Gardeners’ World favourite Monty Don has confessed that, especially now he’s getting older, he sometimes find the show’s schedule “overwhelming”.
The veteran gardener, now 69, told the Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast: “I often feel overwhelmed by what needs to be done.”
He said that, once filming begins in February, the demands of Gardeners’ World are relentless: “Once we get into February, which encourages a lot of jobs to be ticked off and it's flooded or it's snowy – the weather is not always easy – but that business continues for us.
“Right through till December, we’re always busy here. There are no downtimes, because of Gardeners World.”
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Finding time to relax and recharge your batteries is essential, according to Monty. He says that a period of hibernation in the depths of winter is essential.
“The Finns, who are famous for being the most melancholy nation in the world, because they have so much winter, dark purple winter in the month of October, descend into a kind of low level of hibernation, where they speak a bit less, they become a bit more gloomy," he continued.
“They close down, and not necessarily in a good way. In other words, it's not a romantic thing, but in doing so, that enables them to deal with it. And I think we all do that.”
Monty admits that he, himself, struggles through the last couple of months of every year, adding: “I find November and December dreadful. Maybe that's why I love January and February so much”
"The rhythms of nature are not just spring, summer, and so on. And so they're much more subtle than that, and they more varied. Trees have a rhythm, you know, bulbs have a rhythm. Roses have a rhythm.
“Every plant has its own rhythm. It goes through. And the more aware of that you are the most sensitive you are to that, the more you you connect with the natural world and you realise how incredibly complex and beautiful it is and that's available to you. You don't need a degree in botany or biology or animal behaviour.”
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Monty concludes that, as exhausting as it can be, filming for Gardeners’ World provides some valuable structure in his life. “The easiest things for me are filming days, because whatever is done is done well," he added.
“We’re making the program rather than constantly planning ahead and trying to do things that will come good in the future. But I now think, because I'm so old, that I worry less about that… I mean, I now accept failure.”
