Nigel (dog)
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Montagu Denis Wyatt Don (born George Montagu Don; 8 July 1955) is an English
horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...
, broadcaster, and writer who is best known as the lead presenter of the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
gardening television series ''
Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2024 series is the 55th. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...
''. Born in Germany and raised in England, Don studied at
Magdalene College, Cambridge Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
, where he met his future wife. They ran a successful costume jewellery business through the 1980s until the
stock market crash of 1987 Black Monday (also known as Black Tuesday in some parts of the world due to time zone differences) was a global, severe and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. Worldwide losses were estimated at US$1.71 trillion. ...
resulted in almost complete bankruptcy. In 1989, Don made his television debut as a regular on ''
This Morning This Morning may refer to: * ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme * ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002 * ''CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succes ...
'' with a gardening segment, which led to further television work across the decade including his own shows for
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
and
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. Don began his writing career at this time and published his first of over 25 books, in 1990. Between 1994 and 2006, Don wrote a weekly gardening column in ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
''. In 2003, Don replaced
Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster and writer. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Early career Alan Fred T ...
, at his suggestion, as the lead presenter of ''Gardeners' World'', only leaving the show between 2008 and 2011 owing to illness. Since then he has written and produced several garden series of his own, the most recent being ''Monty Don's Spanish Gardens'' which aired in 2024.


Early life and education

George Montagu Don was born on 8 July 1955 in
Iserlohn Iserlohn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Iserlaun'') is a city in the Märkischer Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city by population and area within the district and the Sauerland region. Geogr ...
,
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
. He is the youngest of five children to British parents Denis Thomas Keiller Don, a
career soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...
stationed in Germany at the time of his birth, and (''née'') Janet Montagu Wyatt. Soon after Don's birth, his parents changed the name on his birth certificate to Montagu Denis Don because of a family spat over the name. When Don was 10, he added his mother's maiden name, becoming Montagu Denis Wyatt Don. On Don's paternal side he is a descendant of botanist
George Don George Don (29 April 1798 – 25 February 1856) was a Scottish botanist and plant collector. Life and career George Don was born at Doo Hillock, Forfar, Angus, Scotland on 29 April 1798 to Caroline Clementina Stuart and George Don (b.1756), pr ...
and the Keiller family, best known as the inventors of
Keiller's marmalade Keiller's marmalade is a Scottish marmalade, believed to have been the first commercial brand made in Great Britain. It was first manufactured by James Keiller in Dundee, Scotland, later creating James Keiller & Son, a brand name which became i ...
. On his maternal side, he is descended from the
Wyatt family The Wyatt family included several of the major English architects during the 18th and 19th centuries, and a significant 18th century inventor, John Wyatt (inventor), John Wyatt (1700–1766), the eldest son of John Wyatt (1675–1742). The fami ...
of architects. Don has a twin sister, Alison, who at the age of 19 was nearly killed in a car accident, suffering a broken neck and blindness. When Don was one, the family moved to
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, England. He described his parents as "very strict". He attended three independent schools: Quidhampton School in
Basingstoke Basingstoke ( ) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status in the United King ...
, followed by Bigshotte School in
Wokingham Wokingham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It is the main administrative centre of the wider Borough of Wokingham. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 38,284 and the wider built-up area had a populati ...
, where at seven, he was asked to leave school for being too boisterous. He then attended
Malvern College Malvern College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging coeducational boarding school, boarding and day school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school ...
in Malvern, which he hated, followed by a state comprehensive school, the Vyne School, and a state sixth form college,
Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke Queen Mary's College (QMC) is a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The college's name is from the former grammar school Queen Mary's School in the northern part of Basingstoke. The college is located in the former school bui ...
. He failed his A-levels and while studying for retakes at night school, worked on a building site and a pig farm by day. During his childhood he had become an avid gardener and farmer. In his late teens, Don spent several months in
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
, France where he worked as a gardener and played rugby in local teams. He returned to England, determined to attend
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
out of "sheer bloody-mindedness", and passed the entrance exams. He studied English at
Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
, during which time he met his future wife Sarah Erskine, a trained jeweller and architect. Don took up boxing to impress his father, a former heavyweight boxing champion in the army, becoming a Cambridge Half Blue for boxing. He gave up after getting knocked out and suffering concussion.


