Monty Don has become a household name thanks to his three decades on television screens, and a decision he made with his wife Sarah was the catalyst
Monty asserts that he remains at heart an “amateur gardener” who simply “gardens for love”(Image: Getty Images)
Monty Don, the beloved face of Gardeners’ World, has shared how a pivotal moment could have led him down a very different path. Speaking to Garden Illustrated, Monty, now 69, recounted his early gardening days on his family’s Hampshire property, where he and his brothers were regularly tasked with garden chores like mowing the lawn and weeding strawberries.
By his teenage years, Monty was skilful at managing a vegetable garden and even assisted with tasks such as plucking chickens and chopping wood at home. Despite starting young, he confessed it took about a decade to realise that he “really loved gardening”.
It was during a stint in Aix-en-Provence, France, working as a gardener in his late teens, that Monty’s passion for horticulture deepened. After returning to England to study at the University of Cambridge, where he met his future wife Sarah, the couple settled in London.
There, they ran a costume jewellery business but continued to cultivate an impressive garden, which Monty describes as “very unusual” for a pair of twenty-somethings at the time. This unique garden caught the attention of a photographer, leading to magazine features and ultimately igniting Monty’s successful media career.
Reflecting on those days, Monty told Garden Illustrated: “In the the 1980s it was very unusual to have a pair of 20-somethings with a nice garden [Monty gardened in London with his wife Sarah].”
Monty studied at the University of Cambridge, where he met his future wife Sarah(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)READ MORE: Bake Off star’s 2-word reply to anyone who believes you must lose weight to dress upREAD MORE: Strictly Come Dancing’s Aljaz admits ‘It’s just too much’ as he makes confession on air
Detailing his journey, Monty shared with an interviewer: “It’s a long story, but somebody saw our house, took pictures of our garden, and then someone else, and that became a story in itself. And then magazines did articles, and gradually I find myself in the media world.
“And then I got asked to do television, and gave it a go, and found I could do that. And so one thing led to another.”
Despite his growing fame, Monty asserts that he remains at heart an “amateur gardener” who simply “gardens for love”. His television career began with a segment on ‘This Morning’ in 1989, earning just £100 per show.
He later became the first self-taught presenter of BBC’s ‘Gardeners’ World’ in 2002, following Alan Titchmarsh. Although initially presenting from a leased garden, upon returning after a hiatus due to health issues, Monty brought viewers into his own Longmeadow home for the show.
Tonight (Friday, February 21) at 8pm, audiences will be treated to a glimpse of Monty’s personal paradise on ‘Gardeners’ World’, where he intends to create a new seating area. Additionally, Adam Frost will visit U2 bassist Adam Clayton’s garden, while Advolly Richmond explores the enchanted Plas Brondanw Gardens in Gwynedd.