How Does Your Garden Grow? is the second episode of series 3 of the ITV British television drama series Agatha Christie's Poirot featuring David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, first broadcast on 6 January 1991 in the UK. The episode is an adaptation of the Agatha Christie short story of the same name and was directed by Brian Farnham with dramatisation by Andrew Marshall.
Synopsis[]
At a flower show, Poirot is approached by an mysterious woman in a wheelchair. She gives him an empty seed packet in which the Detective finds a letter asking him to call on the lady, Mrs Amelia Barrowby. Poirot arrives too late – Mrs Barrowby has been murdered with poison.
The TV adaptation is fairly faithful to original story with the addition of a few characters for dramatic reasons. Japp and Hastings are featured although they did not appear in the original. Miss Lemon has a major part to play in the investigation, just as in the original.
Comparison with Original Novel[]
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)
The theme of flowers and the English country garden, already present in the original story, is given greater prominence in the adaptation. Here, Poirot attends the Chelsea Flower Show because a rose is being named after him. The same nursery rhyme is quoted by Poirot when seeing the garden of the Delafontaines, and as in the original story, the potential loss of a beloved country garden is part of the motive for murder.
There are several additional sideplots and embelishments added for dramatic reasons:
- Poirot buys an expensive cologne to use for his appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show. Hastings turns out to be allergic to it. At first he thinks it is because of pollen, and hence stays home while Poirot and Miss Lemon head to Charman's Green to meet Amelia Barrowby. Besides the humour this lends, it serves to keep Hastings out of the way to give Miss Lemon greater scope to assist Poirot in the investigations--something which she also did in the original story (which did not feature Hastings).
- Katrina is seen having secret meetings with a Russian diplomat Nicholai. They exchange secret messages and also meet secretly at the Chelsea Flower Show. This is to lend mystery to Katrina's background and give some credence to Henry Delafontaine's rantings about "reds" and "bolshies". This is unveiled by Poirot later as a secret romance.
- Katrina's background is made more complex. Besides a secret romance, Rieger is not her real name. She is an emigre Russian aristocrat. Would not being truthful about her past affect her inheritance? And would she worry if she knew her benefactor had engaged a detective for some unknown reason? For Poirot, these became a plausible motive for murder.
- Katrina is also made deeply religious. She isn't taken into custody immediately as in the original story. Here she escapes and seeks sanctuary in the Russian Church in London. An opportunity for some spectacular filming.
- In the original, Poirot never met Amelia Barrowby. She wrote to him and he replied and got in reply a note from Mary, her niece, that Amelia had died. In the adaptation, Poirot actually encounters her at the Chelsea Flower Show. He had not read her letter to him but she thinks he has. She cannot say too much as others might be listening, so she hands Poirot an empty packet of flower seeds. He would find it a revelation, she says cryptically.
- This empty flower seed packet would continue to mystify as the episode progressed. What was Amelia trying to say? Japp read the name below, "Great St Catherine" and thought it referred to Katrina Rieger. At last Poirot would divine the real message, the word on top: "Stocks".
- Stocks: in the original, the embezzling of Amelia's wealth was only vaguely mentioned without details. In the adaptation, Poirot sends for correspondence between Amelia and her accountant and he notes that the Delafontaines had issued forged instructions, entering into high risk investments in Amelia's name.
- Since Japp has been added, Inspector Sims from the original story became unnecessary. Sims had provided Poirot with the family background of Amelia and the Delafontaines. This role is now filled by the family doctor Dr Sims, and Amelia's solicitor Mr P. Harrison--Poirot persuades Harrison to discuss Amelia's will and he cleverly hints the contents to Poirot through comments he makes about the contestants while judging a pony show! Another opportunity for interesting filming.
- The piece of the puzzle is secured by Miss Lemon just as in the original. Prompted by th observation of an incomplete oyster shell edging in the flower bed, she finds the fishmonger who sold oysters to Mary Delafontaine. The only difference is there is in the adaptation an added plot element: the fishmonger remembers Mary had bought the oysters because she had paid cash. By Miss Lemon's book, one should never pay cash to tradesmen. They never forget a customer who paid cash.
Cast[]
- David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
- Hugh Fraser as Captain Hastings
- Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp
- Pauline Moran as Miss Lemon
- Anne Stallybrass as Mary Delafontaine
- Tim Wylton as Henry Delafontaine
- Margery Mason as Amelia Barrowby
- Catherine Russell as Katrina Reiger
- Peter Birch as Nicholai
- Ralph Nossek as Dr Sims
- John Burgess as Mr Harrison
- Dorcas Morgan as Lucy
- Trevor Danby as Mr Trumper
- John Rogan as Pathologist
- Stephen Petcher as Photographer
- Philip Praeger as Police Constable
Mentioned[]
- Ronald Coleman - a gentleman friend of Lucy, the maid
Tropes and themes[]
- Flowers - the Chelsea Flower Show, a rose is named after Poirot, the garden of the Delafontaine's
- Stalin's Soviet regime and espionage - some scenes suggest espionage between members of Stalin's embassy in London. It turns out to be something else.
- Payment by cash - This must have been a time when it was rare to do so. Hastings pays Mr Trumper in cash--a big mistake, according to Miss Lemon. The fishmonger remembers that Mary bought the oysters because she had paid by cash.
- Miss Lemon's obsession with filing and organisation. She asks the taxi driver for a receipt. Hastings cannot find Trumper's bill within her system.
- Poirot's hobby of matchmaking. Actually he doesn't make a new match here but he recognises a romance between Katrina and Nicholai. He brings Nicholai to meet Katrina when she is released from prison and preserves the secret of their romance.
- Secret messages. Katrina's message to arrange a secret rendezvous with Nikolai. The packet of seeds Amelia passes to Poirot. Harrison's hinting to Poirot about the contents of Amelia's will.
Filming Locations[]
- Royal Hospital, Chelsea
- Geo. F. Trumper, 9 Curzon Street, London
- Freemasons' Hall, London - used as the entrance, stairs of the Soviet embassy
- Ham House Stables & Gardens, Ham Street, Ham, Richmond TW10 - pony club competition
- Endsleigh Lodge, 25 Ham Common, Richmond TW10 7JB - Dr Sim's house
- Thatched house along Woodland Drive, East Horsley, KT24 5AN Surrey (precise address not known) - Amelia Barrowby's house
- Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition, London - external views
- St Sophia's Cathedral, London - internal views
Props and vehicles[]
- 1936 Austin 12/4 Taxi Low-Loader - Poirot and Miss Lemon arrive at Rosebank, Later Japp takes over as driver.