Career


Jewellery business

In 1981, Don and Erskine started Monty Don Jewellery, a London-based business that designed, made, and sold costume jewellery. The company became a success and in five years, operated from a shop on
Beauchamp Place Beauchamp Place (pronounced "Beecham Place") is a fashionable shopping street in the Knightsbridge district of London. Previously known as Grove Place until 1885, it has since evolved into a well-known shopping street. It was once better kno ...
in
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...
with hundreds of outworkers and had secured as many as 60 outlets across the UK, including
Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
,
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...
, and
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
. Among their customers were
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer-songwriter and DJ who rose to fame as the lead singer of the pop band Culture Club. He began his solo career in 1987. Boy George grew up in Eltham a ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
, and
Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...
. However, the
1987 stock market crash Black Monday (also known as Black Tuesday in some parts of the world due to time zone differences) was a global, severe and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. Worldwide losses were estimated at US$1.71 trillion. ...
caused an almost complete bankruptcy as it cut off American sales, their biggest market. The situation prompted Don to embark on a career in writing and broadcasting. Reflecting on the experience, he wrote: "We were lambs to the slaughter and we lost everything, ..we lost our house, our business. We sold every stick of furniture we had at
Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...
market". He was unemployed from 1991 to 1993, and spent all of 1992 on the dole. Some of their jewellery is kept at the
V&A Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
.


Television


Early career

By mid-1989, Don had written several gardening articles and his home garden was featured in various publications. The increased exposure opened doors: soon Don was writing a gardening column for the ''Mail on Sunday'', had a book deal, and an invitation to
screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...
for a proposed weekly live gardening segment on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...
television breakfast show ''
This Morning This Morning may refer to: * ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme * ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002 * ''CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succes ...
''. Don landed the spot and his first segment aired in October 1989, receiving £100 a show. After 26 spots on ''This Morning'', Don landed additional television work as presenter on the
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...
shows ''
Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
'' and ''
Tomorrow's World ''Tomorrow's World'' is a British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First broadcast on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorrow's World' ...
''. Though he had some doubts about being a presenter, he took the jobs as he felt desperate for work. In November 1999,
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
started to air the gardening series ''Fork to Fork'', in which Don and his wife presented segments on growing and cooking organic vegetables. This was followed by three other series hosted by Don between 1999 and 2003: ''Real Gardens'', ''Lost Gardens'', and ''Don Roaming''.


''Gardeners' World''

In September 2002, the BBC announced Don as the new lead presenter of its long-running series ''
Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2024 series is the 55th. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...
'' from 2003, succeeding
Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster and writer. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Early career Alan Fred T ...
. Don is the first self-taught horticulturist presenter in the show's history. Don hosted the show until he put his career on hold to recover from his minor stroke in 2008, and the show continued with
Toby Buckland Toby Neale Buckland (born 11 October 1969) is an English gardener, TV presenter and author, best known for being the main presenter from 2008 to 2010 of BBC's long running flagship gardening programme '' Gardeners' World''. In 2008 Buckland ...
filling in as host. During Don's initial stint, viewing figures fell from 5 million to 2 million, this fall being most frequently blamed on the BBC's decision to change the show's format soon after Don's arrival. After viewing figures fell below two million for the first time in 2009, the BBC announced further changes to the programme to entice viewers back. In December 2010, Don announced his return as host for the 2011 series. Reaction to the announcement was divided on the programme's blog. Initially, Don filmed episodes of ''Gardeners' World'' in Berryfields, a rented garden in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
. When he returned as host in 2011, Don began to present from his own garden, Longmeadow, in
Ivington Ivington () is a village in the county of Herefordshire, England, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north of Hereford. It is about 2 miles (3 km) south-west of Leominster. The population as of the 2011 census was included within Leominster ...
, Herefordshire. He was frequently seen on screen with his Golden Retriever
Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walter Scott published '' The F ...
until the dog died in May 2020, shortly before his 12th birthday. In 2016, Don introduced viewers to his new golden retriever, Nell. This was followed by the addition of Patti, a
Yorkshire Terrier The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than . It originated in the nineteenth century in the ...
, in April 2020. Nell was diagnosed with cancer in June 2023 and died in October 2023. In 2020, Don signed a contract with the BBC to continue presenting ''Gardeners' World'' for three years. In February 2024, Don clarified that he had no immediate plans to leave ''Gardeners World'', saying, "I'm now 68, I was going to stop when I was 65. I'll now go on till I'm 70 and then reconsider. The reason for that is that, apart from anything else, it's not so much wanting my garden back, although there’s a strong element of that. .. It's just that, whilst I've still got energy, there are lots of other projects I want to do that mean I can't be here every week."


