Monty discovers how his great-great-great-grandmother made pots of money from marmalade on his fragrant trip to gardens inspired by the Qur’an
Looking out at a miserable rectangle of urban waste, AKA my garden, I’m hoping for inspiration from Monty Don’s Paradise Gardens (BBC2), which is about gardens that were themselves inspired by the Qur’an. Maybe I too can bring a bit of eternal heaven to earth. Specifically, an insalubrious corner of north-west London.
Monty’s journey around great Islamic paradise gardens begins in southern Spain (where presumably he’s known as Don Monty). In the gardens of the Alhambra in Granada, he learns about key features of Islamic gardens: water to reflect stars and architecture; the number four, into which spaces are often divided to represent the four elements, the four seasons, and the four rivers of paradise flowing with water, milk, honey and wine.