Poirot (TV Series) How Does Your Garden Grow? (1991) User Reviews

Mary, Mary quite contrary....Fantastic episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 8 October 2018]

A fantastic episode is made from a relatively small text, there is real quality about this episode, the story, performances, production values, and general feel of this episode are all superb.

I love the story, it's simple, yet deep and involved. There is a sadness that surrounds the victim, and a tragic inevitability, you are given clues, but also pushed off course by clever plots and twists.

The usual cast are fantastic of course, but it's Miss Lemon's scenes with Captain Hastings that are so much fun to watch, she really does tear a strip from him. Catherine Russell is a joy as Katrina Reiger, it really is a first class performance, Anne Stallybrass is also great, well known for playing Jayne Seymour in The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

It looks so slick, the scenes at the Russian Embassy and church have true quality, but it's the ending that I've always loved.

There is real quality about this episode. 9/10

"Today I am becoming a pink rose."

[kaberi-893-642316 · 8/10 · 4 October 2015]

Once again, the story that the episode is based on is rather a thin one. An old woman communicates with Poirot and hints that she is concerned that someone in her household might mean her harm, but refuses to give further details. When Poirot visits her home, he is told that the woman died the night before. Later it is discovered that the woman was poisoned by strychnine. The woman's Russian companion is suspected and charged; she inherited the woman's money and knew that beforehand. But did she really do it? And if she didn't, can Poirot prove who did? And once again, what makes this episode better than average are the extra details that the writers have padded the show with. Specifically, the various references to roses. It seems that Poirot is being honored with having a new pink rose named after him. The writers have found a clever way to tie together Poirot's preparations for the garden show where the new rose is being revealed, Hastings' foolish behavior when he is left alone in the office, Miss Lemon's reaction to that foolish behavior, and the resolution of the story with a crazed confession from the murderer. There have been other episodes where the extra details feel forced into the story, but in this one they are so well placed that I was rather sorry that Christie hadn't invented them herself. And the look Suchet has on his face at the very end is the crowning touch on a sweet episode.

Just the right mix of humor and suspense

[Paularoc · 9/10 · 19 September 2012]

What a wonderful episode this is. After buying cologne at a shop, Poirot, preening with pride, tells the proprietor that "I am about to become a pink rose." The minor thread in the story of Hastings' allergy to Poirot's cologne is greatly amusing. While at the Chelsea Flower Show to attend the small ceremony at which the Hercules Poirot pink rose is announced, Poirot is approached by an elderly woman in a wheel chair who is clearly frightened by something and gives him a seed packet. Margery Mason does a wonderful job as the elderly and very frightened Amelia Barrroby. Soon after the show, Poirot receives a letter from this lady asking for Poirot's help. He and Miss Lemon go down to see her and learn that she died the previous evening. When her death (and a horrific one it was) is found to be murder, suspicion immediately falls upon her Russian maid. There is so much to like about this episode: the scenes at the flower show were beautiful and it was impressive at how many extras were used, the scene at the USSR embassy, the attention to small details such as Miss Lemon's purse with its gloves strap and the mystery was very well done even though the solution was somewhat predictable. It was especially nice to see Miss Lemon in such a prominent role. When Japp asks her if she is comfortable going to the mortuary, she replies yes and "I helped in the hospital morgue during the war." An interesting bit of information about her background. It is a delightful episode and one of my favorites.

An unusual assistant on this case

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 20 July 2014]

Poirot, who is having a rose named for him, has a strange encounter in "How Does Your Garden Grow?" from 1991. He meets an elderly woman who gives a seed packet, which is empty. When he returns to his home, he finds a letter from the same woman asking him for help.

Poirot's assistant in this case is none other than Miss Lemon, who accompanies him to Surrey. However, the woman, Miss Amelia Barrowby, has died during the night. Poirot is certain that it was murder, and this is confirmed in the postmortem; she was poisoned with strychnine.

The original suspects include the woman's niece and her husband; then Miss Barrowby's Russian companion leaves abruptly. Japp is sure the companion did it; Poirot disagrees.

Good mystery, with poor Hastings derailed by allergies, necessitating Miss Lemon accompanying Poirot. Beautifully photographed, and you can't beat Suchet as Poirot.

