My Garden World: The Natural Year

by Montagu Don

My Garden World by Monty Don is a celebration of every living creature that we all share. This year has given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. Whether you live in the countryside or the town, Monty's observations and insights are relevant to each and every one of us. My Garden World is Monty Don's personal journey through the natural year, month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Nature, Biography, Horticulture, Memoir, Reference

405 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Montagu '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.

Reviews

[Jose Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great diary!
Simple things are usually the best...

[Lindsey Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monty can do no wrong. I hear his voice in his writing as he leads us month by month through a year in his garden.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Monty Don book I have read and I loved his style of writing. I learnt so much from him. the chapter on Nigel had me really sobbing and I defy anyone who has ever lost a much loved dog to keep a dry eye

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short pieces about the flora & fauna in and around Monty Don's garden and farm. More about "wild" nature, not really about gardening.

Monty Don writes beautifully. The final chapter is about his dog Nigel dying and I cried my eyes out.

[Eric Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book that took the reader through the year in Monty Don’s Longmeadow. I loved reading about the plants, animals, weather, and dogs through Monty’s eyes. Each chapter is a month and I had intended to read one chapter per month in 2021, but that goal got away from me midway through the year. But a joy to finish in January 2022 under a blanket with a cup of tea in front of the fire as the snow piles up outside. And now I look forward to Monty’s return to Gardener’s World and the reawakening of our own garden this spring!

[David Harries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought it was DNF

[Martin Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realise there were so many plants I'd never heard of. But this is highly readable and informative without being overly preachy. You can almost hear him reading the text. I'm not comfortable with his ambivalence about huntin' and shootin', but then I don't own a large estate in Shropshire and a farm on the Welsh hills. It deals with the course of the natural year month by month, so is broken down into bite-sized chunks, which I like. All in all a worthwhile and informative read.

[Humphrey G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listen to the audiobook edition of this, and it is beautifully read by the author himself. I love this book, it takes you on an amazing journey through the natural year learning about all the creatures and plants that inhabit a garden and farmland through the course of one year. It is extremely well written and I came away from this book feeling I had learnt an awful lot. 5 out of 5 stars.

[cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cemented my belief that Monty Don is like Mr. Rogers for grown-ups - teaching about the world in a caring, gentle way and making life feel a tiny bit more doable.

[Mike Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sunday Times Gardening Book of The Year 2020. Although not so much a gardening book as a monthly journal of life in the country, Monty's home and hillside farm on the Welsh border. Observations and insights of every living creature he encounters, every tree, bird, flower, wild flower, weed, insect and so much more.

"If in our own modest back yards we can help preserve and treasure our natural world then we will make the world a better place - not just for ourselves but for every living creature".

A journey through the natural year , month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him. And I loved every page; I learned something new from just about every page, which at my age is no mean thing.

SPOILER ALERT

Many of you, like me, will know Monty Don through his TV documentaries and Gardener's World - and viewers came to love his gentle golden retriever, Nigel who died the day after Monty finished writing this book. His death was completely unexpected, completely shocking. Monty completes this book with an obituary to Nigel. I read it and shed silent tears. Heartbreaking.

[John Ollerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed and passionate dive into MD’s garden and farm.

[C. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing naturalists account of all the many birds, plants, and mammals that are to be found at different times of the year and in all the many places, in and around farms, gardens, woodlands and environments both familiar, and unfamiliar. It is amazing because it is a personal account of wildlife that is recalled from first-hand observation and experience in great detail, to the extent that it was like discovering all these species for the first time with a renewed sense of wonder and appreciation. There is a wealth of knowledge contained in this book with facts that I had either forgotten or was unaware of, such as the reasons for the decline in some birds, for example, - Swifts-
"Swifts do not live here any more. They pay cursory visits but do not belong to these skies. Yet no other creature owns the sky more than the swift and they used to grace us with their supersonic, sleek version of the still ubiquitous swallows and martins. But over the past 20 years, their appearances have become increasingly infrequent, increasingly brief..." and there follows the explanation as to why this has happened.
I regard this book as a treasure trove of all the many wonders of the natural world that surround us. We may be totally unaware of what is going on if we do not connect with nature using our own powers of observation.
This book is beautifully presented with many colourful illustrations.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the content in this book. I bought it with the hope that it would be about Monty Don's garden and about gardening and plants but it is actually more about animals and wildlife which was ok, but not what I had hoped to read about.

