Rosemary & Thyme: Full-time gardeners, part-time sleuths

While I prepare my next massive post on Poirot, I just wanted to quickly drop in and say "Hello!" and briefly mention this lovely little British TV series that I stumbled upon on Netflix. Having consumed all there is to watch when it comes to screen adaptations of Agatha Christie's detective novels, I needed something else to scratch my itch for crime mysteries and Rosemary & Thyme did just the trick! What I love most about this delightful series is that although each episode involves murder, the scenes themselves are not graphic and the overall tone is that of a light-hearted one. So if you're a fan of shows featuring elderly female sleuths such as Miss Marple, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, or Mr. She Wrote, you might consider checking out Rosemary & Thyme. 



The pilot starts off with horticultural professor Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal) getting sacked from her university due to budget cuts and ex-policewoman turned housewife with a penchant for gardening Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris) in the throes of a divorce after discovering that her husband of 20-something years had been cheating on her with a 23-year old blond who "is as thin as a bloody rail." The two middle aged women meet under coincidental circumstances and after solving homicide together, realize that they make quite the team and thus decide to start a new chapter in both of their lives by becoming business partners (as landscapers).

The chemistry between Laura and Rosemary is great and the duo prove to be a delight to watch but this show might be particularly enchanting for the gardening enthusiast because you are treated to breathtaking settings such as these below:

the perfect seating area




grand English estate with beautifully manicured lawns








such gorgeous brick archways!




the private gardens behind the large row houses in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London








Because Rosemary was previously an academic and traveled far and wide in the spirit of research, she has friends and colleagues all over the world and the wealthier ones always seem to be in need of a garden over-haul. Thus, Rosemary and Laura are frequently invited to France, Italy and Spain and we as viewers get to indulge in locales such as this one below:

somewhere along the French coast


an drool-worthy villa with a magnificent set of stairs leading up to the main entrance


pool-house/green-house


a Moorish-influenced garden in southern Spain:




I haven't written a post featuring noteworthy locations/settings in a long time but this one was too wonderful to pass up. I hope you enjoy the images! Rosemary & Thyme is available on Netflix.

Posted in: British TV shows,gardens,murder mystery