Exciting

[francyndra · 30 March 2006]

"How Does your Garden Grow" features the Chelsea Flower show, where our Belgian detective meets a lady who surprises him by giving him a gift. He is then faced with a puzzling mystery, with all the clues pointing undeniably in one direction- towards the lady's Russian maid. Poirot has to use his "little grey cells" to figure out who committed the crime- which is seemingly impossible, because - and here's a spoiler- the lady was poisoned, although the cook says that she ate the same food as everyone else, so how can it be? Poirot walks about in the garden of the deceased and the solution dawns on him. Highly enjoyable, and superbly acted.

Interesting and intriguing

[grantss · 8/10 · 17 August 2016]

Poirot is at a flower show when he is approached by an elderly lady in a wheelchair, Amelia Barrowby. She anxiously gives Poirot an empty seed packet and asks him to visit her the next day. Poirot does visit her the next day but is too late - she is dead, poisoned. Suspicion immediately falls on Ms Barrowby's Russian assistant, Katrina Reiger, who is now nowhere to be found.

Quite interesting and intriguing. The murderer is not obvious and there are a few decent twists and red herrings along the way. The conclusion is quite animated, and comical.

Nice sub-plot involving Hastings and Miss Lemon switching roles. Hasting proves that he is naive even when dealing with simple things like paying bills.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 3 December 2017]

Poirot has a pink rose named after him at The Chelsea Flower Show. He also bumps into Miss Amelia Barrowby's wheelchair who gives him an empty packet of seeds. The next day after receiving a letter from Miss Barrowby, he goes to visit her only to find out she has died of poisoning.

Andrew Marshall adapted this episode who used to write comedies with David Renwick who has also previously adapted Poirot stories. There is a nice dose of comedy.

I guess the problem is despite the imposing background of the Russian Revolution, probable Soviet spies the mystery is a little thin with only a few potential suspects that comprises of a Russian maid and Miss Barrowby's niece and her husband who have fallen on hard times.

Miss Lemon gets more to do here as Hastings is sidelined by hay fever. I did like the solicitor using the horse contest to give clues as to who will inherit in the old lady's will.

However in the third series we have had two stories in a row where strychnine was used as the poison.

"I'm about to become a pink rose..."

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 5 May 2012]

I have lost count actually of how many years I have been a fan of this series. How Does Your Garden Grow? is one of the better short story adaptations to me. I love it especially for its clever story, the final solution and how Poirot comes about realising the truth is ingenious, and for some of the funniest writing of the series, not just the gem in the review title but also the whole exchange between Hastings and Miss Lemon about whether Poirot is dying his hair(just love Miss Lemon's reaction to Hastings' typically naive remark "but he's a man") and the somewhat naughty but amusing sight of WTF early on in the episode. I also liked that Miss Lemon was Poirot's companion here, not that I don't like Hastings(I do) but it was a nice change of pace, as well as the poignant build up(accentuated by the use of Elgar's Introduction and Allegro) to the quite scary murder scenario. The episode is beautifully and classily made, with one of the most beautiful gardens I have seen ever and splendid photography. The music is hauntingly beautiful as usual, likewise How Does Your Garden Grow? is superbly acted, with David Suchet giving the best performance(predictability) and Anne Stallybrass the best in support as a quietly chilling Mary Delafontaine. All in all, an excellent episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The title is the best thing about this episode

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 3 November 2008]

Hercule Poirot receives a letter from a rich old lady (whom he had bumped into earlier at a flower show), in which she claims that her life may be in danger. When he arrives at her house, he finds her dead - and soon enough, it is discovered that she had been poisoned. Inspector Japp suspects the old woman's Russian companion, but Poirot is not so sure....

"How Does Your Garden Grow?" has an intriguing title (taken from a nursery rhyme that is somewhat related to the plot), but it is not one of the most exciting episodes of the series. There is just not much that's very special about it, apart from Poirot being accompanied in his investigations by Miss Lemon instead of Captain Hastings (because he is suffering from a persistent sneeze), and one well-done bit involving horses and a hidden message. (**1/2)

"The office of Poirot is closed for business."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 29 July 2015]

At a flower show, Poirot literally runs into an old woman in a wheelchair. She seems frightened and will not talk, but insists Poirot take an empty seed packet. After arriving home, Poirot receives a letter from the same woman asking for his help. Between the seed packet and the letter, Poirot is intrigued. So, Poirot and Miss Lemon set out to pay a visit on the mysterious woman. But the mystery only grows when, upon arrival, they discover she's dead. And it's not long before Poirot comes to the conclusion that the old woman was murdered.

