What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption
"The Jewel Garden" is the story of the garden that over the past decade has bloomed from the muddy fields around the Dons' Tudor farmhouse, a perfect metaphor for the Monty and Sarah's own rise from the ashes of a spectacular commercial failure. At the same time, "The Jewel Garden" is the story of a creative partnership that has weathered the greatest storm, and a testament to the healing powers of the soil. In his weekly column for the "Observer", Monty Don has always been candid about the garden's role in helping him to pull back from the abyss of depression; "The Jewel Garden" elaborates on this much further. Written in an optimistic, autobiographical vein, Monty and Sarah's story is truly an exploration of what it means to be a gardener.
181 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2004
32 people are currently reading
699 people want to read
About the author
Montagu Don
41 books294 followersMontagu 'Monty' Denis Wyatt Don is a German-born British television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
April 24, 2020
”A wave of intense sadness soaked through me. I felt completely alone. I sat quietly for a minute or two gathering myself, unable to move, letting the storm pass. All day I filmed amongst the seeds, knowing that I was not well, knowing that this was not good, knowing that if I let go, I might never put the pieces back together again.
I drove home, a grown man sobbing on the motorway, and got back to the empty house. I rang Sarah and from the other side of the country she lovingly talked me down, like a flight controller bringing a flaming plane safely in to land.
Something breaks. Something shatters, and it takes a long while to put it all together again.”
Monty Don
Monty Don is perfectly content whenever he is working in his home garden. It is when he is away from it too long or the winter months make it impossible for him to putter as he likes among the flowers, the vegetables, and the trees that his crippling depression, always lurking like a beast in the shadows, seizes the opportunity to storm the cells deep in the dungeons of his mind and release the creatures of self-doubt, dissatisfaction, recrimination, and lassitude and allow them to run freely through his mind, overturning pots, tearing up rose bushes, and smashing down fences.
I equate it with what would happen to me if I were not allowed to read books for several months out of the year. What kind of wreck would I be once I emerged from such a jail sentence? It would not be pretty.
I am late in finding Monty Don. He has had a long and successful career without ever crossing before my path. I am zooming around Netflix, looking for something fresh and different to watch, when I find Monty Don’s French Gardens. I’m always on the lookout for a travel show with a host old enough to be interesting to listen to. Those plethora of millennial hosted travel shows are like being assaulted by the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. I am, obviously, not their target audience. I’m not far into episode one of French Gardens before I find myself becoming enamored with this awkward, brilliant, caring, square jawed Englishman who is not only, with a few words, making me care about gardens on the other side of the world, but also awakening in me a desire to get back into gardening in my backyard here in Kansas.
I blow through French Gardens and then find his series on Italian Gardens. I have now started watching an episode of Gardeners’ World several times a week, while drinking a cup of Earl Grey and ruminating on what I’m learning from Don that can be applied to my own feeble efforts here in the States.
He wrote this book with his wife, Sarah, and I must say I enjoyed her contributions as much as I did Monty’s . Here is a good example.
”I like the way that at this time of year the garden fills its spaces on its own. The poppies grow inches every day and marigolds seed everywhere. The garden becomes almost unbearably beautiful. Every second is precious. But time goes so fast and I can hardly breathe with the pace and excitement of it. I keep thinking, this is it. This is the moment.”
The interplay between what he writes and then what she writes adds depth to the story of their garden. For they are a team effort. They began designing jewelry together, and their company became wildly successful, only to have the company fall upon its own bejewelled sword when the economy went bust. That part of their life is reflected in the section of their property they now call The Jewel Garden.
Jewel Garden
It is pure chance that this is the first Monty Don book I read. I found it for $7.98 on clearance, and really, I have to believe that the book goddesses were looking out for me. It gives me some much needed background on Monty and his wife. It is filled with lovely pictures of their garden, as well as themselves. It proved to be the perfect diversion from a winter storm outside my window that was adding layers of ice to my trees and bushes every hour. The ice was beautiful and mystical, but potentially destructive. I felt strangely peaceful wandering around in their spring and summer gardens, while occasionally looking up to contemplate the changing weight load of ice on the precious limbs of my trees.
The book and the storm all turned out fine.
”The year flows through the garden like a river that brings you back somewhere near to where you started. But by the end of February there is an atavistic, irresistible urge to be outside. Half an hour of warm sunshine and a drying wind in February can wipe away weeks of December gloom. As we get older we realise that the days are more precious and half-moments of intense joy are more valuable than jewels.”
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
I drove home, a grown man sobbing on the motorway, and got back to the empty house. I rang Sarah and from the other side of the country she lovingly talked me down, like a flight controller bringing a flaming plane safely in to land.
