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After 8 years of digging up British Gardens and sharing
a bottle of bubbly with the surprised owner - the Ground Force team ends with a
one hour spectacular to commemorate the end of an era.
Their final mission will represent one of the show's
greatest and most high profile challenges; in just three days, the team will
transform a patch of lawn outside the British Museum into an exotic garden for
Africa.
The project will celebrate the end of the series, the
BBC's Africa season and the Museum's summer of African exhibitions. The garden
will symbolise a journey through Africa with the main path being made out of
hardwood railway sleepers, reminiscent of a train journey though the continent.
The planting will take viewers on a voyage reflecting
first, the desert area of North Africa, through to the rich tropical planting
and then on to the temperate regions of the Southern Africa - where so many of
our favourite plants originated.
But what you might not
see on TV is the people behind the team that brought the special expertise to
the screen.
That for this edition drew upon the experience of both
Horniman, Kew and the Eden Project. Horniman Garden Manager Gordon Lucas took
two of his staff and years of expertise gathered from his earlier work at
Crystal Palace & Dulwich Park.
Gordon said "It was a wonderful privilege to work
alongside Charlie, Tommy, Kirsty and the rest of the crew on the Ground Force
team. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from the Eden Project
and of course the artists whose work is displayed in the garden. Although it
was a real challenge to create an African garden in just three days, the hard
work paid off and it now exciting to think that it will be enjoyed by
approximately 4m visitors to the British Museum this summer."
At the centre of the British Museum Garden, a dramatic
water sculpture created by world-renowned artist Sokari Douglas Camp will add
sound and movement. The stunning sculpture will be made from galvanised steel
and feature five statuesque 8ft figures of Nigerian women in vibrant colours.
The garden will also feature a host of interesting and
varied plants - representing the continents different climatic zones that will
be maintained throughout the Summer by volunteers from the BBC Neighbourhood
Gardener scheme. A spectacular sculpture of a Baobab tree, donated by the Eden
Project and Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens will also be displayed within the
garden.
To harmonise the elaborate planting and landscaping
will be a collection of exciting sculptures by an impressive range of African
artists, who will be exhibiting their work throughout the garden.
But the British Museum in winter is not a place for
African plants of the summer - so many will be returning to the Horniman glass
houses and we may see some planted out perhaps with some of the exhibits next
summer in SE23.
Gordon Lucas back in his beloved
Gardens
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