The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening

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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." [55] Longmeadow is also not a feasible garden for the vast majority of people to emulate anyway. First, it depends highly on having two acres to grow on in Herefordshire, which I guess is close enough for most readers in England, but really not useful for me at all here in the American Midwest (and with a much smaller piece of property). For example, Don mentions several times that he has roses climbing up his apple trees, and as far as I can tell, these are multiflora roses. He speaks of them glowingly, but I know that here in Ohio, they are a noxious invasive species, and that planting them to grow on your apple trees would probably be a bad idea. Don has owned many dogs throughout his adult life. Two that he currently own are Ned, a Golden Retriever, and Patti, a Yorkshire terrier; which are seen on camera with Don on Gardeners' World. [63] Nellie, another Golden Retriever died in October 2023. [64] He also owns dogs that are not featured on the show. [65] The coppice at Longmeadow holds the graves of Dons' many pets, including dogs Nigel, Nellie, Beaufort, Red, Poppy and Barry, and cats Stimpy and Blue. [66] Don also has a sheep farm, on which he keeps 500 ewes. [61] Although organic techniques have always been at the core of his practice, this new edition has a new emphasis on gardening for wildlife and the impact of global warming on the garden. This is a go-to guide for anyone seeking Monty's gardening advice and the perfect gift for any gardener, regardless of their experience or budget.

There are many different kinds of lettuce and scores of varieties within each of those types (see panel) but the secret - as with edible plants of any kind - is to find out what you like to eat and what can easily grow in your plot and then make the most of these. The line of least resistance always makes most sense. Lettuce Most birds will be nesting and laying eggs and hatching young over the course of the month. Keep putting out food if you have any - flakes of cheese and breadcrumbs are good if you do not have access to conventional bird food. The Edible Garden In June 2020 Prospect magazine declared Don "the nation's gardener". [9] Comedian Joe Lycett has described Monty Don as a gay icon. [59] Personal life [ edit ] Family [ edit ] Slugs and snails are widely regarded as the gardeners public enemy number 1, but they are superb at recycling waste vegetative matter but do not discriminate between a fallen leaf and a delicious young seedling. Overall, this was an enjoyable and educational read. I will be using this as a reference book regularly. I’m looking forward to reading more of his books on gardens and gardening.Don has suffered with depression since his mid-twenties. [48] He first wrote about his experiences with it, and its effect on his personal life, in a piece for The Observer in 2000. [16] 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. [9] Don recalled "great spans of muddy time" in his life and realised that gardening "heals me better than any medicine". [2] This quote served as the inspiration for William Doyle's 2021 album Great Spans of Muddy Time. [75]

Do not feed plants any more than is absolutely necessary and always feed the soil not the plant. This will avoid a spurt of soft, sappy growth that slugs love. Without stressing them with sudden temperature or cultivation changes, grow your plants as ‘hard’ as possible which means do not mollycoddle them . In July 2006 he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, choosing an eclectic mix of pop and classical records; the Beatles' " A Hard Day's Night" was his favourite disc, his book choice was Collected Poems by Henry Vaughan and his luxury item the painting Hendrikje Bathing by Rembrandt. [79] Box blight has decimated most of the hedges and topiary pieces he was once so proud of, and some of the hundreds of trees he planted have grown problematically large in places. So it goes. The best-laid plans can be derailed, he says, and even the most experienced gardeners will sometimes get things wrong. But Don’s opinions have also changed. He has always been a passionate organic gardener, but where once he fetishised the cultivation of soil as a ‘measure of manhood’, he now embraces no-dig methods and more gentle interventions. Perhaps the most striking quote from this book is his observation that you need ‘the humility to accept that your garden is not necessarily more important than anything else’. One word of caution. The aim is to grow strong, healthy individual plants so if you buy a pot with lots of seedlings I think it better to divide each pot into two or three. Then plant these sections at the base of each support so they have less competition and you should end up with more flowers.

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This is a dedicated piece of ground that can be just a couple of metres square or less in which seeds can be sown in short, closely spaced rows before transplanting the seedlings to their proper and final positions. NIGEL: MY FAMILY AND OTHER DOGS written and read by Monty Don – audiobook extract". Hodder Books . Retrieved 27 October 2017. I love the huge variety of vegetables that my garden can provide but nothing tops a simple salad of fresh leaves eaten minutes from gathering it from the garden. There is a crisp freshness to it that is the perfect combination of culinary pleasure and health. Add an omelette and good bread and butter and you have a meal fit for a king.

a b c d e f g h i j k Anderson, Hephzibah (25 May 2008). "Green fingers, silver tongue". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 May 2020.This is the ideal time to sow lettuce seed direct into the soil outside as the soil is now warm and they will grow fast - which is one of the secrets of really good lettuce. C4 secures sponsorship for two new programmes". Marketing Week. 4 November 1999 . Retrieved 12 August 2020. Monty Don, in peasant blue, on grand French gardens". Richard D North. 6 February 2013 . Retrieved 22 April 2016. Discover all different types of flowering plants explaining how to design with them, combine, plant, and care for them

This is a very simple job but one which is often overlooked. To extend the rhododendron and Azalea season and ensure that the plant does not waste its energies into seed production, dead head as many faded flowers as you can. This is particularly relevant to the large-flowered varieties. In 2012, shortly before he fell ill with his stroke, Don had launched the Monty Don Project, a charity to help persistent offenders and drug addicts heal themselves by working the land. [80] Honours [ edit ] a b Raven, Sarah (1 March 2003). "The likely lads". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 8 February 2016. a b c Don, Monty (9 April 2000). "How gardening saved my life". The Observer . Retrieved 10 August 2020.In 2015 Don said that years of gardening had left him with sore knees, one of which causes constant pain and needs replacing. [61] Finally, encourage a wide range of predators. I have masses of thrushes, frogs, toads, beetles, centipedes, shrews, and a few hedgehogs - all of which love eating slugs and snails. This needs plenty of cover, an avoidance of toxic chemicals - such as slug pellets - and a degree of tolerance for collateral damage. Keep Feeding Birds