Monty Don shares one 'stupid' thing people say about gardens as he reveals big mistake

Gardening legend Monty Don has shared what he believes is "the most stupid thing anyone can ever say about a garden".

The 70 year old has served as Gardeners' World's main presenter since succeeding the iconic Alan Titchmarsh in 2003, apart from a break between 2008 and 2011 owing to ill health.

The specialist understands what constitutes an excellent garden, and is proud of his personal garden Longmeadow, which he maintains alongside his wife Sarah.

However, speaking on the BBC Gardeners' World podcast, he warned that the biggest error green-fingered Britons can commit is believing a garden is "finished".

He said: "The thing I love about gardens is they don't stay the same, ever. The most stupid thing anyone can ever say about a garden is 'oh we've finished it,' or 'it's done,'" reports the Mirror.

"Because, a) it's not true and b) it means you don't begin to understand what a garden is. It's like saying a river is finished, or a cloud has finished.

"It's a completely moveable, fluid, variable, changeable thing, so Longmeadow is great today and I hope it's great tomorrow."

Longmeadow represents Monty's greatest achievement. He and his wife Sarah began developing the garden after relocating to their residence in Ivington, Herefordshire, in 1991.

The plot consisted of rough grassland, nettles, and brambles when he purchased the property, which he has subsequently converted into his renowned two-acre garden.

He declines to claim sole responsibility for the remarkable garden as he maintains "Sarah and I have always gardened together". Speaking to the podcast, Monty said: "Longmeadow is not my garden, Longmeadow is our garden and she and I did it together.

"By and large I do design and structure, and most of the physical planting, and she is much better at detail than me and colour and I've learned colour from her.

"She has perfect pitch when it comes to colour, which is quite a rare thing. The other thing that is really annoying. I remember doing this, I planted a hedge.

"She was out and came back and I said: 'I've planted this hedge, what do you think. She'll go: 'It needs to be moved one foot that way.' And she was right.

"So I dug the whole hedge up and planted it one foot that way. That sort of rigour is good. You need someone to give you a kicking every now and then."

Despite his lengthy association with Gardeners' World, Monty confessed he hasn't always been a viewer of the programme.

The television presenter revealed he didn't tune in during his twenties, nor did he subscribe to Gardeners' World Magazine or hold membership with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society).

He added: "The two things I did do were I visited gardens obsessively. All kinds of gardens from the most conventional to the most extreme, and I'd recommend that to anyone.

"And I looked for people who were slightly on the edge of gardening."