Own series

Don is also known for writing and presenting his own series. In 2005, he set up a
smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technolo ...
in Herefordshire so a group of young drug offenders could work the land. The project was documented for the BBC series ''Growing Out of Trouble'', airing in 2006. This was followed by the ambitious BBC series '' Around the World in 80 Gardens'' in 2008, where Don visited 80 gardens of a variety of styles worldwide. In 2010, Don presented ''My Dream Farm'', a Channel 4 series which helped people learn to become successful smallholders, and ''Mastercrafts'', a BBC series which celebrated six traditional British crafts. ''
Monty Don's Italian Gardens ''Monty Don's Italian Gardens'' is a television series of 4 programmes in which British gardener and broadcaster Monty Don Montagu Denis Wyatt Don (born George Montagu Don; 8 July 1955) is an English horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer ...
'' aired on the BBC in 2011, which was followed by '' Monty Don's French Gardens'', in 2013. Later that year, Don presented an episode of ''
Great British Garden Revival ''Great British Garden Revival'' is a British documentary television series that was first broadcast on BBC Two on 9 December 2013. The series was presented by Monty Don, Carol Klein, Joe Swift, Rachel De Thame, James Wong, Tom Hart Dyke, Ch ...
''. In 2014, Don became the lead presenter for the BBC's flagship
Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...
coverage, again replacing Titchmarsh. In 2023 he presented alongside
Joe Swift Joseph Samuel Swift (born 25 May 1965) is an English garden designer, journalist and television presenter. Television career Swift is a regular presenter and designer on the BBC's ''Gardeners' World'', co-presenter on the Royal Horticultural Soc ...
and
Sophie Raworth Sophie Jane Raworth (; born 15 May 1968) is an English journalist, newsreader and broadcaster working for the BBC. She is a senior newsreader and is one of the main presenters of BBC News (mainly ''BBC News at Six'' and '' BBC News at Ten''). S ...
. Since 2014, Don has presented three series of ''Big Dreams, Small Spaces'', where he helps amateur gardeners in creating their own "dream spaces" at home. In 2015, Don presented the four-part BBC series ''The Secret History of the British Garden'', charting the development of British gardens from the 17th to the 20th century. Don's next series was '' Monty Don's Paradise Gardens'' in 2018, travelling across the Islamic world and beyond in search of paradise gardens and considering their place in the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
. This was followed by ''Monty Don's Japanese Gardens'' in 2019, ''Monty Don's American Gardens'' in 2020, ''Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens'' in 2022, ''Monty Don's Spanish Gardens'' in 2024. and ''Monty Don's British Gardens'' in 2025.


RHS Chelsea

In 2025 Don, in collaboration with
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
, created his first RHS
Chelsea Flower Show The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show,Phil Clayton, ''The Great Temple Show'' in ''The Garden'' 2008, p.452, The Royal Horticultural Society is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural So ...
garden, designed around the needs of dogs. The garden incorporated dog-friendly features such as a lawn, water for wallowing, and shade-providing trees. Created with horticulturist Jamie Butterworth, the garden would be relocated to
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Battersea Dogs & Cats Home (now known as Battersea) is an animal shelter, animal rescue centre for dogs and cats. Battersea rescues dogs and cats until their owner or a new one can be found. It is one of the UK's oldest and best known animal re ...
after the show.


Writer

Don has described himself primarily as a writer, "who happens to have lots of television work." By the early 1990s, Don had written two unpublished novels, ''The Clematis Affair'' and ''An Afternoon in Padua''. He later described them as "excruciatingly bad". In January 1994, Allan Jenkins, then editor of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'', invited Don to write a weekly gardening column for the newspaper. The column began in February of that year and lasted until May 2006; Jenkins was his editor for seven years. 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." Don has written articles for the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...
'' and Mail Online since 2004. In 2005
Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...
published ''The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption'', a joint autobiography and the story of Don and his wife Sarah's home and gardens at Longmeadow. In 2016 Hodder Books published an
audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sch ...
of Don's ''Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs'', read by the author.


