For years, Britain's much-loved gardener Monty Don has been leading us down all kinds of garden paths to show us why green spaces are vital to our wellbeing and culture. [3][4][5] On his maternal side, he is descended from the Wyatt family of architects. We’ve long admired writer, TV presenter and gardener, Monty Don. By mid-1989, Don had written several gardening articles and granted writers access to his home garden which was featured in various publications. He is not quite the Mr McGregor of the Potter books: real-life ancient gardeners wore mighty cords and moleskins, tweeds and flannels – and sacks if the weather was bad enough. To the end he was happy, healthy and his usual calm, lovely self. He commented, "I was – am – an amateur gardener and a professional writer. 748.4k Followers, 166 Following, 3,066 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Monty Don (@themontydon) He has been making television programmes for over twenty years on a range of topics, spanning travel, craft, outdoor living and, principally, gardening. is the UK’s leading garden writer and broadcaster. When Don was ten he added his mother's maiden name, becoming Montagu Denis Wyatt Don. Monty Don has opened up about his battle with depression over the years "And, touch wood, it's been much better for the last few years. Two that he currently owns are Nellie, a Golden Retriever, and Patti, a Yorkshire terrier; both are seen on camera with Don on Gardeners' World. [40][41][42] This was followed by Monty Don's Japanese Gardens in 2019,[43] and Monty Don's American Gardens in 2020.[44]. We sold every stick of furniture we had at Leominster market". [64][65] In September 2016 an autobiographical book entitled Nigel: my family and other dogs was published, telling the story of Nigel and the other dogs in Don's life, including the female golden retriever, Nellie. [16][59], Don has owned many dogs throughout his adult life. When his symptoms did not improve, a brain scan weeks later revealed a temporary blockage in one of his arteries to the brain. The dog was chosen as a seven-week-old puppy from a litter in the Forest of Dean on 1 July 2008[62] and was popular with viewers who were concerned when he disappeared from the programme in September 2012. Since then he has written and produced several garden series of his own; the most recent being Monty Don's American Gardens which was aired in 2020. [60] The coppice at Longmeadow holds the graves of Dons' other pets, including dogs Beaufort, Red, Poppy and Barry, and cats Stimpy and Blue. Don urged viewers to prevent leaving any root, so they can't seed and take over your garden, before encouraging them to tackle weeds 'a little bit at a time'. [8] In a piece from 2004 to commemorate the tenth year of the column, Don wrote: "It has been more life-changing than any other work I have done in my adult life. The home was unfit to live in at the time of purchase, so while they refurbished it they rented a home in Leominster that was infested with rats and had no heating. The garden at this time of year perfectly reflects this sometimes contradictory combination. If, in our own modest back yards, we can help preserve and treasure our natural world, then we will make this planet a better place- not just for ourselves but for every living creature. Don has described himself primarily as a writer, "who happens to have lots of television work. [37] Later that year, Don presented an episode of Great British Garden Revival. [2] This was followed by the ambitious BBC series Around the World in 80 Gardens in 2008, where Don visited eighty gardens of a variety of styles worldwide. [17] This was followed by three other series hosted by Don between 1999 and 2003: Real Gardens, Lost Gardens, and Don Roaming. Back to Home Monty Don's Paradise Gardens In this "heady tour of earthly delights" (The Guardian), BBC presenter Monty Don travels across the Middle East and beyond in search of paradise gardens. I have barely left this garden since last February and after 25 years of almost incessant globe-trotting, visiting gardens all over the world, have not travelled anywhere at all since I stepped off the plane from L.A. in October 2019. Monty Don visits Babylonstoren. [2] The couple lived in Islington, north London, while Don pursued postgraduate study at London School of Economics and worked as a waiter at Joe Allen restaurant in Covent Garden and later as a binman. ", "Monty Don on Instagram: "I am very sorry to announce that Nigel has died. However, the 1987 stock market crash caused an almost complete bankruptcy as it cut off American sales, their biggest market. In 2016, Don introduced viewers to his new golden retriever, Nell. These are the ones asking me about the clothes that I garden in. Over 30 years ago I was making a large garden about 20 miles from here in the Herefordshire countryside (The story of which I told which I wrote about in ‘The Prickotty Bush’ pub 1990. He failed his A-levels and while studying for retakes at night school, worked on a building site and a pig farm by day. The column began in February of that year and lasted until May 2006; Jenkins was his editor for seven years. Part of my rather grandiose plans were to carve the steep hillside into a series of terraces with a large lawn, rose terrace, bowling green and herb garden. [31] In 2020, Don signed a contract with