Something breaks. Something shatters, and it takes a long while to put it all together again.”
Monty Don
Monty Don is perfectly content whenever he is working in his home garden. It is when he is away from it too long or the winter months make it impossible for him to putter as he likes among the flowers, the vegetables, and the trees that his crippling depression, always lurking like a beast in the shadows, seizes the opportunity to storm the cells deep in the dungeons of his mind and release the creatures of self-doubt, dissatisfaction, recrimination, and lassitude and allow them to run freely through his mind, overturning pots, tearing up rose bushes, and smashing down fences.
I equate it with what would happen to me if I were not allowed to read books for several months out of the year. What kind of wreck would I be once I emerged from such a jail sentence? It would not be pretty.
I am late in finding Monty Don. He has had a long and successful career without ever crossing before my path. I am zooming around Netflix, looking for something fresh and different to watch, when I find Monty Don’s French Gardens. I’m always on the lookout for a travel show with a host old enough to be interesting to listen to. Those plethora of millennial hosted travel shows are like being assaulted by the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. I am, obviously, not their target audience. I’m not far into episode one of French Gardens before I find myself becoming enamored with this awkward, brilliant, caring, square jawed Englishman who is not only, with a few words, making me care about gardens on the other side of the world, but also awakening in me a desire to get back into gardening in my backyard here in Kansas.
I blow through French Gardens and then find his series on Italian Gardens. I have now started watching an episode of Gardeners’ World several times a week, while drinking a cup of Earl Grey and ruminating on what I’m learning from Don that can be applied to my own feeble efforts here in the States.
He wrote this book with his wife, Sarah, and I must say I enjoyed her contributions as much as I did Monty’s . Here is a good example.
”I like the way that at this time of year the garden fills its spaces on its own. The poppies grow inches every day and marigolds seed everywhere. The garden becomes almost unbearably beautiful. Every second is precious. But time goes so fast and I can hardly breathe with the pace and excitement of it. I keep thinking, this is it. This is the moment.”
The interplay between what he writes and then what she writes adds depth to the story of their garden. For they are a team effort. They began designing jewelry together, and their company became wildly successful, only to have the company fall upon its own bejewelled sword when the economy went bust. That part of their life is reflected in the section of their property they now call The Jewel Garden.
Jewel Garden
It is pure chance that this is the first Monty Don book I read. I found it for $7.98 on clearance, and really, I have to believe that the book goddesses were looking out for me. It gives me some much needed background on Monty and his wife. It is filled with lovely pictures of their garden, as well as themselves. It proved to be the perfect diversion from a winter storm outside my window that was adding layers of ice to my trees and bushes every hour. The ice was beautiful and mystical, but potentially destructive. I felt strangely peaceful wandering around in their spring and summer gardens, while occasionally looking up to contemplate the changing weight load of ice on the precious limbs of my trees.
The book and the storm all turned out fine.
”The year flows through the garden like a river that brings you back somewhere near to where you started. But by the end of February there is an atavistic, irresistible urge to be outside. Half an hour of warm sunshine and a drying wind in February can wipe away weeks of December gloom. As we get older we realise that the days are more precious and half-moments of intense joy are more valuable than jewels.”
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
August 15, 2020
For those not living in the UK, Monty Don is a famous TV gardener who hosts a very popular BBC gardening programme called appropriately Gardeners World. This book details him and his wife's rise through the 80s as their jewellery business takes off, their fall as the recession hits and their business falls apart; with 3 children and with huge debts they are forced to move out of London. Monty takes any TV work he can get to cover the bills and all they owe from their business, Sarah tries to keep the family together whilst working on the wreck of a house they have bought.
Both always keen gardeners, their luck changes when they find and buy (just) what is their current house in Herefordshire, and Monty starts to get regular work, often gardening related.
Their life settles down and together they plan the garden(s) that viewers now see week in, week out. This is a brief précis of what is a marvellous book, that details their trials and successes in life and business, but also really interesting details of their planting, which to me as a gardener are sheer magic.
In addition Monty speaks openly of his mental health issues, and how gardening and working in the open air helps. Having left my office job at the age of 49, to start my own gardening business in order to work in the open air, I can fully empathise with Monty and agree that working outside doing something you love certainly brings a huge feel good factor and helps to overcome a lot of negative stressful feelings..
Both always keen gardeners, their luck changes when they find and buy (just) what is their current house in Herefordshire, and Monty starts to get regular work, often gardening related.
