Gardeners' World's Monty Don says 'it never will be' after mother-in-law's 'annoying' remark

Monty Don has shared a humorous anecdote about his mother-in-law and a remark that she made about his impressive Herefordshire garden, Longmeadow, which features on Gardeners' World

Monty Don has explained that he was once "quite rightly" irritated when his mother-in-law made a comment about his garden.

During an episode of the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine podcast (May 2), Monty discussed the idea that a garden can never be truly "finished", stating it's something "non-gardeners" say.

This led the popular horticulturist to recall a story about his mother-in-law and a remark she made about Longmeadow, Monty's impressive Herefordshire garden featured on the BBC show.

Monty said: "It's what non-gardeners say. They say, 'When will it be finished', or it'll be lovely when...I mean, it's what my mother-in-law used to come...

"She used to come and look at Longmeadow in the early days; you know, the first five years or so and said, 'Well, it'll be nice when it's done'. And quite rightly, it used to annoy me because it's not...You know, 31 years later, it's not done and it never will be."

Monty also said that we're losing our connection to the "true rhythms of life" and they're becoming "artificial" before pointing out advances in technology, such as video calls, which he said would have previously been viewed as the "stuff of science fiction".

He then suggested that we need something in our lives that's "true" and "tangible", and he believes that gardens "do that very well indeed".

The German-born broadcaster, who took over from Alan Titchmarsh as the main presenter of Gardeners' World in 2003, shares the Longmeadow garden with his wife, Sarah Erskine.

The couple, who have three grown-up children, have lived in their Ivington home for more than 30 years, with Monty purchasing the house back in 1991 when the garden was simply a field full of grass, nettles and brambles.

Over time, Monty has crafted an oasis complete with a greenhouse and a vegetable patch, not to mention The Cottage Garden, The Jewel Garden, and The Paradise Garden.

Monty recently divulged a handy tip for those eager to relish homegrown salads throughout the winter season.

He suggests that planting winter salad greens could bless you with fresh leaves "every day from the end of October, and into April".

However, it's important to remember that to grow "anything" over winter, you require "maximum light", which is best achieved with a greenhouse.

He told BBC Gardeners’ World: “The important thing is to clean the glass, as that means the light levels can be as good as possible. And you'll be surprised how influential that is. It's really important.”