41Flowering for just 48 hours once every 10 years,
32:45it's critical that the plant pollinates in order for it to thrive.
32:49For this, Jeff needs to give it a helping hand.
32:52It's not going to be full circumcision, don't worry.
32:54It's just a little window so we can collect the pollen,
32:57so that we can put it into the freezer and pollinate another individual with this one's pollen.
33:04So, as you can see, it's quite an interesting structure.
33:08It's spongy.
33:09And it's very cool because if you look at it, then you can see the female flowers here at the bottom.
33:16And the male flowers there at the top.
33:18I have a little spoon and a brush here.
33:22And what I'm going to do is I'm going to hold the spoon underneath the male flowers
33:29and I'm going to brush the pollen onto the spoon.
33:35And here you can see these little yellow dots.
33:38And so I will put it into this little paper envelope that I have here.
33:44While this plant features both male and female flowers,
33:48self-pollination is avoided to ensure a rich genetic diversity.
33:53This plant flowers in two nights, in two separate stages,
33:56and it does that exactly to prevent self-pollination.
33:59In the wild, this plant relies on other plants nearby,
34:03opening up on the same two days every ten years.
34:06But with wide deforestation in its native Indonesia,
34:10this is less and less likely to happen naturally.
34:13So these tiny bits of pollen will go into the freezer
34:17until a different plant, maybe on the other side of the world, opens up,
34:21ready for pollination.
34:23Two years ago we had two that were flowering which we pollinated
34:28and those seeds have gone all over Europe pretty much.
34:31And hopefully one day we can help restore them back into the wild.
34:36Coming up...
34:41It was new. Everybody wanted to have it.
34:45We discover how one man changed European gardens forever.
34:50He started a revolution.
34:53And a groundbreaking project to tackle climate challenges.
34:57It's sort of a climate-proof garden for the future.
35:06As our journey through the serene Hortus Botanicus in the city of Leiden draws to a close,
35:21there's one more remarkable reason to celebrate this garden's legacy.
35:25Back in the 1830s, pioneering botanist Philip Franz von Siebold arrived here,
35:34fresh from an adventurous eight-year exploration of Japan and the Far East.
35:40During his travels, he meticulously studied the diverse flora and fauna and returned with a bounty of seeds,
35:49planting them right here at the Hortus.
35:52And in doing so, he established a significant collection of Far Eastern plants.
35:57From all the garden plants that we use now, 65% is Chinese or Japanese.
36:07So, Japanese is very much his contribution.
36:12He brought wisterias. We have Floribunda, longer blue pinnacles,
36:18and we have Floribunda alba, the white one.
36:21Very sweet-smelling. It was new. Everybody wanted to have it.
36:25But he brought so many novelties, unknown plants, never-seen plants,
36:31that he started a revolution.
36:36Siebold is widely recognized for introducing several key species to Europe,
36:41including a variety of hydrangeas that would go on to capture the heart of gardeners across the continent.
36:48Hydrangeas in Siebold's time were almost unknown in the world.
36:53Siebold was so taken by this plant, so impressed,
36:58that in his Flora Japonica, that has now 146 beautiful printed plates,
37:06there are 13 of different hydrangeas.
37:10One is the Otaxa, this one, the pink ones, and there is Hydrangea paniculata, with panicles,
37:17also a very famous garden plant in Europe, in America now.
37:22But he introduced them, and he liked them.
37:25And it was new, so he could sell it.
37:28Nowadays, you see them everywhere.
37:31And they are easy to grow, easy in pots, in the shadow, and lots of water.
37:36Plants with big leaves need lots of water.
37:39But they are easy, they have never any disease.
37:42They grow easy, they flower richly, so people love them.
37:46And this one is Hydrangea otakusa.
37:50Siebold named this after his very much beloved lady, Taki, otaki.
37:57And the fun is, it is otakusa.
38:00Tak is from her name, Taki.
38:02And ksa is shrub, or plant.
38:05So it is her plant.
38:07Siebold's, his bust is standing here.
38:10When the Japanese professors made this garden in 1990,
38:15they decided to plant her around him.
38:20So she is embracing, with her arms, Siebold.
38:25So they are together again.
38:31It wasn't just plants and flowers that Siebold brought back.
38:34He also had a collection of trees,
38:37including magnolias, cherry trees, and this striking Japanese elm.
38:42This is Zelkova serata,
38:45and it is one of the original trees that Siebold brought back
38:50from his first trip from Japan in 1830.
