A Garden Grows in Botlyn

"A Garden Grows in Botlyn"

Cyberchase episode
Season 12, episode 4

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today Original air date
February 14, 2020

person Directed by
J. Meeka Stuart

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Jennifer Hamburg

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Gardening

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"A Garden Grows in Botlyn" is the fourth episode of Season 12 of Cyberchase. It originally aired on February 14th, 2020, at 8:30pm ET.

Characters

• Buzz
• Delete
• Digit
• Hacker
• Inez
• Jackie
• Matt
• May (debut)
• Mr. Krech (debut, mentioned)
• Ms. Marigold (debut)
• Ren (debut)
• Sean (debut)
• Wicked

Locations

• Botlyn
  • Botlyn Botanic Garden
  • Carroll Street
  • Ms. Marigold's Junkyard
• Wicked's castle

Plot

It's Valentine's Day, and borgs from cybersite Botlyn are enjoying the Botlyn Botanic Garden. Ren gives the CyberSquad a tour of the garden in preparation for his Valentine's Day party. They point out the Cyberhearts and Neon Nellies. Ren has yet to talk to May about hosting his party at the Botanic Garden, as he claims it's always open to everyone.

Buzz and Delete have decorated the Grim Wreaker for Valentine's Day, to Hacker's annoyance. He is repulsed by the holiday and its displays of affection. The doorbell rings and Buzz brings Hacker a love letter containing a pop-up card from a secret admirer. Buzz and Delete are eager to know who Hacker thinks the anonymous sender is, but Hacker claims he won't give the matter another thought.

May breaks the news to Ren that the Botanic Garden will be closed that night: the host of a private party has booked it.

Hacker is caught reading the card again but denies wanting to find out who the sender is. Buzz and Delete call Hacker's bluffs; he then concludes that it must be Wicked. Hacker refuses to call her, but he gives in and settles on checking her Cybagram account. Wicked had posted a video addressed especially to a "you know who". Hacker assumes she meant him, and he sets course to meet her.

Ren and the CyberSquad walk back to his apartment on Carroll Street. Ren's guests pass by to confirm the location of his party; he says he's unsure. The CyberSquad continues down the street to meet Ms. Marigold, Ren's neighbor who is relaxing in a lawn chair.

Dejected, Ren considers his party ruined. He believes there's no other place to host it, as his apartment is too small and has no backyard. Digit tells him he still has his friends and just needs flowers, inspiring Jackie to plan a new garden. When Mr. Krech's vehicle moves, it reveals a small empty lot on Ms. Marigold's property, with healthy soil, sun exposure, and water access from a hose.

Ren asks Ms. Marigold if they can use the lot to make a garden. Matt cites the health benefits of gardens, and Digit finally convinces her.

Hacker approaches Wicked's castle and waits under her window, but Buzz and Delete aren't sure that she's the admirer. Wicked stops singing when she notices Hacker, and asks why he is here. She begrudgingly shares her Valentine's Day cookies, albeit limit one per person to save some for the "others", rebuffing Hacker's assumption that she baked them for him. When Hacker mentions his love letter, Wicked shuts the window.

Jackie gets organized, suggesting a diagram of the garden and an assessment of its space. Matt and Digit measure the lot at 20 by 5 cyberfeet, and Ren wants the flowers to be spaced a foot apart. They grid the diagram for one flower in each cell. To find the number of flowers needed, Inez suggests skip-counting the grid by rows of 20, for a total of 100. Jackie designs a layout for the garden, including red roses and green lilacs.

Once the children arrive back at the Botanical Garden, May is overjoyed to hear Ren's plans. She recommends native flowers because they're adapted to the local climate and soil, and fit into the ecosystem by providing shelter and food. May also points out a flaw in Jackie's layout: it needs a footpath for watering. Ren bisects the diagram along the middle row, leaving 80 plants. May provides them as a holiday gift.

Wicked is tending to her castle's garden, and is shocked that Hacker hasn't left. She violently gives him a rake and demands he help. Hacker begins raking loose thorns, to Buzz and Delete's bemusement. While asking about the pop-up card, he tramples on a Gloomy Gardenia. Wicked shouts at Hacker to leave before she turns him and his henchmen into frogs.

Just as the path is installed and the flowers are planted, completing Ren's garden, a dilapidated subway car is parked in the adjacent junkyard. Jackie suggests integrating the car into the garden, with Ms. Marigold's permission. The children plan to use soil-filled containers, plants that live in shade, and a watering can. The containers demand more distance between the plants; Jackie estimates 60 flowers.

Inez, Matt, and Ren get more flowers from the Botanic Garden, while Digit, Jackie, and Ms. Marigold prepare containers from other junkyard items. Jackie notes that the containers need holes in the bottom for the water to drain through. Digit suggests using a weathered statue as a birdbath for the local pigeons.

Hacker is stumped about his admirer. He gets a message from them, asking to meet at the Botlyn Botanic Garden for a Valentine's Day celebration. Hacker is still convinced that the admirer is Wicked, and believes that she was messing with him. He arrives at the empty Botanic Garden. May tells him that his host rented the entire place, and leads him to a table. Hacker takes a seat, and fidgets nervously as he waits for the admirer to arrive.

The CyberSquad fills their containers with soil, the plants, and water. They haul in a bench for the garden, repaint the subway car, and mark the finished garden with a sign.

Hacker admits to caring about having a secret admirer. In that moment, Buzz and Delete arrive and reveal both of themselves as the admirer, having wanted to show their appreciation for him. Though Hacker is angry at being misled into embarrassing himself in front of Wicked, he concedes that Buzz and Delete's intentions were sweet, and gives them an uncomfortably tight hug.

Ren presents the Carroll Street Garden to his party guests, who are impressed by the results. Ren and Ms. Marigold agree to take care of the garden together. Meanwhile, Jackie asks the rest of the CyberSquad to be her Valentines. The CyberSquad and Ren wish each other a happy Valentine's Day in front of the successful garden party.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Spanish	"Un jardín para Botlyn"	"A Garden for Botlyn"

Trivia

• This is the second Valentine's Day episode, following "Hugs and Witches".

Errors

The pigeon, circled in red on the right side of the frame, stopped animating too early

• In the scene where Jackie tells the CyberSquad that they can make a garden for Ren's party, one of the pigeons that fly away stops animating before it leaves the frame house-right.

Gallery

"A Garden Grows in Botlyn" Title Card

May tells Ren that the garden is closed.

Ren's friends

Ren's House

May explains why native flowers are better.

Jackie reminds Digit to drill holes in the bottom of the container, so the water can drain.