[Philip Clewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, well written. Very sad epilogue about Nigel (Monty Don's Golden Retriever) who died the day after Monty finished writing the book.

[Fon E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having only started watching Gardener's World in the last year or so, and succumbing to the calm, soothing tone of Monty Don's voice and demeanour at a time when the world seems even more chaotic than normal, I had to see if it translated to the written word. It does.

The book is a Season by Season, month by month journal of sorts, cataloguing the observations of plant and animal life as they emerge and appear over the course of a year. Along with his home and garden in Long Meadow, there is a farm in Wales which provide endless opportunities to observe the comings and goings of plants and wildlife as the seasons change.

He doesn't hold back from being blunt about the decline and endangerment of so many species, or about the reality of country life and pursuits like hunting or shooting but most of all, it is an ode to the natural world and the wonder and joy it so obviously brings to our lives, if we just take a minute to stop and look around us.

It could only have been improved by having more illustrations or photos of the various plants and animals mentioned, I found myself googling many as I read the book. Already 400 pages in paperback, I suppose a possibly 1,200 page doorstopper if pictures were included might not have been possible though. There are full page colour photos for each season included in the book and Monty's descriptions and anecdotes are more than enough to bring to life the magic he sees and observes as a outdoors man submerged in nature.

[Luisa Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I’m honest, I’m not sure I’d have chosen this book for myself, but I was given it so felt obliged to read it. I’m so glad I did. This is a feel-good book, one that catapulted me away from a stressful week straight into the peace of the natural world. Monty Don writes beautifully, making this a real pleasure. His lifelong enthusiasm and fascination with nature (the cute bits and the harsh bits) shines through. I learned a lot from the book, including some of the complex aspects of wildlife conservation that mean things are not as black and white as they might first appear. After lending this to a couple of people who I know will love it, I will keep it as a source of reference about animals and plants.
My only criticism would be the careless editing that left uncorrected his error about the Mabinogion. It wasn’t an early work in English, as claimed in the book. It is an early work in Welsh.
Overall this is an easy book to dip in and out of as well as one you can throw yourself into for a lengthier session of quiet escapism.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book by Monty Don, but I do so love his gentle manner on television, and that coupled with my love of gardening for nature drew me to this book.
I thought it would be a romantic, evocative read about plants and wildlife; but, it isn’t. I struggled initially at the hard bare facts laid before me, virtually every creature mentioned is in dangerous decline, this I knew - but not how long we’ve known about it - from the 70’s and 80’s! I grew to enjoy his no nonsense criticism of human practices that have destroyed so much of the natural world. He takes no prisoners and speaks his mind. This honesty and frankness was actually very powerful.
I also found his way of talking about hunting/killing a bit brutal, but then he is a farmer - and living in Devon, I know that death is a part of farming and most farmers talk about it as they would any other part of life.
I cried over the final chapter, Nigel, it was a very moving conclusion of the book.
I will keep this book and revisit it over time, I feel I learnt so much from it and hopefully will be able to filter it along to others.

[Dirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Garden World is Monty Don taking us through the year in his garden and farm, made up of tasty vignettes and morsels. I took my time with this book and almost followed it in step with its month by month format. This is not so much Monty the gardener and celebrity but more the naturalist and country man, in the manner of a latter day Jack Hargreaves. We learn Monty is partial to a whiskey in the garden on a summer’s evening, smokes a pipe when attacked by midges and loves spotting birds of prey swooping for a kill. This is not sentimental but rooted in the lived experience of the last thirty years or so based in Herefordshire. There is a touching tribute to Nigel, his famous dog, at the end. Walk a few miles in Monty’s boots by reading this book.

[Kay Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read most of Monty Dons books (except his travel books) and enjoyed all of the ones I’ve read. This was slightly different to his usual flower/plant based books, about his gardening endeavours at Longmeadow. In this book he talks more about the wildlife he observes both at his home and at the farm he owns in Wales. I found this a refreshing change. His knowledge of trees is extensive, as is his knowledge of the wildlife he observes.

