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Monty Don How his garden helped him grow

PLUS Zoë Wanamaker, Phyllis Logan, Miranda Richardson, Jayne Torvill, Bill Bailey, Jo Brand Interview

Montyis... bustin’ out It may be winter, but Britain’s favourite gardener is all over blooming. With a new TV series and more books out this year, he’s Words Tiffany Daneff never been busier. Here, the hardy perennial reveals how his upbringing forged his driven nature – and how his garden has eased the blows of many personal setbacks ALAMY, JASON INGRAM JASON ALAMY, 32 SAGA.CO.UK/JAN-MAG I 2018 2018 I SAGA.CO.UK/JAN-MAG 33 Interview

BBC Two, which is about past fortnight that he has Shear bliss recharges the bits that need the two and half million loyal Islamic gardens and has taken barely had time to garden. Monty grabs recharging and soothes away fans who regularly switch on he ground may him from Bradford to Morocco, ‘Week before last I had two a moment’s that which needs salving.’ to Gardener’s World. But this be rock solid and shrubs around the Middle East and as parties to go to, one in Kent breather from seems ungenerous towards Trimed with frost, but far as Kashmir. There will be and one in London, then I had his hectic Unlike most of us, Monty someone who has publicly even the harshest winter an accompanying book. a meeting with the BBC, so horticultural does have help in the form of talked about his debilitating is unlikely to stop Monty Spring and summer will Saturday, Sunday, Monday, schedule two full-time gardeners with depression and who has battled Don from doing a spot of hurtle straight into the seasonal I was away. I filmed Tuesday, whom he remains in constant through more than his fair gardening. He arrives whirlwind of filming BBC Wednesday. I then had to write touch via text. But then his share of setbacks. At the age of dressed, as ever, in rugged linen Gardeners’ World, appearing at all Thursday. I then had to go garden at Longmeadow in 19, his twin sister was severely workwear, even though this countless garden shows, giving back to London on Friday Herefordshire isn’t just his injured in a horrific car crash interview is being conducted hours of talks and writing to get a visa. I was writing all garden, it is the backdrop for his that affected the whole family. in the monochrome confines a monthly garden column. Saturday, filmed all Sunday and Gardeners’ World filming. Which Then there was the collapse of of the publisher’s office. We are As if that wasn’t enough to Monday, and then I went to begs the question, isn’t this rather his jewellery company in the here to discuss his latest book leave a grown man wilting, Iran Tuesday to Saturday. Then like living above the shop? 1980s and a minor stroke. Down to Earth – unbelievably, somehow he will scratch a photoshoot Monday, filming ‘The truth is,’ he says, ‘I don’t His way of managing has his 19th – the garnering of 50 together the time, between Tuesday, Wednesday and know whether I should say this, always been to throw himself years of gardening experience. pulling tulips and planting a talk yesterday and came up into projects. He’s a large man, Plenty of people infinitely less out lettuces, to write a memoir here last night.’ I used to be a very tall and broad shouldered, built busy than Monty (his parents exploring the role animals play It afforded him about an hour driven person and very to be a boxer (he won his blue named him Montagu) might in our health and happiness, or two of gardening on one of at Cambridge) and to slice congratulate themselves after a subject that is understandably those writing days and an hour “competitive, not surprising a shovel clean into hard soil. writing a single book. But 2018 close to his heart. the day before we meet. This His friend and fellow looks like it is going to be And, we’re not finished: he is clearly pains him. given my upbringing gardener, Sarah Raven, recalls a humdinger for the nation’s also contracted to write a third ‘On a very basic level, the as it breaks a myth – home is that when he was making his favourite polymath, author, memoir, this time taking the garden is my constant point work, and the only time it feels first big country garden in broadcaster and – absolutely not reader back to his childhood, of reference, so when I put my like not work is occasionally at Herefordshire he actually hired forgetting – owner of four dogs, growing up in Hampshire. hands in the soil – and it does the weekend – about one floodlights so that he could notably Nigel, the golden He seems remarkably at ease, always have to be hands and soil weekend out of three or four, continue digging at night. Yet retriever who has more though, the sun shining on – I am grounding myself, and no when I just garden all the time.’ stirred in with the sturdy loam followers than most humans. those famously chiselled matter whether I’m angry or It might be tempting to say, from which he’s made is This month, Monty is cheekbones. You’d never guess I’m sad or bewildered or tired, well, tough luck, that’s a small a lighter, more unexpected presenting Paradise Gardens on that he has been so busy this or whatever I might be, it price to pay for the devotion of layer, an elegance of thought 