Style and reception

Between 2008 and 2016, Don was President of the
Soil Association The Soil Association is a British registered charity focused on the effect of agriculture on the environment. It was established in 1946. Their activities include campaigning for local purchasing, public education on nutrition and certificat ...
. He is currently a patron of Bees for Development Trust and the
Pope's Grotto Pope's villa was the residence of the poet Alexander Pope at Twickenham, then a village west of London in Middlesex. He moved there in 1719 and created gardens and an underground grotto. When Baroness Howe of Langar (1762–1835) purchased the ho ...
Preservation Trust. Don had never received formal training as a gardener. In 2006, he commented, "I was – am – an amateur gardener and a professional writer. My only authority came from a lifetime of gardening and a passion amounting to an obsession for my own garden." Don is a keen proponent of
organic gardening Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety pres ...
, becoming "officially" organic in his own garden in 1997. The practice of organic techniques often features in his published and broadcast work. The organic approach is most prominent in his 2003 book ''The Complete Gardener''. This has led him into some controversy with those advocating non-organic techniques, with some criticising his position of influence presenting ''Gardeners' World'' and exclusion of non-organic solutions to pests and diseases in the garden. Don's sartorial style in the garden has been the subject of some critical attention, with Richard D. North commenting, in 2013: In 2005, Don himself dedicated a whole column to this subject, commenting: Don wears a collar and tie when presenting the Chelsea Flower Show. In June 2020, ''
Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (minin ...
'' magazine declared Don "the nation's gardener". Comedian
Joe Lycett Joe Harry Lycett (born 1988), also known by the self-given moniker "Mummy", and officially self-renamed briefly as Hugo Boss in 2020, is a British comedian, television presenter, and painter. He has appeared on many TV shows, including '' Live ...
has described Monty Don as a
gay icon A gay icon is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ community. Such figures usually have a devoted LGBTQ fanbase and act as allies to the LGBTQ community, often through their work, or they have been "openly app ...
.


Personal life


Family

Don married Sarah Erskine in 1983. They have two sons and a daughter. The couple lived in
Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...
, north London, while Don pursued postgraduate study at the
London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
and worked as a waiter at Joe Allen restaurant in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
and later as a
binman A waste collector, also known as a garbage man, garbage collector, trashman (in the U.S), binman or dustman (in the UK), is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and dispose of municipal solid waste (refuse) and recycla ...
. The couple then moved to the
De Beauvoir Town De Beauvoir Town is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hackney, north of the City of London. It is sometimes described as a part of Dalston. The name is pronounced variously; notably () and (), with the former giving rise to its traditi ...
area of Hackney where they made their first garden. In 1989, they relocated to The Hanburies, a country house in Herefordshire. The making of the garden there, and the subsequent loss of the house in the aftermath of the crash of their jewellery business, was the subject of Don's first book, ''The Prickotty Bush''. In 1991, the Dons bought a home in
Ivington Ivington () is a village in the county of Herefordshire, England, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north of Hereford. It is about 2 miles (3 km) south-west of Leominster. The population as of the 2011 census was included within Leominster ...
, Herefordshire where they started to create a new garden named Longmeadow. The home was unfit to live in at the time of purchase, so while they refurbished it they rented a home in
Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...
that was infested with rats and had no heating. They moved into their Ivington home at the end of 1992.


Nigel and other dogs

Don has owned many dogs throughout his adult life. Two that he currently owns are Ned, a Golden Retriever, and Patti, a
Yorkshire terrier The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than . It originated in the nineteenth century in the ...
, which are seen on camera with Don on ''Gardeners' World''. Nellie, another Golden Retriever, died in October 2023. He also owns dogs that are not featured on the show. The coppice at Longmeadow holds the graves of Don's many pets, including dogs Nigel, Nellie, Beaufort, Red, Poppy and Barry, and cats Stimpy and Blue. Don also has a sheep farm, on which he keeps 500 ewes. Nigel was a male Golden Retriever dog owned by Don. Nigel made many appearances on ''
Gardeners' World ''Gardeners' World'' is a long-running British gardening programme, first broadcast on 5 January 1968. The 2024 series is the 55th. Its first series was presented by Ken Burras and came from Oxford Botanical Gardens. Up until 2020 most of its e ...
'', sometimes with Nellie. The dog was chosen as a seven-week-old puppy from a litter in the
Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the Counties of England, county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangle, triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and no ...
on 1 July 2008, and was popular with viewers who were concerned when he disappeared from the programme in September 2012. He had injured himself after twisting sideways when jumping to catch a tennis ball and had ruptured an
intervertebral disc An intervertebral disc (British English), also spelled intervertebral disk (American English), lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column. Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the ver ...
in his
spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...
. Nigel recovered and resumed his television appearances. Don said that he had chosen Nigel because the
domestic dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers ...
signifies the good and bad in human relationships with nature; humans can prioritise fluffy animals over others. In September 2016 an
autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...
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. On 11 May 2020 Don announced, through his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
and
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
pages, that Nigel had died, six days before his 12th birthday. Don told the BBC Radio 4 ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...
'' programme that Nigel had been more than a companion and had helped him with his struggles with depression. He said, "He was a bear of slightly limited brain, what he had was this absolute sense of purity. He exuded a kind of unsullied innocence and we all love our dogs; everybody thinks their dog is special. I've had lots of dogs and there was something special about Nigel." As with Don's other dogs, Nigel and Nellie are buried in the garden at Longmeadow.


