The Queen is given a special present every Monday she stays at Buckingham Palace
THE Queen is one of the few lucky people to call Buckingham Palace their home - and she even gets a special present every Monday that she stays there.
Once a week, Her Majesty, 93, is presented with a posy from the beautiful royal grounds, which is hand-selected by the Gardens Manager.
Gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh said to the Radio Times: "She [the Queen] has a little posy cut for her every Monday, which is placed on her desk when she gets back from Windsor.
"'It will typically have six or seven different types of flowers from the garden to give her a little snapshot of what's looking good at that time."
The half a dozen blooms are given by the gardeners to show off their labours.
This can be anything from honeysuckle, winter jasmine and blueberries although it can change with the seasons.
This gift is likely to be highly appreciated by the monarch, who has expressed her love of plants over the years.
In fact, when she visited the Chelsea Flower Show with Prince Philip in 2017, she told staff that her interest has increased recently.
Robert Hillier, chairman of Hillier Nurseries, spoke to the Queen at the event, and recalled: "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!"
It’s no wonder that the Queen employs a Gardens Manager at Buckingham Palace, given how extensive the grounds are.
The lawns and flowers are maintained by eight full-time gardeners, with additional part-time staff hired as required.
The gardens, which are listed as Grade II on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, are located behind the palace, and cover 42-acres in total.
Not only do the “work-of-art” gardens have around 200 trees and over 350 types of wildflowers, but also include a summerhouse, a tennis court and helicopter landing pad.
And whenever she likes, the Queen can take a stroll around the three-acre lake or in her rose garden.
Although they are private grounds for most of the year, royal fans can gain access at summer garden parties, and during palace tours in August and September.
The Queen took Sir David Attenborough around the gardens in an ITV documentary called The Queen’s Green Planet in 2018.
In the show, she pointed out a sapling that’s bent over and says, giggling: “That one we won’t look at. Somebody sat on it, I think at a garden party . . . ”
There was a sticky moment when the Queen proudly pointed out a sundial, and Sir David says it has been planted in the shade.
The Queen turns to her head gardener and chuckles: “Had we thought of that? . . . That it was planted in the shade, it wasn’t in the shade originally, I’m sure? But erm . . . maybe we could move it?”
The sundial was moved.
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