The Queen receives a thoughtful gift every Monday when she is in residence at Buckingham Palace, it has been revealed. Her Majesty is presented with a posy from the gardens of the palace, carefully selected for her by the Gardens Manager. The Queen's love of plants and flowers is well documented. In 2017, it was revealed she had discovered a renewed interest in gardening, having been inspired by a garden restoration project at Windsor. While touring the Chelsea Flower Show with her husband Prince Philip that year, she impressed with her extensive knowledge about plants, with Robert Hillier, chairman of Hillier Nurseries, disclosing: "She has never shown her knowledge before. We have met many times but suddenly she is so interested in plants and planting… She obviously enjoys going to Chelsea, but in the past she has not been so animated. She has got really into gardening. It's never too late!"
The royal residences: A look inside
Certainly, there are rich pickings at the palace for the Queen's weekly posy. According to tourist guides, Buckingham Palace garden is maintained by approximately eight full-time gardeners, with two or three additional part-timers. It is situated at the rear west of the palace, covering 42 acres, and is listed as Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The planting is varied and exotic, and includes a mulberry tree installed by King James I. Like the palace, the garden is also rich in works of art, one of the most notable items being the Waterloo vase, an urn commissioned by Napoleon to commemorate his expected victories. Also in the garden is a small summerhouse, a helicopter landing pad and a tennis court.
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The Queen is known to be very fond of her gardens
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The grounds act as a private garden for the royal family, but are used for garden parties over the summer, and parts of it can be seen by the public as part of the palace tour during the months of August and September. The Queen is known to be very fond of the gardens at her official London residence, which features a three-acre lake, rose garden, around 200 trees and more than 350 types of wildflowers. Her Majesty was seen showing Sir David Attenborough around the grounds for her 2018 documentary, The Queen's Green Planet, in which he made the recommendation that the sun dial be moved into a new position after realising it had been placed in the shade.