Their life settles down and together they plan the garden(s) that viewers now see week in, week out. This is a brief précis of what is a marvellous book, that details their trials and successes in life and business, but also really interesting details of their planting, which to me as a gardener are sheer magic.
In addition Monty speaks openly of his mental health issues, and how gardening and working in the open air helps. Having left my office job at the age of 49, to start my own gardening business in order to work in the open air, I can fully empathise with Monty and agree that working outside doing something you love certainly brings a huge feel good factor and helps to overcome a lot of negative stressful feelings..
June 21, 2011
I love this book and it means so much to me. I read it the first time and could recognise the signs in myself of suffereing from depression but thought "that's ok but I can't just dwell on it". I then re-read it when I suffered a nervous breakdown and it was just as meaningful but even more helpful. The Don's use the garden as both a metaphor and a therapy. It helped me find some foci in life away from the things driving my problems. A must read for anybdoy.
February 13, 2020
Monty Don’s garden shows are my go-to comfort viewing on Netflix, and I salivate over photos of his garden (and pooches) on Instagram. I very much enjoyed this book, co-written with his wife, Sarah. The first half provides insight into how they came to their home, after a spectacular flame-out in the 80s that saw them lose their prior home and their business (I had no idea they were trendy costume jewelry designers!). Monty’s ongoing struggle with depression is discussed in frank and enlightening terms. The second half of the book recounts the seasons in their now-mature garden. The lists of plants and Latin names washed over me a bit, but there was also some lovely nature writing and the pure joy and hard labour of gardening come through. 3.5.
January 31, 2021
One of the things that really struck me, on returning to England after an absence of decades, was the existence of gardening celebrities. Are the British Isles just more enamored of gardening than any other nation? I remember watching Gardeners' World on the TV after a gap of 20 years and wondering where on earth Monty Don came from . . . I'd never heard of him before 2016, given that I had no access to good gardening TV and magazines (another thing the UK does really well is gardening magazines, usually accompanied by free packets of seeds).
"Jewel garden" is a phrase that seems to have entered into British lingo, and I find myself wondering if the Dons were following a trend toward bright, clashing flower colors in gardens or whether they actually helped create it. Monty Don is the lead presenter on the above-mentioned venerable TV show for gardeners, so I've seen the actual Jewel Garden any number of times--brilliant flowers, often on absolutely huge plants, set off by towering grasses, the whole thing entirely over the top and yet entirely satisfying even when the plants flop over into the paths as they frequently do by midsummer.
This book is a reflection on how the Jewel Garden, and the garden in which it is set (known as Longmeadow on the TV although I don't believe that's its actual name), came into being, after the Dons' original jewelry business failed and left them broke and jobless. A chance bequest gave them enough money to put down a deposit on a house, and being (evidently) considerable risk-takers they went for an ancient, unrenovated farmhouse and two acres of field, near a river that turned out to be rather good at flooding.
It's also a story of the depression that has dogged Monty Don throughout his life, and about which he is pretty open. Naturally this depression found what I hope was its low point during the early years of their new home, when they had practically no money and small children to look after, and the garden at Longmeadow served as a lifeline, a creative outlet, and, eventually, the inspiration for a new career in garden writing and TV presenting.
And that's the point of the book, I guess: gardens are good for our souls. For those of us with creative souls they are a tremendous creative outlet, to the point of obsession, and a powerful remedy for negative thoughts. It's hard to be miserable when the birds are singing and there's a mountain of work to be done in the borders. Nowadays they are using gardens as therapy for people with mental health issues, to comfort those in the throes of traumatic physical illness, to nurture people who are trying to dig themselves out of poverty or isolation, because so many of those human ills are exacerbated by separation from the natural world. I suspect it's Monty Don's influence that has resulted in so many of these therapy programs appearing on Gardeners' World.
The last part of the book was less interesting for me, as the Dons are discussing the plants that make up the garden--but that's only because I am a devourer of garden magazines and programs and have gardened myself for 30+ years, so I find such accounts interesting but not vitally so. I was very drawn in by the story of failure and resilience, and enjoyed seeing it from both sides of the marital partnership. Sarah Don is never onscreen but you feel her presence as part of the garden, and here was her presence as an essential part of the story, carrying, as women do, everyone's emotional burdens while keeping the house and garden going and essentially sacrificing her own interests and aspirations in the process. I laughed when she described throwing a plate at Monty, and hope she did it often--not that I don't sympathize with his depression, but I know exactly how it feels to be the person who lives with depression that's not theirs.