There are still several that I have yet to see, but I think it's a safe bet to say How Does Your Garden Grow? will end up as one of the top five favorite hour-long episodes in the series. Unlike the last five or so episodes I've watched, this one has a deliciously entertaining murder. It's the kind of Poirot episode I love. Clues, suspects, motives, red herrings - all the things that make a Poirot mystery enjoyable. The mystery isn't too difficult to solve (As soon as Poirot found the bell, I knew most of the solution. In Agatha Christie's story, I seem to remember more being made of the bell.), but it's still fun to watch Poirot discover the answers. An added bonus in How Does Your Garden Grow? is more screen time for Miss Lemon. Pauline Moran does not disappoint. The rest of the acting is generally strong. However, I did find Anne Stallybrass' Mary Delafontaine a bit over-the-top. Still, I'm giving this episode a strong 8/10.

The Flowers of Evil.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 22 May 2014]

I didn't find this particularly boring. None of the episodes are exactly action packed and the story itself is no more convoluted than usual. The plot lacks the panache of "And Then There Were None" and "Murder on the Orient Express" but then all of these hour-long episodes do.

The photography is especially colorful. You've never seen so many flowers. They gang up on you and overwhelm you as you wander through the xyst. My capacity for admiring them more or less leans on the memory of a lone forsythia in the back yard, an explosion of canary yellow amid the shingles and ashes, signifying that the end of the school year was on its way. In another climate, I managed to grow a sprig of jasmine and it was a transport to another world entirely, much an improvement over the hospital I worked in, where the occasional dead body emitted a dusky aroma of intestinal gas that stained the air of the whole wing.

The plot is full of holes. Are oysters so bitter that they can mask the taste of strychnine? Why doesn't the aristocratic Russian maid run to the police instead of the church? How did the old lady's nephew come to have access to her investments -- or did he? What's the point of the Soviet consul telling Poirot that "popular fiction" was the "opiate of the masses"? How was the detective able to make the fantastic intuitive leap from a flower named "Catherine the Great" to the name of the maid -- "Katrina" -- and what does it have to do with solving the mystery? (And I think it's "Ekaterina".) Nice touch: The old lady's solicitor is unable by law to tell Poirot who inherits the estate but he does so in code, by judging a horse race or a dressage contest or something.

Humorous running gag: Poor Hastings, housebound with allergies, trying to cope with Miss Lemon's unfathomable filing system in order to pay a bill.

Another winner.

[jamesraeburn2003 · 8/10 · 7 August 2023]

1935: Hercule Poirot (played by David Suchet) attends the Chelsea Flower Show where he is excited to discover that a new rose is to be named after him. Here, he meets an elderly wheelchair bound lady called Amelia Barrowby (played by Margery Mason) who gives him an empty packet of garden seeds, which arouses the attention of the master sleuth. On returning to his apartment, Poirot opens his letters and finds that Amelia has written to him asking for his help because she believes her life to be in danger. Accompanied by his secretary Miss Lemon (played by Pauline Moran), Poirot goes to Amelia's Surrey cottage and discovers that she has been murdered, poisoned by strychnine. It transpires that she had left everything in her will to her loyal Russian maid Katrina Reiger (played by Catherine Russell) and, in consequence, she becomes Chief Inspector Japp's (played by Philip Jackson) prime murder suspect. Poirot, however, has his doubts. Amelia's untrustworthy only living relatives Mary and Henry Delafontaine (played by Anna Stallybrass and Tim Wylton) moved into her home as her carers in return for a roof over their heads. It turns out they had lost a lot of money on the stock exchange when the financial crash hit. Both make it clear that they dislike Katrina intensely. Could they be responsible for their aunt's death?