the BBC to continue presenting Gardeners' World for three years. In May 2008 he put his career on hold to recover. [20] After viewing figures fell below two million for the first time in 2009,[21] the BBC announced further changes to the programme to entice viewers back. The leaves of all deciduous trees make good leaf mould, but some break down more quickly than others. The Don affectation is one tad more painterly than that. My Garden World by Monty Don is a celebration of every living creature that we all share. Well, we all have an inner cheerfully accepting Cavalier, and it does battle with our gloomier Roundhead. [2], In August 2007, Don suffered from a bout of peritonitis, an abdominal infection. See: Tour Monty Don's beautiful Longmeadow garden in Herefordshire He added how the root might snap when removing it from the ground if there is more to come out, so look out for any signs of cracking. [58] They moved into their Ivington home at the end of 1992. [58], Nigel was a male Golden Retriever dog owned by Don. He later described them as "excruciatingly bad". His wife had found him unconscious on the floor and he was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. [58], In July 2006 he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, choosing an eclectic mix of pop and classical records; the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" was his favourite disc, his book choice was Collected Poems by Henry Vaughan and his luxury item the painting Hendrikje Bathing by Rembrandt. "[68][69], Don has suffered with depression since his mid-twenties. [8], Don married Sarah Erskine in 1983. I guess that this is where we come up against the row within Monty Don, between the lightly earthy garden enthusiast and the grimmer unworldly hippy moralist. [73], British writer, broadcaster, gardener and farmer, Personality Presenters: Television's Intermediaries with Viewers, By Frances Bonner, page 92, Routledge 2016, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, "He gave up his jewels but found gold in the garden", "Monty Don reveals his family's 170-year-old feud with the Royal Horticultural Society", "My Secret Life: Monty Don, gardener, 54", "How Monty Don became the nation's gardener", "C4 secures sponsorship for two new programmes", "Monty Don adds a little muscle to Gardeners' World", "Back to basics at Gardeners' World: take two". Between 1994 and 2006, Don wrote a weekly gardening column in The Observer. But the light is slowly - very slowly - stretching out the days and by the end of the month I can still see to garden at 5pm whereas in the middle of December there is not much much light past 4 o clock on a cloudy afternoon. [18] Don is the first self-taught horticulturist presenter in the show's history. Monty Don and Derry Moore’s latest book American Gardens. [70], At one point, Don's wife threatened to leave with their children if he did not seek help. The fields around the garden remained flooded all month and as the rain increased or backed off, the flood waters rose and fell into the garden like a tide. He was unemployed from 1991 to 1993, and spent all of 1992 on the dole. [35] Monty Don's Italian Gardens aired on the BBC in 2011,[36] which was followed by Monty Don's French Gardens, in 2013. Spoiler alert: it ended badly). Prospect magazine declared Don "the nation's gardener". [3], When Don was one, the family moved to Hampshire, England. He had been feeling unwell since the Christmas prior, mostly due to exhaustion from travelling to film Around the World in 80 Gardens. [47][48], In 2016 Hodder Books published an audiobook of Don's Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs, read by the author. The book can also be ordered here from Waterstones, Hive and Amazon. In 2014, Don became the lead presenter for the BBC's flagship Chelsea … He was named after his two Scottish grandfathers, George and Montagu, but his paternal grandfather considered the Montagu absurd, causing his parents to change his birth certificate to Montagu Denis Don. But he was suddenly…, "Monty Don: There's a hole in our lives after death of beloved dog", "Monty Don thanks fan for support after his dog Nigel's death", "William Doyle - Great Spans of Muddy Time", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monty_Don&oldid=1006158606, Officers of the Order of the British Empire, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 11 February 2021, at 11:05. Published by Prestel Publishing on 22nd September 2020 and available from all good bookshops and via the links below. This is not good - but at least it is reliably consistent. After receiving cognitive behavioural therapy and taking Prozac for a short time, Don quit both when he realised his depression was mostly seasonal and found relief with a lightbox, now a recognised aid for seasonal affective disorder. The company became a success and in five years, operated from a shop on Beauchamp Place in Knightsbridge with hundreds of outworkers and had secured as many as 60 outlets across the UK, including Harrods, Harvey Nichols, and Liberty. Monty Don is a font of gardening knowledge; he can name pretty much any plant on sight and is bursting with tips to keep your garden in bloom. This year has given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. [49], Between 2008 and 2016 Don was President of the Soil Association.