196 Productions Ltd
Coleton Fishacre
The Garden by the Sea
This DVD invites you on a tour of an extraordinary place. A house and garden of the 1920s, hidden in a fold of the spectacular South Devon landscape. Both the building and its garden setting are full of unexpected treasures.
(Trailer duration: 2.05 minutes approx.)
Narrated by Hugh Fraser
Duration 50 minutes approx. Stereo DVD-NTSC Region 0 16:9 anamorphic format. Will play on most PAL DVD players.
Coleton Fishacre was created by Rupert and Lady Dorothy D'Oyly Carte, whose business involvements included the Savoy Hotel and Claridge's, as well as the opera company associated with Gilbert and Sullivan. To escape the hectic pace of London, they built the handsome Arts and Crafts-style house, which blends effortlessly into its setting. The interior offers a surprising contrast, evoking the streamlined elegance of the art deco and the jazz age. It's a period piece, a marvellous 1920s time-capsule which fits perfectly into its architectural casing.
Keen plantspeople, the D'Oyly Cartes also created the luxuriant garden in the stream-fed valley. They recognized the potential of its especially mild microclimate and low rainfall, far less than the Gulf Stream gardens of Cornwall, and introduced an astonishing variety of rare and exotic plants from around the world. The result is a colourful and exciting garden providing year-round interest. A place for exploration and discovery.
(Programme duration: 30 minutes approx.)
Presented by Terry Underhill and Frances Donovan
A World of Plants
Programme 1 of a 8 part series
These programmes open up the wonderful world of plants to everyone. It is a series which is brimming over with beautifully photographed plants.
Plants need an enthusiastic spokesman to release their fantastic stories of how and where they grow, what they grow with and, in the world of plants and fauna, how they were discovered and used.
Broadcasters Terry Underhill and Frances Donovan have teamed up to bring you the stories behind the plants. Some you will know, some most definitely will surprise you. A World of Plants will broaden your ideas about plants to put in your garden.
This eight programme series is broken into four parts covering;
Winter/Early Spring:
Terry and Frances look at late Winter and early Spring colour including (amongst others) varieties of; Crocus, Erica, and Skimmia, Snowdrops, Narcissus and Drimys.
Spring:
Terry and Frances look at Spring colour including (amongst others) varieties of; Rhododendrons, Acers, and Camellias, Bluebells and Geraniums.
Summer:
Terry and Frances look at Summer colour including (amongst others) varieties of; Cornus, Anchusa and Alpines, Chelidonium, Gunnera manicata and Clematis.
and Late Summer/Autumn:
Terry and Frances look at late Summer and Autumn colour including (amongst others) varieties of; Hydrangea, Daboecia and Gladiolus, Roses, Salvia and Actaea rubra.
Neptune's Future
Caring for the coastline for future generations
"Living in the British Isles means that the seas and our coastline are as intrinsic to life today as they have been for thousands of years." Kate Humble
(Trailer duration: 1.54 minutes approx.)
Nearly half of us say that our happiest childhood memories are from days spent at the seaside. Two-thirds of people recently claimed that visiting the coast is important to their quality of life. Millions of us spend our spare time walking headlands, playing on beaches, exploring rockpools, relaxing to the sounds of the waves.
This DVD celebrates the achievements of the Neptune Coastline Campaign. It explores the diversity of our coastal environments, and highlights some of the most exciting current and future projects to show conservation in action. It reveals how we can combat the effects of climate change, regenerate rare natural habitats and allow species migration, through the sensitive and imaginative management of our land. Above all, it's a 'thank you' to all those supporters whose foresight and generosity, over four decades, has benefited us all by protecting our vulnerable, beautiful coastline.
(Trailer duration: 1.29 minutes approx.)
Narrated by Matthew MacFadyen
Duration 80 minutes approx. Stereo DVD-NTSC or Stereo DVD-PAL format Region 0 16:9 anamorphic format.
Hidcote Manor Garden
The Quiet American Gardener
In the first half of the twentieth century, a quiet American man settled with his mother on a Cotswolds farm and created one of the great modern English gardens.
With its green architecture of garden rooms, its iconic vistas and captivating planting themes, Hidcote remains one of the most admired and inspirational gardens.
Hidcote's creator, Major Lawrence Johnston, had an artist's eye, an architect's sense of space, and a consuming passion for plants. He collected plants, cultivated plants, and went plant hunting: but more than that, he created a beautiful and groundbreaking garden framework in which to grow and show off his plants.
We go behind the scenes to meet the gardeners who follow in Johnston's footsteps through the seasons. As they tend his plantings and seek to restore Hidcote to the glory of its heyday, we find them falling under its maker's mysterious spell. We celebrate the garden's glories as we search for the elusive character of its maker.