For anyone who watches Gardeners World and is familiar with Monty Dons famous dog, Nigel, there is a beautiful piece at the end of the book detailing the death of this gorgeous dog….it had me in tears, it’s so well written. A fitting testament to a wonderful dog, who you almost feel has been your pet too.

[Jim King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love a bit of Monty - his encyclopedic knowledge of the countryside and it's inhabitants took me back to the days of Jack Hargreaves and "Out of town".
Tales and insight into his childhood, gardening and daily life were interesting in the most part but I did find certain parts of the book like trawling through an encyclopedia and it did tend to drag at those points.

The heartfelt Nigel parts both about him generally and his last days must have been difficult to write.
Nigel had a legion of fans - I was one of them - it was a great tribute to a beautiful dog.

Only 3 stars for me on this one.

[Lisa Wisniewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book giving us insight into what is happening Monty's garden throughout the year. Living in the US I'm not sure that I found it as enjoyable as someone who lives in the UK. The details about the decline and increase of certain birds, bugs and four legged creatures kept me wondering what it was like in the US. Similarly, his account of invasive species had me wondering about the US. There were several sections which reminded me of the four years I lived in Cambridge in my early 30s as I could recall seeing the same thing. All in all a worthy read and it certainly has made me watch what is going in my garden more closely.

[Agata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic overview of a gardener’s year. I love that each chapter represents a different month of the year. I found the book incredibly informative and I applied several of Monty’s suggestions in my garden throughout the seasons.

I particularly loved learning about swallows and house martins and their annual migration habits. I paid much more attention to their behaviour this year as I learnt what to expect on a monthly basis.

Monty has a lovely writing style that makes this book very enjoyable as well as a great learning tool for gardeners.

[Pat Osment · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as it was a revelation into the personality of Monty as well as a wonderful account of the nature he encounters throughout the year in his garden.I found out so much about him and the knowledge he has about not only about gardening but the creatures and birds that visit was amazing.
I particularly enjoyed his heartfelt tribute to his beloved Nigel,So very moving and the book contains some lovely photos too.

[Paul Charles Radio Show · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every page a joy says a quote on the front cover and it doesn't fail on this account.
Monty draws a rich, intelligent,knowledgable and captivating account of the wildlife and his relationship with this on his Herefordshire farm. This reads a a journal through the months and seasons and is best read in conjunction with this in monthly chapters correspondong to the months and seasons in real time.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It covers a year - each section is a month, and each month is broken down into snippets about different animals, plants, birds, etc that Monty encounters in that season. I enjoy his anecdotes and there are also loads of cool facts about the plant/animal as well - didn't know hedgehogs could climb!
I listened to this on audio in small snippets over a long period and it was lovely to have Monty's soothing voice to listen to when I needed some calm.

[Elaine Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

So well written and I liked the diary style. Beautiful descriptions of all aspects of the natural world - landscapes, animals, birds, plants, insects, weather. History, conservation, horticulture and agriculture all well described. A great read in lockdown when most of us don’t have such access to nature.

[Alison E Schwabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book from Monty - a Magdalene man. Great to hear all about the wildlife in his farm and garden and around there. he notices the little things that so many of us 'gardeners' and outdoor people notice and gives lots of interesting extra facts. Lovely easy read and a delight ..... and a last little piece about Nigel.

[Laura J Squibb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart from the fox hunting and the other animal cruelty story's, it is a beautiful book.
Like a breath of fresh air reading this.
The enjoyment of reading about plants, trees and wildlife makes me feel at home with my Dad and Mum 😊
Of course the chapter of Nigel at end bought me to tears.

It's definitely a must read

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such a lovely educational and enjoyable book and Montys writing style is so easy going.

My only criticism is I wish it had been purposefully written in a ^chapter for every day of the year" type style. I read it this way in fact. It's so nearly written that way but just not quite enough entries to cover all the days.

[Stephen_Digital · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about wildlife seen from the authors view point

A very personal account of wildlife as seen by the author. A lot of research has added to the readability and interest of this book. It has taken me a year to read the book as it is split into months and I decided to read one month every month.

A great read mixing fact with personal feelings.