38:55And it's a beautiful tree.
38:56In Japan, it's very much beloved because of the bark.
39:01The way the Japanese and the Chinese paint the clouds in the sky,
39:06it's almost like here.
39:09It's the way they paint clouds in the sky,
39:12so it's almost saintly, this tree.
39:16And what you can do, peel off the bark.
39:19See, people like to use it in their Christmas decorations.
39:24So sometimes they ask, can we take a piece?
39:27And I said, no, not you.
39:29We take it off for you.
39:31Otherwise, they plunder the whole tree, and that's not good.
39:34Doesn't do any damage.
39:36There's always fresh bark underneath.
39:42With over 400 years of history,
39:45safeguarding this cherished garden remains a top priority.
39:49However, like many gardens around the world,
39:52the Horta Spartanicas faces the pressing challenges of climate change.
39:57As winters become wetter and warmer,
40:00and summers turn drier and hotter,
40:02resembling a Mediterranean climate,
40:04the team has initiated an innovative experiment
40:07to protect the garden's vibrant legacy.
40:10We're here in the Mediterranean garden,
40:13where you will find Mediterranean plants.
40:15We have stone pines, lots of different lavenders,
40:18kistas, and then, as you can see here, of course, olives.
40:22And we actually have olives growing on here as well.
40:26The garden features plants from Spain, Italy, Turkey, and North Africa.
40:34There are plants that do well in a dry climate,
40:37that don't need any extra watering in summer.
40:40And that's why we designed this garden,
40:42because it's sort of a climate-proof garden for the future.
40:45But the damp clay soil of Leiden
40:48isn't ideal for these types of plants.
40:50So the team designed their own unique hybrid soil.
40:54The soil that we have here right now is pretty dry,
40:58and that's what these plants love.
41:00It's mostly local clay mixed with lava, grit,
41:05and some rice husks for some organic material.
41:08And we amended the soil like that,
41:10because the plants that come from a Mediterranean climate,
41:14they prefer it when they don't have wet roots the entire time.
41:18So they like a good rain,
41:20but then the water needs to get off their roots fast
41:22and full of minerals, which they like also.
41:26The ultimate aim for this Mediterranean garden
41:29is to create a thriving ecosystem
41:31that requires no watering at all.
41:33If successful,
41:35this initiative will not only enhance the garden's resilience
41:38to the impacts of climate change,
41:40but hopefully set a benchmark
41:42for sustainable gardening across Europe.
41:45We're future-proofing the Hortus
41:48in a way that we can show people
41:50that we can grow lots of different plants
41:53from different climates
41:54that we haven't even thought of taking plants from to grow.
41:57Horticulture will always change,
41:59but as nature adapts, we adapt also.
42:03This will continue the pioneering legacy
42:06of the Hortus Botanicus,
42:08further cementing its status
42:10as one of Europe's greatest gardens.
42:14More and more, you can see that our goal
42:17is getting more important.
42:19So not only the protection of endangered species,
42:22but also to be this ambassador for people
42:25so that they can see how important plants are
42:28and also that we can give them the inspiration
42:30of how to do it differently
42:32in a way that we all have a better future
42:35and that we can go strongly into the next 425 years.
42:39Next time, a botanical fantasy in the magical Portuguese mountains.
42:50This would have been equivalent of having a Ferrari
42:52parked on your front lawn.
42:54With a fairytale palace.
42:56Nobody ever mentioned that paradise had a house.
42:59It's just in front of us.
43:00And its very own folly.
43:02This is the most important building in the garden.
43:05Not forgetting a Mexican surprise.
43:08The Mexican garden,
43:09it's something that is totally different in Portugal.
43:12It's a delicate bit
43:13that there are Aboriginal people
43:15is available in feed causes,
43:16and if it's a trip away to the island
43:17that is definitely available in Europe,
43:18dwellets than 설�is to build a land
43:19and battle parking and island
43:20that the world can affect their land
43:22that they can't affect their land
43:24and have скоро to do it.
43:25And so we felt like the great geworden
43:26we would have been in there
43:27and do it for three people
43:28and then we could go to this space
43:28and look to Lily inText.
43:29I would ritually do it for a program
43:31would have been 구� dew
43:34to get three years
43:34where we could connect to Earth
43:35and look to the Pixel
43:36out and look to our community
43:37We will Lö states
43:38all the rows and tell people
43:41You
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