Exploring the Unusual: Hoover for Geese Droppings, Tree Planting Clash with the Hilton, and Shocking Banana Incident Unveiled in Buckingham Palace Grounds
Exploring the Enchanting Gardens of Buckingham Palace
The Royal Collection Trust invites visitors to embark on a delightful journey through the gardens of Buckingham Palace, showcasing some of the most captivating highlights during the Garden Highlights Tour [1].
The tour offers a glimpse into the largest private garden in London, spanning 39 acres and steeped in centuries of royal history [5]. Visitors can expect a well-maintained display of plants and garden architecture, rather than grand botanical collections or sculptures [2].
One of the tour's highlights is the beautiful Herbaceous Border, featuring around 200 different perennials and extending for an impressive length, making it one of the longest herbaceous borders in Europe [1]. Another must-see is the Rose Garden within the state rooms, where 60 of the same rose variety are carefully cultivated, ensuring each bed contains only one color [1].
The tour also takes visitors to the Summer House, the Rose Garden, the enormous Waterloo Vase, and the Palace tennis court. These elements offer a chance to see some of the most notable landscaped areas and historical garden features within the palace grounds [1].
The tour guide, Jan, shared an interesting tale about the Indian Chestnut avenue being planted in the 1960s to prevent advertising from nearby Hilton [4]. The avenue was chosen by Queen Elizabeth II, who favoured the trees for their lack of spikes, considering her corgis' paws [4].
The Garden Highlights Tour also includes a peek into parts of The King's gardens that are usually closed to the general public [6]. The tour concludes with a visit to the Grand Staircase, designed by John Nash, which feels like stepping into a grander, more majestic age [3].
Visitors can also explore the state rooms of Buckingham Palace, which are open until September 28 this year, with the addition of two new rooms: the 1884 Room and the Carnarvon Room [7]. The Grand Hall in these state rooms features thickly-patterned red carpets and sculptures, many of which are naked [8].
The Australian State Coach, presented to Elizabeth II in 1988, is on display in The Quadrangle, which was constructed in 1847 and overseen by the architect John Nash [2]. Interestingly, the Italian honey bees live on the islands in the middle of the lake within the state rooms [9].
However, a request from Pope Francis for honey from the bees was politely declined [10]. The bees produce about 160 pots of honey a year, enough for the royal kitchen and diplomatic gifts [9].
A four-course dinner is usually held in the Ballroom, and 12 pipers enter the ballroom and circle the table three times to signal the end of the meal [11]. The Ballroom is currently hosting the King's Tour Artists' works, and in the past, celebrities such as Sir Ian McKellen and Judi Dench have sat on the thrones of the monarchs in the throne room of Buckingham Palace [12].
The Garden Highlights Tour at Buckingham Palace offers a unique opportunity to delve into the historic and horticultural heritage of the palace gardens, emphasizing iconic spots like the Rose Garden and the Waterloo Vase within an elegant royal setting [1].
The Garden Highlights Tour at Buckingham Palace not only showcases the historical Rose Garden and the iconic Waterloo Vase, but also provides a glimpse into lesser-known areas such as The King's gardens (6). To complement one's understanding of the palace, one may appreciate the home-and-garden lifestyle by visiting the well-maintained displays in the palace grounds, which also include the beautiful Herbaceous Border and Summer House (1). For a more comprehensive royal experience, one can ponder over the potential connection between the gardening choices and personal lifestyles of the royals, such as Queen Elizabeth II's preference for the Indian Chestnut avenue for her corgis' paws (4). Meanwhile, the travel opportunities for exploring Buckingham Palace extend beyond the gardens to the state rooms' grand halls and the display of the Australian State Coach in The Quadrangle (2, 7, 13).
