Monty Don has opened up about something he described as “frustrating” about BBC Gardeners’ World as he gears up to celebrate a milestone.
He made the revelation while offering insights into the gruelling schedule that he can expect when filming starts up again at the beginning of March.
It will be a landmark year for the much-loved horticulturalist, who revealed in his column for BBC Gardeners’ World magazine that 2025 will be his 15th year at Longmeadow and 20th “at the helm”.
He opened up about what he described as the “complicated jigsaw” of filming, which involves preemptively planning various gardening tidbits relevant to viewers when the show airs.
Monty then described what happens once filming has wrapped and the editing process has been completed, sharing his honest thoughts about the entire process.
He wrote: “The crew will go on to other work. I will prepare the garden with my team for next week, and the following Monday, we start the process all over again – and continue to do so week in, week out, until the end of October. It is demanding, complicated, at times frustrating – and I absolutely love it.”
Monty first discovered his passion for gardening when he was planting carrots at the age of 17, with his newfound love eventually leading to his TV debut on ITV’s This Morning.
He joined Gardeners’ World back in 2003, having been recommended by fellow celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh, and went on to become a well-recognised household name.
His Longmeadow garden, which features in the show, is divided up into a number of different areas, including the Jewel Garden, Paradise Garden, Wildlife Garden, Cottage Garden, and Vegetable Garden.
The Jewel Garden, which he described on his website as the “physical and spiritual centre of the entire garden”, is due for a revamp this year, but he recently revealed one plant that isn’t “happy” in his garden.
He previously told Gardeners’ World magazine:”Our propensity for sharp late frosts means that no magnolia has ever been happy at Longmeadow – and I have long learned that it is pointless to persevere with any plant that does not want to be with you, regardless of its suitability on paper.”
Despite his planned overhaul of the Jewel Garden, Monty tends to work on it in the colder months, revealing that it “remains very empty” well into the spring.
He added: “One of the features of the Jewel Garden is that when the rest of the garden is burgeoning with spring flowers and blossom, it remains very empty well into April and early May.”
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