Monty revisits one of his classic books, Gardening at Longmeadow, in an occasional series. Part of getting to know your garden well is having a detailed mind-map of where the light is at any time of day or year and to make sure that some part of the garden is making the most of what … Read more
Banana drama! Monty Don’s had his struggles with banana plants – but he’s found the secret to making them thrive… Monty Don reveals how to grow bananas despite the often wet and cold climate He suggests cutting the plants to a stump in October, then potting up their roots And the expert gardener answers your … Read more
Monty revisits one of his classic books, Gardening at Longmeadow, in an occasional series. The butterflies are at their busiest in August, jostling and flitting from flower to flower like shoppers in a sale to reach the nectar of late-season blooms – and there is no plant in the late summer garden that attracts them … Read more
Fresh angst for Monty Don as his dog Nellie has a brush with death just months after his other pet pooch Nigel passed away Four-year-old Nellie, has had a brush with death after being impaled on a stick The object dug into her throat, narrowly missing two major blood vessels But the canine co-star of … Read more
This has been a good year for cucumbers and gherkins (essentially a warty-skinned, small cucumber ideally suited to pickling) – but then most years are for me. I claim no expertise or special skill because cucumbers are reliably easy to grow as long as you give them the conditions they love, and that almost invariably … Read more
‘In memory of the old boy’: Monty Don shares the touching memorial in his garden to his late dog Nigel two months after his death By Jack Newman For Mailonline Published: 19:36 BST, 4 July 2020 | Updated: 11:04 BST, 5 July 2020 Monty Don has shared a beautiful memorial to his beloved dog Nigel … Read more
For the past 25 years the Daily Mail has held its annual garden competition. For the past 15 of those years I have written about it. If I am honest, my advice and encouragement has altered very little over the years, and at its core will not change for the coming competition this year. But … Read more
Monty revisits one of his classic books, Gardening at Longmeadow, in an occasional series. One of my favourite joys of this midsummer season is the range of scents, and my favourite of all is honeysuckle. Its fragrance saturates these sunken Herefordshire lanes, the warm pools of air soaking up the scent like blotting paper till … Read more
Purple craze: There’s nothing lovelier than lavender with its heady scent and vivid colour, says Monty Don – and there’s a type to suit every taste Monty Don said lavender colours a mood of gentle refinement and prettiness He said it is long-lasting, ideal for a pot and resistant to almost total neglect Lavender hates … Read more
Early each morning I tiptoe downstairs, trying not to wake the rest of the household, but this stealth is invariably made irrelevant by a short bark from our golden retriever. Roused from a deep sleep, Nigel scrambles to his feet and is fully awake by the time he’s upright. Then he rushes past me to … Read more