monty’s year

History Unit, it seems that more and more

people are realising that their gardens are
filled with fascinating wildlife – some of
which is mercifully common, but others,
such as hedgehogs, tortoiseshell butterflies
and mistle thrushes, are becoming
dangerously low in number. As well as the
pleasure that this is giving, I sincerely hope
it has made all garden owners aware of the
importance that their gardens – and they
as gardeners – have on conserving and
protecting our wildlife. Gardens are not
just at the cutting edge of climate change,
but at the front line of the natural world too.

Learning from the past

In May, prompted by the explosion of
protest and awareness of the Black Lives
Matter movement, the question of plant
colonialism arose. It is something I have
long written about and feel we gloss over,
as though gardening is too nice a subject to
deal with such contentious issues. The truth
is that many of our most beloved garden
plants were gathered from all over the
world as a result of colonialism. The western
world’s grotesque assumption was that, as
conquerers taking over distant countries
whose populations neither looked like nor
were educated like us, we had an absolute
right to act as we wanted.
But, whether or not you agree with
toppling statues or defacing buildings
whose money came from practices now
regarded as repugnant, we cannot change
our history. And we should beware judging
our history solely by the morals and
practices of the present. We can, however,
learn from it and acknowledge aspects of it
that should not be celebrated. Anything that
teaches us to treat all people with respect
and dignity, regardless of race, nationality,
colour or creed, must be a good thing –
and gardening should be as open to this
as sport and commerce has become.
May had its sorrow, because one beautiful
spring day Nigel died. It was entirely
unexpected and a great shock, but he was
a good age and I am glad he did not have a
long debilitating illness and undignified
demise. To the very end he was our lovely
Mr Bear, adored by millions all around the
world. He is buried in the coppice, in this
garden for ever, his grave planted with
flowers that will surely blossom next spring.
I now think of him only with fondness and
gratitude for giving us all so much pleasure.
Nigel was a one-off, able to work the
camera better than most skilled presenters
and loved filming almost (though not quite)
as much as a squeaky yellow ball. So no one
can take his place, but Patti, although about
Star of the show
In early May, Nigel –
Monty’s family pet and
faithful companion, both
on-screen and off – passed
away at the age of 12
Nigel was a one-off, and loved filming almost
(though not quite) as much as a squeaky yellow ball
character and presence. She and Nellie make
an unlikely pair, but are inseparable. Life
moves on. You do not forget, but the dead
are best honoured by relishing the living.
As I write this, Covid is still the major
threat to our daily lives. I have not visited
another house nor had a visitor inside my
own, outside my immediate family, since
February. It has been a very hermetic
existence, albeit a very busy one. While
I have not filmed nearly as much as usual,
I have written three books – two of which
were published within days of each other
in September and the third will come out
next spring. I have also been able to garden
and walk the dogs every day, whereas for
the past 10 years or so I was away for up to
three months of the year.
I suspect that things will never go back
to exactly as they were, but a version of it
would be very welcome. I miss the caravan
of the crew descending on us for the two
intense days of filming every week, and of
that camaraderie that is essential to really
good programme making. I miss travelling
the hurly-burly and glamour of Chelsea
and the other shows, and I even miss the
rather limited social life that we had.
But I have learned a lot from this strange
year. It has rekindled my awareness of how
desperately important our gardens are to
our wellbeing, physical and mental, and
to our wildlife. It has made me even more
aware of how necessary it is to share our
experiences, even if that is through little
films rather than real life. And in a world
that is at best topsy-turvy, if not downright
crazy, it confirms the truth that gardens look
after us as much as we look after them. l
Monty on iPlayer
Watch Gardeners’ World programmes you
missed and re-watch your favourites – the
whole 2020 series is
available on iPlayer.
VISIT gardenersworld.com/monty
PHOTO: JASON INGRAM

for lots of video guides and practical

a 20th of his size, is doing quite a good job. and being challenged and stimulated by gardening advice from Monty
For such a tiny creature she has huge visiting gardens around the world. I miss

NEXT MONTH Monty shares how to embark on a year of healthy, homegrown food

30 gardenersworld.com December 2020