Monty Don

Montagu "Monty" Denis Wyatt Don OBE DL VMH (born George Montagu Don; 8 July 1955) is an English horticulturist, broadcaster, and author of numerous books. He is famous as the lead presenter of the BBC gardening television series Gardeners' World.

Quotes

From a small boy I had wanted only to be a writer and to work on the land. A hurdle-maker's life seemed to me to be ideal, coppicing your materials with hand tools in the woods and then making hurdles with hypnotic skill. As a student I had seriously considered becoming a thatcher. In an ideal world I would farm as well, but I had worked on farms and seen that only those with money had any chance of owning their own land and for me, possession was a large part of the draw. The only writing that I considered was fiction. It never crossed my mind to write about gardening, even though by then I had written — and destroyed — a couple of excruciatingly bad novels, and was facing the sneaking suspicion that I might not be any good at it.
- "Beginnings". The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption. John Murray Press. 2012. ISBN 9781444718782. (192 pages; co-authored by Sarah Don; 1st edition 2004})

For the Japanese especially, gardens are an essential part of their cultural identity and their history can be measured out in them. In a land of earthquakes and typhoons, gardens are often more durable — and more easily repaired — than buildings. That is not to say that they are easy for the Western visitor to understand or appreciate. Of all the countries I have visited, Japan remains the most enigmatic, drawing you just so close but no further. The cultural divide in the garden — as in almost all other walks of life — remain huge.
- "Introduction". Japanese Gardens: A Journey. John Murray Press. 2019. ISBN 9781473692305. (272 pages; with photographs by Derry Moore)

One of the things that has always moved me, and this has often been said by people who are grieving, is that the rhythm of the seasons is a huge comforter.
In the bleakest midwinter, you trust that spring will come, that the blossom will appear.
- as quoted by Lisa Joyner in: Monty Don shares touching message about grief and the power of gardening. Country Living UK (countryliving.com) (6 February 2025).

... Two years ago, I was filming in Madrid for my BBC series on Spanish gardens and was struck by the dogs garden] at La Moraleja, designed by Álvaro Sampedro. Dogs had been very much a part of that design. I thought it was fun and nicely done and, when I got home to Longmeadow, my garden in Herefordshire, it made me think about the ways my dogs use the garden and how they react to it.
- as quoted by Mary Oliver, associate magazine editor for The Garden, in: (May 2025) "Monty Don – one man and his dog. As the countdown to his first-ever RHS Chelsea garden begins, BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don talks mulberry tree disasters, the pressure of being judged, and why tulips are keeping him awake at 3am". The Garden.