Monty don despairs for his children as they 'can't afford' garden

MONTY DON, WHO HAS BECOME A FIRM FAVOURITE ON OUR SCREENS AS A PRESENTER ON BBC'S GARDENERS' WORLD, ADMITTED HE REALISES HOW "LUCKY" HE WAS TO HAVE HAD A GARDEN AT A

YOUNG AGE 16:11, 21 May 2025 Monty Don has opened up about feeling "lucky" to have his own garden, acknowledging that his own children "can't afford" one. The

69-year-old BBC Gardeners' World presenter started honing his green-fingered skills as a teenager in Hampshire, where he and his brothers were often found mowing the lawn or picking

strawberries from their family's garden. Before making his mark in the UK, Monty ventured to France, immersing himself in the art of gardening in Aix-en-Provence, only to return for

further studies at the University of Cambridge. It was there that he crossed paths with his future wife Sarah and the pair eventually made their home in London. In the capital, Monty and

Sarah nurtured an impressive garden, something that Monty now describes as "very unusual" for the time. His remarkable garden didn't go unnoticed and attracted the attention

of a photographer, leading to magazine features and Monty's initial steps into the limelight. Reflecting on those days, the Gardeners' World presenter feels fortunate to have been

part of a generation where owning a garden as a young person was within reach, reports Yorkshire Live. Back in the 1970s, the average house price in London started at about £4,480, the

equivalent to roughly £60,500 in today's money, and rose to around £19,925 by 1979, approximately £96,600 now. Fast forward to 2025, and the average London home stands at a staggering

£556,000, with semi-detached properties hitting the £714,000 mark. Speaking on the V&A Dundee podcast, Monty shared that his adult children - Adam, Tom, and Freya - are unable to afford

the same privileges he had in his youth. Monty said: "I don't really feel that I suddenly got inspiration, in so much that I realised, as I got older, between the age of 17 and 27,

that increasingly other things than being in the garden, were in the way of being in the garden, and I needed it. I don't want to sound precious about it but I really needed it.

"It wasn't a question of feeling inspired to go be creative, it was a question of going to the garden to save my mind. I was really lucky because I am of a generation where we

could afford, in our twenties, to buy a house or rent a house and live on our own and have a garden. My children can't afford to do that. Article continues below "I had a garden of

my own at the age of 25 and so I think that now, we must find out what it is, if you love plants then grow plants. I personally love planting and making spaces, and what plants I use are

less interesting than the overall effect." After relocating from London, Monty settled at Longmeadow in Herefordshire in 1991, which despite its initial neglect has become the beloved

backdrop for Gardeners' World. There, Monty shares with viewers how he has cultivated the two-acre garden. With a welcome return to our screens, Monty is set to host the RHS Chelsea

Flower show coverage on BBC Two starting at 8 pm tonight (May 21). This year, he is also presenting his first-ever dog-centred garden at the show in collaboration with BBC Radio 2.