A two-part BBC television series with British gardener and broadcaster, Monty Don. Monty Don travels the Islamic world and beyond from Morocco to India in search of Paradise Gardens celebrated in the Koran and uncovers the influence they've have had back in the UK.

Episode II: Turkey, India and UK | ( Click here to watch )
(59 min; English)
Director: Jason Holmes

In Turkey, Monty is dazzled by a display of the Ottoman Empire's favourite flower - the tulip - and learns of its sacred significance. Travelling to India, Monty encounters a new type of spirituality in the tomb gardens of the Mughal Empire. Mausoleums were set in vast gardens as places where an earthly king could enter a divine paradise. But unlike our quiet courtyards and cemeteries, these were places filled with life - tented cities where people lived as well as prayed. As favoured spots for yoga and exercise, they still retain this lively spirituality today.

Returning to the UK, Monty sets out to see how the concept of paradise gardens have fared in some very different places. In Bradford, a water garden inspired by India provides a setting for different communities to come together, while at Hestercombe, Somerset, Monty uncovers the inspiration behind what appears to be the most English of gardens.