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Monty Don books
LeadFarmer
Posts: 1,496
Ive read quite a few Monty Don books, the most recent being his book about the dogs that he has owned during his life - My Family and Other Dogs, which is a lovely read.
His Jewel Garden book is also a very enjoyable read, covering his early life and the creation of his gardens.
And now Ive just preordered his new book - Down to Earth which comes out next month, which I'm looking forward to reading.
I do enjoy his books, he writes well and makes them such an enjoyable read.
Last edited: 01 September 2017 17:12:19
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He does write well but if I want to learn about practical gardening I go to Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh and Beth Chatto and others.
It's probably fair to say that although Monty has been involved in gardening all his life, it hasn't been his main area of interest throughout as it was for the likes of Geoff Hamilton. Monty has a background in writing and broadcasting and that is likely to have affected the way he writes, whereas Geoff Hamilton would write more from a purely practical point of view.
https://www.dk.com/uk/features/uk/monty-don-preorder-competition/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=04092017_Monty_Don
Link above to order the book but also chance to win a trip for two to London to the book launch and signed copy
I understand the viewpoint that Monty has had other aspects to his life, but surely, his current role as chief presenter of Gardeners World lends his authority and expertise an irrefutable credibility, at least, it does for me and countless others. I find his gentle manner irresistbly inspiring, and his knowledge probably more hard won than the likes of Alan Titchmarsh who also has his sideline in publishing romantic fiction. Whats wrong with having two strings to your bow, and why does that diminish your credibility as a respected authority on horticulture? Happy days to all, Annesandra.
"as a respected authority on horticulture? "
But he's not.
Ask those who work in professional horticulture.
As I've said, Monty writes well but you'd expect that form someone who read English Literature at Cambridge. However, his horticultural knowledge is all gleaned form personal experience and what he's read or seen.
He has no formal training or qualifications and that leads him to make mistakes both in his own garden - which anyone can do - but also when giving advice on TV and that is a worry. He also doesn't like or have lawns and that means he can't tell people - and that's most UK gardeners - how and when to treat them for various problems or give authoritative advice on how to prepare or repair or use one to best advantage to show off other plants and borders.
His own garden is all hemmed in with hedges and, to me, claustrophobic but he does have some wonderful plants and combinations and I like his feeling for wildlife and organic methods but I'd be happy if I never saw him mention bananas again.
Last edited: 22 September 2017 12:03:27
Funnily enough, I'm a big fan of the bananas, which , to be fair, is only seen about 4 times a year.
Can we get rid of the endless shots of dozing dogs?
The problem is he ships those bananas in and out with the same commentary every year and I reckon they are time wasted as of little personal interest or relevance to the vast majority of viewers in the UK. I could grow them here but, judging by what I've see, they get shredded by winter gales and look deeply unattractive for months.
But, to be fair, Shipped in and out = 2 segments in a year, and at least it's gardening.
We get about 5 or 6 dog shots per episode.
I used to watch GW every Friday. If I was out at night, I'd record it and watch it before going to bed, no matter how late it was.
I now record it just so I can use the FF button.
Last edited: 22 September 2017 13:00:36
Interestingly - a few weeks back, he had a golden opportunity to show people how to sharpen tools, while gently rambling about sharop tools and the beauty of doing the job etc. He didn't though.
Last night, Jim (Beechgrove) did exactly that in a couple of minutes with a pair of secateurs.
Just sayin'....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...