And while Monty initially admits he “hated it,” his love for all things horticulture blossomed and he became proficient in plucking chickens and maintaining a vegetable garden in his teenage years. It led him to working as a gardener in the Aix-en-Provence of France.
He has maintained impressive gardens ever since, regularly offering an insight into his Longmeadow home on Gardeners’ World. The 70-year-old has however made a change to the way he works over the years.
Speaking to Countrylife magazine, Monty admits he no longer listens to music while working. He said: “I used to, but I find now — in the last sort of five years or so — whether it’s part of my hearing going a bit so therefore I have to listen harder — it’s distracting.
“But when I used to work to music, it was always Baroque music, namely Bach. I don’t relax to music ever. What I found was it put me in the right space in order to focus.”
Monty went on to say he finds music “almost the opposite of relaxing” but admits he finds the style of the Baroque period “sublime”. The star also admits he “hates” background music.
He believes that putting music on during a dinner party for example suggests that “music has no value”. He now finds himself wanting to listen to music or wanting to work in his garden, admitting: “I can’t do both simultaneously.”
Monty, who took over presenting duties for Gardeners’ World in 2003 after Alan Titchmarsh’s exit, has previously admitted he “hasn’t got endless time left”. He says he is keenly aware that he is now older than both of his parents were when they died.
It has previously made him contemplate his future on the hit show. In an interview with The Guardian in November 2023, he said: “I haven’t got endless time left. If I’m still going strong in 20 years, that will be brilliant, but 20 years ago doesn’t seem so long ago.”
At the time he hinted that he could have left the show before turning 70. He has since reassured fans he has no plans to quit anytime soon. He told The Telegraph: “But I’d be very happy to do another five years. If the BBC renew my contract, I’d happily take it.”
Monty has said that should he leave Gardeners’ World, he would still remain in television, expressing a desire to make more documentaries. The horticulturalist has already travelled to gardens in America, Italy, France and further afield making programmes.
Gardeners’ World returns to screens at 9pm on BBC Four. This week Monty’s garden will be sowing seeds to ensure he has a steady supply of herbs such as thyme and sage, which don’t thrive in his soil.
Carol Klein meanwhile will be creating a vegetable border with flowers weaved in to provide year-round colour. And Advolly Richmond will be in Fife learning about the pink cupped daffodil.
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