"Jewel garden" is a phrase that seems to have entered into British lingo, and I find myself wondering if the Dons were following a trend toward bright, clashing flower colors in gardens or whether they actually helped create it. Monty Don is the lead presenter on the above-mentioned venerable TV show for gardeners, so I've seen the actual Jewel Garden any number of times--brilliant flowers, often on absolutely huge plants, set off by towering grasses, the whole thing entirely over the top and yet entirely satisfying even when the plants flop over into the paths as they frequently do by midsummer.
This book is a reflection on how the Jewel Garden, and the garden in which it is set (known as Longmeadow on the TV although I don't believe that's its actual name), came into being, after the Dons' original jewelry business failed and left them broke and jobless. A chance bequest gave them enough money to put down a deposit on a house, and being (evidently) considerable risk-takers they went for an ancient, unrenovated farmhouse and two acres of field, near a river that turned out to be rather good at flooding.
It's also a story of the depression that has dogged Monty Don throughout his life, and about which he is pretty open. Naturally this depression found what I hope was its low point during the early years of their new home, when they had practically no money and small children to look after, and the garden at Longmeadow served as a lifeline, a creative outlet, and, eventually, the inspiration for a new career in garden writing and TV presenting.
And that's the point of the book, I guess: gardens are good for our souls. For those of us with creative souls they are a tremendous creative outlet, to the point of obsession, and a powerful remedy for negative thoughts. It's hard to be miserable when the birds are singing and there's a mountain of work to be done in the borders. Nowadays they are using gardens as therapy for people with mental health issues, to comfort those in the throes of traumatic physical illness, to nurture people who are trying to dig themselves out of poverty or isolation, because so many of those human ills are exacerbated by separation from the natural world. I suspect it's Monty Don's influence that has resulted in so many of these therapy programs appearing on Gardeners' World.
The last part of the book was less interesting for me, as the Dons are discussing the plants that make up the garden--but that's only because I am a devourer of garden magazines and programs and have gardened myself for 30+ years, so I find such accounts interesting but not vitally so. I was very drawn in by the story of failure and resilience, and enjoyed seeing it from both sides of the marital partnership. Sarah Don is never onscreen but you feel her presence as part of the garden, and here was her presence as an essential part of the story, carrying, as women do, everyone's emotional burdens while keeping the house and garden going and essentially sacrificing her own interests and aspirations in the process. I laughed when she described throwing a plate at Monty, and hope she did it often--not that I don't sympathize with his depression, but I know exactly how it feels to be the person who lives with depression that's not theirs.
May 26, 2019
I liked the first half of the book which provided good insight into the trials and tribulations of Monty and Sarah during the late '80s and was engagingly written. Monty's openness and descriptions of his struggle with depression shows how we can talk about mental health. However being only the most amateur of gardeners the latter half became like an endless list of plants for me and I struggled a bit to finish the book, which bridges two genres, autobiography and gardening.
September 25, 2016
I really liked this book. I'm not a gardener, but I love nature books and I really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the garden as well as the memoir of their exploits in the jewelry business. Although I wish there had been more details about the day to day running of it. I also wish there had been more pictures although it was great that the ones in the book were in color.
Read
January 4, 2025What a sweet, simple read, I really enjoyed it. Shoutout to my Grandpa for lending it to me.
I hope one day I am able to build and sustain a garden of my own that is even a little bit like these guys’. The amount of time, thought and patience put into it is so admirable.
Definitely wanted to read more of Sarah’s voice, it felt like Monty dominated the story a bit (which seems to be a bit of a theme in their relationship/career dynamic). That being said it does seem like they match each others freak where knowledge of flowers is concerned
I hope one day I am able to build and sustain a garden of my own that is even a little bit like these guys’. The amount of time, thought and patience put into it is so admirable.
Definitely wanted to read more of Sarah’s voice, it felt like Monty dominated the story a bit (which seems to be a bit of a theme in their relationship/career dynamic). That being said it does seem like they match each others freak where knowledge of flowers is concerned
May 25, 2020
A lost chapter that I discovered in a seed packet......
Sarah Don sat at her large oak kitchen table and reviewed her architectural plans for the two barns that Montagu had persuaded their neighbor to sell to them for £15. It put them even more in debt but her husband was adamant that he needed extra storage space for his woolen jumpers and Freya needed a dressage arena if they were to see any improvement in her technique. As Sarah took another sip of her Fortnum & Mason Darjeeling tea there was a gentle knock on the door.
‘Come in’ Said Sarah, as their new housekeeper, Mrs Thornton entered.
‘Excuse my intrusion Mrs Don, but I am unable to locate the airing cupboard’
Sarah’s cheeks flushed with shame.
