David Attenborough's: The Green Planet
At last, the tv show of our (my) dreams has arrived. David Attenborough's The Green Planet on BBC 1 is the show I've been asking for years and dreamt of making myself. But if anyone was going to beat me to it, I'm happy that it's the OG Sir David Attenborough. I have always believed that plants deserved a tv show of their own, and now it has arrived in all of its HD glory; I couldn't be happier. I love it so much that I have to watch it alone, so I don't get interrupted or miss any of it.
In the same vibe as the blue planet, planet earth, frozen planet and all the other planet docu-series he has created, we get an in-depth master class on the private lives of plants. The incredible time-lapse videos and technology wizardry show plants' full character.
Many incorrectly see plants as non-sentient beings, but this shows them in all-out war, their power to seduce, dominate and conquer, and survive against the odds.
I was paying close attention to identify any common houseplants featured in their natural habitat (because that's my idea of fun) here's what I spotted:
The tropical worlds episode shows how the Monstera deliciosa aka swiss cheese plant gets used and abused by a competing vine. Find out more about the care needs of the swiss cheese plant on page 93 of PLANT book.
The water worlds episode presents the magical and super cute Marimo balls (aegagropila linnaei) which I featured in my Houseplant column for The Guardian a few weeks ago and for even more information on these unusual balls of joy check page 25 of PLANT book (fun fact I wrote about two pages on these odd little balls which my editor heavily cut down). Also, non houseplant related, in this episode 2, there is sensational footage of the water Lilly proving it's the Jeff Bezos of the plant world hell-bent on complete world domination!
The Desert worlds episode was made FOR US (ME) cactus and succulent lovers, showcasing one of the most vicious plants on earth; the jumping cholla, which David Attenborough thought a pair of thick gloves could keep him safe from...big mistake. The Stapelia, aka bogus carcass cactus, pretended to be rotting meat to lure its prey. The mesmerising monstrous size of the Cardoné cactus (Pachycereus pringlei) was in complete contrast to the tiny flowering lithops, aka living stones.
...Anyway don't let me spoil it, catch up now and stream on BBC iplayer
The last episode in the series "Human worlds" is on BBC1 this Sunday at 7 pm