All in all, How Does Your Garden Grow? Is another first rate addition to this marvellous series. There is some charm and wit to be found where Poirot buys an expensive new aftershave to wear to the flower show and, at the same time, Captain Hastings (played as ever by Hugh Fraser) appears to be suffering from hay fever, which is unusual for him. Later on it turns out that he has been suffering from an allergic reaction to Poirot's aftershave! In addition, Hastings is left in charge of the office while Poirot and Miss Lemon go to Surrey to solve the case. A tradesman calls demanding payment of his outstanding account. Hastings, in searching for the invoice, pulls apart Miss Lemon's filing system which, of course, only she understands. On her return, she is furious. Not only for making a mess of her files, but because he paid off the tradesman in cash: "Never pay tradesmen in cash, otherwise they'll think your cheques are unreliable", she tells him sternly. It is here where, unwittingly, Miss Lemon and Hastings have provided Poirot with the final clue to unmasking Amelia's killer. As always the acting is of a very high standard: Catherine Russell evokes a real depth of feeling as the murdered woman's loyal Russian maid, Katrina, whom everyone assumes is a spy for the communist regime as well as believing her to be responsible for her mistress's death. But, in actual fact, it later transpires that she is from an aristocratic family who fled the country when Stalin came to power. Anne Stallybrass and Tim Wylton are also fine as Amelia's shifty sole surviving relatives who accuse Katrina of every crime going, but are less keen to admit that they were totally dependent on Amelia's money to survive. David Suchet, Hugh Fraser Philip Jackson and Pauline Moran all offer their usual excellent performances as Poirot, Hastings, Chief Inspector Japp and Miss Lemon providing the chemistry and wit for the show. Andrew Marshall's script is witty and artful in the way it lays on the clues and red herrings (a key to the mystery lies in the story's title which is taken from an old nursery rhyme), but playing fair with the audience before reaching a satisfactory denouement. The solid direction is by Brian Farnham who made several episodes for this series.

One of the Funnier Poirots

[lolleyballz · 7/10 · 20 November 2021]

Poirot overall as a series doesn't have too many laugh out loud moments, but this episode has a few.

Some are the good kind: the scene where he asks the woman he's investigating to borrow two pennies is an excellent comedic setup

Some are the bad kind: the unintentionally hilarious "chase" scene at the end when the crime is solved

Overall one of the funnier episodes if you like a sensible chuckle with your whodunnits.

Roses, Russians and murder mark this Poirot mystery

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 29 January 2018]

Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) gets in on the front-line work in this mystery that the great Hercule Poirot solves. While she's helping the boss, Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) is manning the fort. And rifling through files because he doesn't know and can't handle tradesmen, as Miss Lemon admonishes.

Murder is the subject, and poisoning is the method. But a nice side story involves some intrigue with the Soviet Union embassy in London and is tied into the murder mystery. Just about everyone is suspicious of everyone else on the surface. But Poirot gets to the bottom of the case in due time.

The film opens with Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) attending a prominent flower show. He is a guest of honor with a pink rose being named after him. This is a very good segment of the Poirot TV series that all should enjoy.

The dialog line of note occurs as Poirot and Lemon are leaving the Barrowby home after the murder. Poirot says, "There is a mouse in this hole, Miss Lemon. What must the cat do now?" Miss Lemon, "I'm sure I don't know what that means, Mr. Poirot."

A real treat

[mirkobozic · 8/10 · 5 December 2023]

You could compare "How Does Your Garden Grow?" to a chocolate truffle: small but delicious. It starts with an unusual honour bestowed on the Belgian sleuth, when a rose is given his name at the London Flower Show. But there's nothing usual about him anyway, like his preference for wearing a cologne. That's a rather funny subplot combining vanity with detachment from patriarchal notions of genuine manhood. Miss Lemon does a bit of sleuthing herself instead of being chained to her typewriter. The central plotline is one of the finer ones among the short stories. Miss Barrowby, a wealthy elderly woman, runs into Poirot and decides to hire him due to certain suspicions regarding her investments. After her death, he meets the people who shared the house with her: a related couple, the Russian girl Katrina who acted as Barroby's companion and others. Of course, it's soon discovered that the matriarch was poisoned and everyone is a suspect list, including the dubious Russian companion who disappeared. Anne Stallybrass as Mary Delafontaine and Catherine Russell as Katrina provide excellent performances, while Pauline Moran shows us a rather unexpected, angry side of Ms Lemon. It's definitely one of those episodes I like to revisit.