‘I am sorry Mrs Thornton, we do not have an airing cupboard’
Mrs Thornton took a sharp intake of breath.
‘No airing cupboard? How am I to air the linen?’
‘You must make do the best you can Mrs Thornton’
Mrs Thornton slowly walked up the stairs and retrieved the wicker laundry basket from the landing. She shuddered as she put away the freshly laundered clothes directly into the Don’s William IV mahogany wardrobe. It simply wasn’t right to have no airing cupboard. It wasn’t.....BRITISH! Mrs Thornton decided then and there to hand in her two weeks notice.
Sarah walked over to the Aga and poured her self another cup of tea into her Wedgwood Jasper Conrad Chinoiseries teacup. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed, sizzling, on the Aga’s surface.
Suddenly Tom Don burst through the kitchen door.
‘Mummy, the pony has escaped the paddock again!’
Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘Is it Tabatha or Winston?’
‘It’s Isambard again Mummy’
Sarah sighed ‘Isambard is Adam’s pony so therefore Adam’s responsibility, go and fetch him’
‘ He is helping Daddy trim the topiary yew cones, I daren’t disturb them Mummy’
Sarah nodded knowingly as she took a last sip of tea.
‘Ok then, let’s go find this naughty pony’
Sarah pulled on her Wellington’s and strode out the front door. She saw her husband lovingly teaching Adam the ancient art of topiary, a skill that would be vital when he started at Eton next year.
She smiled, the earlier humiliation of the airing cupboard was a distant memory. Now where was Isambard? The Lime walk? The Jewel Garden? The Walled Garden or God forbid, the Apple store?
Sarah Don sat at her large oak kitchen table and reviewed her architectural plans for the two barns that Montagu had persuaded their neighbor to sell to them for £15. It put them even more in debt but her husband was adamant that he needed extra storage space for his woolen jumpers and Freya needed a dressage arena if they were to see any improvement in her technique. As Sarah took another sip of her Fortnum & Mason Darjeeling tea there was a gentle knock on the door.
‘Come in’ Said Sarah, as their new housekeeper, Mrs Thornton entered.
‘Excuse my intrusion Mrs Don, but I am unable to locate the airing cupboard’
Sarah’s cheeks flushed with shame.
‘I am sorry Mrs Thornton, we do not have an airing cupboard’
Mrs Thornton took a sharp intake of breath.
‘No airing cupboard? How am I to air the linen?’
‘You must make do the best you can Mrs Thornton’
Mrs Thornton slowly walked up the stairs and retrieved the wicker laundry basket from the landing. She shuddered as she put away the freshly laundered clothes directly into the Don’s William IV mahogany wardrobe. It simply wasn’t right to have no airing cupboard. It wasn’t.....BRITISH! Mrs Thornton decided then and there to hand in her two weeks notice.
Sarah walked over to the Aga and poured her self another cup of tea into her Wedgwood Jasper Conrad Chinoiseries teacup. A single tear rolled down her cheek and landed, sizzling, on the Aga’s surface.
Suddenly Tom Don burst through the kitchen door.
‘Mummy, the pony has escaped the paddock again!’
Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘Is it Tabatha or Winston?’
‘It’s Isambard again Mummy’
Sarah sighed ‘Isambard is Adam’s pony so therefore Adam’s responsibility, go and fetch him’
‘ He is helping Daddy trim the topiary yew cones, I daren’t disturb them Mummy’
Sarah nodded knowingly as she took a last sip of tea.
‘Ok then, let’s go find this naughty pony’
Sarah pulled on her Wellington’s and strode out the front door. She saw her husband lovingly teaching Adam the ancient art of topiary, a skill that would be vital when he started at Eton next year.
She smiled, the earlier humiliation of the airing cupboard was a distant memory. Now where was Isambard? The Lime walk? The Jewel Garden? The Walled Garden or God forbid, the Apple store?
June 8, 2011
I found this book a bit disappointing and very irritating in many places, as he and "Sarah" bang on about how difficult life was for them. Poor loves! You can't help feeling sorry for people from priveleged backgrounds who wholeheartedly bought into the Thatcher dream, and then start wingeing when it all goes wrong. I find his gardening style too regimented anyway, and too much box hedging everywhere. All that faffing on about the colours of jewels and what they were trying to achieve, and then there's no global photo in the book to allow the reader to judge whether they actually did it or not.
April 15, 2019
Read because I'm a fan of Monty's TV gardening shows. I enjoyed reading about how their garden was created and how & why they've shifted it over the years.