Potted Monty From the boxing ring to the potting shed, despite a series of personal setbacks throughout his life, the gardening guru always springs up again 1955 1980s 1990s 1991 2003 2006 2011 2014 Born in West Berlin With Sarah, After ‘Black A ‘painful and To the shock of On Desert Island After viewing Monty’s Nigel, where his father, a a jeweller, he opens Monday’ and the difficult’ time in many, Monty takes Discs he picks the figures tumble, below, joins Twitter! soldier, is stationed, Monty Don stock market crash which depression over from Alan Beatles’ A Hard Gardeners’ World @montysdognigel but grows up in Jewellery, designing in October 1987, the hits Monty badly. Titchmarsh as the Day’s Night as his asks Monty to now has more than Hampshire. and selling costume business goes bust. first self-taught favourite record, return. He agrees on 32,000 followers pieces to Princess The Dons lose 1994 presenter of plus works of the condition he and counting. 1960s and 70s Diana, everything, Starts writing for Gardeners’ World. 17th-century broadcasts from his Despite failing his and Michael including their newspapers and metaphysical poet home garden, 2016 A-levels first time, Jackson from their home and furniture. magazines and Henry Vaughan and Longmeadow in Ends eight years as he reads English at shop. He publishes his gets his first TV a Rembrandt. Herefordshire President of the Soil Magdalene College, first book The work presenting (another first for Association. Cambridge where Prickotty Bush gardening on 2008 the show). he wins a blue about moving from This Morning. Following a minor 2018 for boxing and London to stroke, Monty Look out for meets his future Herefordshire. stands down from Paradise Gardens

ALAMY, JASON INGRAM, DAFYDD JONES, GRAHAM STONE / RETNA PICTURES RETNA / STONE GRAHAM JONES, DAFYDD INGRAM, JASON ALAMY, wife, Sarah. Gardeners’ World. book and TV series.

34 SAGA.CO.UK/JAN-MAG I 2018 2018 I SAGA.CO.UK/JAN-MAG 35 Interview an Army officer, was absolutely  and notable felicity of style. “horses first, men next, self In Down to Earth he sums up last”. So, in honesty, the whole what it is to garden in cold culture was one of jobs and weather in a couple of simple duty. The upside was they sentences: ‘Mud becomes solid. inculcated into all their children You can walk dry-shod and a work ethic, which is useful if push wheelbarrows full of muck you automatically can get up at or weeds over it.’ Immediately, any time and go to work and get we’re there, too, feeling the it done. I don’t resent that at all. hard ground underfoot. A lot of people never have that.’ He says he is much changed Monty is both illuminating now and this comes across in and passionate while not his new book – gardeners are losing his train of thought. not bullied into seasonal tasks ‘I used to be a very driven but gently enthused and person,’ he says, ‘and very encouraged through the year. competitive, not surprising given ‘I used to have a kind of my upbringing. I had to get up muscular Christianity – the and get out and do things.’ garden was something that He talks freely about his could be made and tamed and childhood. He and his brothers brought to heel.’ He talks with grew up with a five-acre garden A Don deal have any love of plants. For my obvious passion about turning at the family home in Monty and his wife parents, particularly my that around, of being less Hampshire that was tended by Sarah – they mother, it was completely and prescriptive and having more a full-time gardener until married in 1983 – utterly dictated by duty. Duty humility. One suspects that this Monty was about seven or eight, in the garden of to everything – duty to the is a reaction to those endless when the gardener fell off their Herefordshire church, duty to God, duty to the gardening tips he must deliver. a ladder and damaged his back. home, Longmeadow community, duty to the garden. The motto now is: forget the ‘Mr Roberts lived in a tied It was a kind of neurotic sense how and when and think more cottage and my parents, of that you had to pay your debt about the whys of doing what course, didn’t kick him out, but – the great mantra was, “God you do: ‘Rather than hands-on nor could they offer a cottage first, others next, self last”. gardening, fingertip gardening.’ for the replacement, so they That was absolutely the motto. Perhaps this explains why he didn’t get one.’ ‘The “self last” was as is creating a private garden, to Monty’s mother, who had important as the “God first”. be kept secret from the world. been brought up in the house, It wasn’t a sort of “be one ‘We have a farm as well, determined that the garden with God”, it was “don’t get where I do spend as much time would still be maintained to above yourself. Make sure as I can, and that is completely a certain level. And the family everything else is done before. private. It’s in mid-Wales, in the would do this. Duty called. You are the least important Black Mountains. I’m making ‘I don’t remember any person in every situation. You a garden there. But I’ve never aesthetic, cultural, sensual are the person that deserves written about it; I’ve never appreciation of the garden – it and receives the least.” photographed it; I’ve never was entirely practical. We grew ‘That was absolutely their filmed it because I know from vegetables and fruit to eat, we credo – my father, who was experience once that door is had a big lawn, we had a grass opened you can’t go back.’ tennis court – you mowed it in order that you could play tennis. When I put my hands in the I remember sieving leaf mould soil, I am grounding myself. Down to Earth, £17.99, is out now; to make potting compost for new series Paradise Gardens chrysanths. It was horrible.’ It“ recharges the bits that need starts this month on BBC Two He recalls endless digging recharging and soothes that and the book is published in and a lot of shearing, and edging March; Gardener’s World

ALAMY and mowing. ‘No one seemed to which needs salving returns in spring

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