Health

Don has suffered with depression since his mid-twenties. He first wrote about his experiences with it, and its effect on his personal life, in a piece for ''The Observer'' in 2000. His editor recalled that it "changed the way that people saw him" and Don himself said the article generated "a very immediate response" from readers. Don recalled "great spans of muddy time" in his life and realised that gardening "heals me better than any medicine". This quote served as the inspiration for William Doyle's 2021 album ''Great Spans of Muddy Time''. At one point, Don's wife threatened to leave with their children if he did not seek help. After receiving
cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on challenging and chang ...
and taking
Prozac Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, among others, is an antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive disor ...
for a short time, Don quit both when he realised his depression was mostly seasonal, which he attributed to
seasonal affective disorder Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder subset in which people who typically have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year. It is commonly, but not always, associated w ...
, and found relief with a
light box Light therapy, also called phototherapy or bright light therapy is the exposure to direct sunlight or artificial light at controlled wavelengths in order to treat a variety of medical disorders, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD), circa ...
. In August 2007, Don suffered from a bout of
peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...
, an abdominal infection. His wife had found him unconscious on the floor and he was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. In February 2008, Don suffered a minor
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
at home. He had been feeling unwell since the previous Christmas, owing mostly to exhaustion from travelling to film ''Around the World in 80 Gardens''. When his symptoms did not improve, a
brain scan Neuroimaging is the use of quantitative (computational) techniques to study the structure and function of the central nervous system, developed as an objective way of scientifically studying the healthy human brain in a non-invasive manner. Incre ...
weeks later revealed a temporary blockage in one of the arteries to his brain. In May 2008 he put his career on hold to recover. In 2015, Don said that years of gardening had left him with sore knees, one of which causes constant pain and needs replacing. In May 2022, it was reported that Don had
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
and had been bedridden for four days. He contracted COVID-19 again in May 2023.


Other

In July 2006, he appeared on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...
'', choosing an eclectic mix of pop and classical records;
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' " A Hard Day's Night" was his favourite disc, his book choice was ''Collected Poems'' by
Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...
and his luxury item the painting ''Hendrikje Bathing'' by
Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...
. In 2006, Don had launched the Monty Don Project, an effort to assist drug users by involving them in agriculture and gardening. The project was the focus of both a book and a TV series, ''Growing Out Of Trouble''.


Honours

Don was made an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the
2018 Birthday Honours The 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by ci ...
for services to horticulture, to broadcasting and to charity. In May 2022, he was awarded the
Victoria Medal of Honour The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) is awarded to British horticulturists resident in the United Kingdom whom the Royal Horticultural Society Council considers deserving of special honour by the Society. The award was established in 1897 "in per ...
by the council of the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
. Don was appointed as a deputy lieutenant of
Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...
on 14 October 2024.


Publications


Books


DVDs

* '' Around the World in 80 Gardens'' (2008) * ''
Monty Don's Italian Gardens ''Monty Don's Italian Gardens'' is a television series of 4 programmes in which British gardener and broadcaster Monty Don Montagu Denis Wyatt Don (born George Montagu Don; 8 July 1955) is an English horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer ...
'' (2011) * '' Monty Don's French Gardens'' (2013) * ''Monty Don's Real Craft'' (2014) * ''The Secret History of the British Garden'' (2015) * '' Monty Don's Paradise Gardens'' (2018) * ''Monty Don's Japanese Gardens'' (2019) * ''Monty Don's American Gardens'' (2020) * ''Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens'' (2022)


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Don, Monty 1955 births Living people People from Iserlohn 20th-century English non-fiction writers 21st-century English writers Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge English garden writers English people of Scottish descent English television presenters English gardeners People educated at Malvern College People from Herefordshire People with mood disorders Officers of the Order of the British Empire Organic gardeners Deputy lieutenants of Herefordshire