November 26, 2020
I do really love this book. I've been watching "Gardener's World" on the BBC for several years now, and it main allure, aside from learning a great deal about gardening, is, of course, its main figure and chief gardener, Monty Don. I tell my friends he makes me think of Lady Chatterly's Lover. He looks just enough rough on the edges to make him interesting, but he can touch a flower like it were a lady's cheek, and when he speaks, ah when he speaks, and says something like, "and look at the lovely lush, blushing pink of this dahlia.." you (ladies) are nearly thrown into a swoon. So I was a little jealous of Sarah, who never appears on screen, and to be honest, I bought this book to find out more about this wonderful man. But surprise surprise, Sarah holds her own very well, so well in fact that in the end, I have to admit that she is (to me) just as appealing as he, and it is no wonder that they found each other.
The first part of the book tells the story of their beginnings, which were not easy, then their meteroic rise and crash in the costume jewelry business. The second part is dedicated to their large garden. It is something like a blog, with noteworthy remarks about plants and flowers, but also includes their joys and sorrows and many times, just some very sweet observations. Like this from Monty: "Hellebores are the most impressive plants of February and March, with none of the coyness or delicacy that so many spring flowers seem to possess. They are stately and confident, and considered terribly grown up and tasteful. But despite these handicaps you cannot fail to be charmed by them, holding their astonishing faces to the ground. The only way to really look at them is to lift each flower head between two fingers or to pick and float them in a shallow bowl of water."
The first part of the book tells the story of their beginnings, which were not easy, then their meteroic rise and crash in the costume jewelry business. The second part is dedicated to their large garden. It is something like a blog, with noteworthy remarks about plants and flowers, but also includes their joys and sorrows and many times, just some very sweet observations. Like this from Monty: "Hellebores are the most impressive plants of February and March, with none of the coyness or delicacy that so many spring flowers seem to possess. They are stately and confident, and considered terribly grown up and tasteful. But despite these handicaps you cannot fail to be charmed by them, holding their astonishing faces to the ground. The only way to really look at them is to lift each flower head between two fingers or to pick and float them in a shallow bowl of water."
September 12, 2019
Read this in between many long, difficult writing assignments. I am watching big dreams, small spaces along with my family and dreaming of restoring our garden to its former glory (?)
This book was great because it doesn't rush you. I didn't know half the plants mentioned in it because I live in India. However, I had a wonderful time looking them up and thinking what could parallel the experience here.
This book was great because it doesn't rush you. I didn't know half the plants mentioned in it because I live in India. However, I had a wonderful time looking them up and thinking what could parallel the experience here.
December 13, 2020
quick read and very readable if you enjoy gardening and stories of disaster and personal triumph over mental health issues and life generally. I like Monty as a garden presenter - he is personable humble and enthusiastic, and this comes out in her parts of this account of their life together too. It is also nice to get a glimpse into the life of Sarah Don who is reclusive about her share of their garden at long meadow. I read voraciously when i am drawn in sufficiently ad this was exactly what i needed to read over this last couple of days as i slowly realise i wish to become more and more reclusive in my life- that it suits me more than i ahve ever allowed myself to realise before. xx
March 1, 2021
This was wonderful—their rather candid account of how the loss of their first home and business led to their wonderful, garden-centric home and business now. Monty talks frankly about his experience with depression. And the the garden descriptions are lovely.
January 5, 2020
To understand Montagu ‘Monty’ Don more completely, read this book!
February 25, 2024
There is something very “real” about this book and its journey through a year in a garden. It’s not just about the cycles of life (what blooms, what must be pruned) it’s all the offshoots as well, and how mental and physical health intertwine with the rhythms of the seasons.
August 12, 2019
I discovered Monty Don recently through a gardening docu-series, French Gardens with Monty Don on Netflix. Then I watched Monty Don’s Italian Gardens. I couldn’t get enough so I started following him on Instagram, along with 273,000 others. After doing a bit of digging, I discovered that Monty is quite a celebrity in the UK. He became a household name mainly through the BBC series Gardener’s World; though he went on to star in a number of BBC gardening-related shows (the Brits love their gardens). He’s also written numerous books on gardening, columns and more recently starred in three BBC series on European gardens—French, Italian and British (only the first two are on Netflix).
When I learned that Monty had a memoir, and that he wrote about his battle with depression, I had to read it. Tough to find here in the United States, but I found a copy —The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption through a UK bookseller. It’s written by Monty and his wife Sarah. It’s a quirky memoir, in keeping with Monty’s screen personality. The first half is personal, an abbreviated story of their lives and the other half is a memoir of the garden they built together, 'The Jewel Garden'. The book goes back and forth between Monty’s voice and Sarah’s. The Jewel Garden gives the background to its name—Monty and Sarah first began their career together by building a wildly successful jewelry business, until the economy collapsed in the 1980s, along with their business.
The despair as per the title, refers to the collapse of the business, but also of Monty’s battle with depression. It’s brutally honest; his description of depression is the best I’ve ever read.
The next stage [here Don describes his depression progressing through a series of stages] is that this ‘normal’ world feels as though it is resting on this ice that hides unimaginable depths. The trick is to keep going forward, don’t look down and don’t lose your nerve. But this tiring and when you get tired the momentum becomes much harder to sustain. The look on someone’s face as you pass in the car breaks your heart. Sometimes it can be inanimate objects. I have been recused to tears by leaves blowing under the car. You are sane enough to know that this is odd and stupid and completely irrational…Above all, it’s exhausting. Everything is an effort. Really everything. (pages 56 - 57).
There are several pages of his description. Don validated a strange phenomenon that I thought was unique to me, finding music (all music) hard to listen to when depressed.
His description of depression is the best part of the book. Don not only describes what it feels like, but what alleviates the depression symptoms. He discusses strategies that help, not just gardening, but exercise and light therapy. It appears Don suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder based on his description, though he doesn’t specially say so.
I’m sure it’s difficult to bare your sole like this when one is a celebrity. Yet it’s awesome he’s done so and that his wife Sarah writes of her feelings about it. It shows how depression can affect anyone, even famous people with an apparently ‘ideal’ life. There is no such thing; which is the beauty of this memoir. It’s about real people with real struggles. Gardners will love this especially; as the Dons describe in detail the struggles and triumphs building their gorgeous garden. Most charming are the colour photographs included, as well as sketches of their garden designs.
When I learned that Monty had a memoir, and that he wrote about his battle with depression, I had to read it. Tough to find here in the United States, but I found a copy —The Jewel Garden: A Story of Despair and Redemption through a UK bookseller. It’s written by Monty and his wife Sarah. It’s a quirky memoir, in keeping with Monty’s screen personality. The first half is personal, an abbreviated story of their lives and the other half is a memoir of the garden they built together, 'The Jewel Garden'. The book goes back and forth between Monty’s voice and Sarah’s. The Jewel Garden gives the background to its name—Monty and Sarah first began their career together by building a wildly successful jewelry business, until the economy collapsed in the 1980s, along with their business.
The despair as per the title, refers to the collapse of the business, but also of Monty’s battle with depression. It’s brutally honest; his description of depression is the best I’ve ever read.
The next stage [here Don describes his depression progressing through a series of stages] is that this ‘normal’ world feels as though it is resting on this ice that hides unimaginable depths. The trick is to keep going forward, don’t look down and don’t lose your nerve. But this tiring and when you get tired the momentum becomes much harder to sustain. The look on someone’s face as you pass in the car breaks your heart. Sometimes it can be inanimate objects. I have been recused to tears by leaves blowing under the car. You are sane enough to know that this is odd and stupid and completely irrational…Above all, it’s exhausting. Everything is an effort. Really everything. (pages 56 - 57).
There are several pages of his description. Don validated a strange phenomenon that I thought was unique to me, finding music (all music) hard to listen to when depressed.
His description of depression is the best part of the book. Don not only describes what it feels like, but what alleviates the depression symptoms. He discusses strategies that help, not just gardening, but exercise and light therapy. It appears Don suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder based on his description, though he doesn’t specially say so.
I’m sure it’s difficult to bare your sole like this when one is a celebrity. Yet it’s awesome he’s done so and that his wife Sarah writes of her feelings about it. It shows how depression can affect anyone, even famous people with an apparently ‘ideal’ life. There is no such thing; which is the beauty of this memoir. It’s about real people with real struggles. Gardners will love this especially; as the Dons describe in detail the struggles and triumphs building their gorgeous garden. Most charming are the colour photographs included, as well as sketches of their garden designs.
July 20, 2020
Quite frankly, this book felt like a comfort blanket. There was a refreshing honesty and frankness about Monty's feelings throughout, charting his depression but also Sarah's own struggles to keep things together. From the rise and fall of their jewellery business, I was genuinely interested to see how Monty's career developed from a slightly unrelated field, but to see how they incorporated this history into their garden is intriguing, and a great insight into garden design. I read the whole book in under four hours and felt a great feeling of understanding and comfort by the descriptions of the changing seasons and the nature and countryside around them, towards the end it definitely feels like a piece of escapism, but an honest one.
September 26, 2013
Monty Don's gardening programme is essential viewing in my household where his every utterance is treated with reverence. I knew a little about his life, the jewellery business, the depressive episodes etc. This book explains more.
A great many middle aged folk will remember how Thatcher-ism ended badly, many more will remember how it was never much more than misery.
For Monty and Sarah Don it meant the collapse of hard earned financial security and for Monty an added burden of depression.
The book gives the reader a glimpse into this maelstrom, but it is just a glimpse as anyone that has been through similar will attest.
The love of gardening and the creation of garden runs through the entire book, it is the glue that holds all together.
It is written simply and with feeling nicely illustrated throughout. I feel like this is how you would catch up with a couple of old pals over a few drinks.
A great many middle aged folk will remember how Thatcher-ism ended badly, many more will remember how it was never much more than misery.
For Monty and Sarah Don it meant the collapse of hard earned financial security and for Monty an added burden of depression.
The book gives the reader a glimpse into this maelstrom, but it is just a glimpse as anyone that has been through similar will attest.
The love of gardening and the creation of garden runs through the entire book, it is the glue that holds all together.
It is written simply and with feeling nicely illustrated throughout. I feel like this is how you would catch up with a couple of old pals over a few drinks.
June 4, 2019
There are many books out there that discuss how gardening has helped the author work through some personal issues. Because I'm a fan of Monty Don on TV, I had high expectations for this book. So, it hurts to say I can't even give it 3 points. I found the book disjointed and boring. Part 1 was OK, where the couple talk about their early days before the business failure. However, Part 2 seemed to me to be simply a list of plants in their garden sections. I couldn't even work out how that would look, because I couldn't follow the plan. Even combining the lists of plants was odd: there would be a specific Latin botanical listed next to something as generic as red tulips, and it seemed a jumble. This book was a major disappointment for me.
October 6, 2018
Beautifully produced book full of glossy photographs, a joy for any gardener to hold and leaf through. Advertised as a story of "despair and redemption," yet the despair part of the book was not particularly compelling, and the second half of the book ended up becoming a simple account of how the gardens unfold throughout the seasons. An interesting decision was made to use two voices in the narrative, Monty Don's and his wife Sarah's, identified in the text by alternating between two type styles. This helped give a sense of the two gardeners and of their relationship to one another as co-creators. A satisfying read, but one that would do just as well without the subtitle.
January 11, 2022
Retirement, COVID pandemic and a new garden to create have turned me into a Monty Don fan. I started this in high summer 2021 but who needs a book about creating a garden when summer is in full swing and there is so much gardening to enjoy! Returning to it in chilly January I loved every page where the Don’s passion for gardening fly off every page. Inspiring and making me long to investigate new plants.
November 8, 2022
It is a good thing that Monty Don is a genius gardener because the writing dream was probably not a solid Plan B.
This is a great story not well told. This book is like a report. It seems very rushed and then toward the end, it's just a list of plants. The list of plants is my favorite part!
I don't know how much Julie Myerson from the Independent on Sunday was paid to write, "prose to die for" for a blurb on the back cover but it had to be a lot.
Don't read this "book".
This is a great story not well told. This book is like a report. It seems very rushed and then toward the end, it's just a list of plants. The list of plants is my favorite part!
I don't know how much Julie Myerson from the Independent on Sunday was paid to write, "prose to die for" for a blurb on the back cover but it had to be a lot.
Don't read this "book".
February 7, 2011
Beautiful. Mesmerising. Inspiring. Comforting.
The perfect read for a long dark January with the earth laying heavy and bare outside the windows.
And then to plan ahead, to order seeds, to dream and wait for Spring...
The perfect read for a long dark January with the earth laying heavy and bare outside the windows.
And then to plan ahead, to order seeds, to dream and wait for Spring...
March 27, 2016
This is the fascinating story of a man who on television seems totally together. The story is equally shared with his wife and it is a wonderful story of a couple coping with real hardship and the effects of depression. A good read, very human and very real.
July 13, 2015
Thrilled to find this on bookshelves (yes a real book) at current Housesit. Ten yrs old but still of interest to a NZr. Great photography tells the story along with detailed prose. Also giving insight into Monty's battle with depression.
Read
July 31, 2016A delightful and truthful book charting the rise to fame firstly in jewellery and then as Britain's favourite TV gardener. The development of Longmeadow and in particular, the Jewel Garden is fascinating and makes seeing it on TV all the more poignant.
July 25, 2012
Fascinated by the first half, detailing the couple's demise and giving insight into Monty's depressions.
July 4, 2014
Sounds great I always watch Monty Don on tv I like his approach to gardening but had no idea he had written books too Looking forward to reading this
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews