Gardening at Longmeadow

I am a great fan of BBC Gardeners World so it was a natural urge to request Monty Don's "Gardening at Longmeadow" as a birthday present. On the TV programme, he is so easy to listen to with simple and distinct instructions and information and these attributes are very much carried into the book as it is just like listening to his easy, natural presentation. For example in the book he has a section on snails which are the bane of my gardening life and he not only talks about snails in general but also describes the different kinds of snails and how their habits differ so making it necessary to see what kind of snails one is trying to deal with and so choose the correct "attack" which is not necessarily synonymous with killing. A good read and an excellent reference book for the shelf.

A great read for amateur gardeners who, like me, make mistakes and wonder what's gone wrong. Good to know that Monty, too, can get it wrong at times, and isn't ashamed to admit it. This book is written by a man who brings his own delight in gardening, gardens, the natural world, and his beloved Longmeadow on to the printed page. Dip into it rather than trying to get from cover to cover, and keep it handy as the seasons change. Some marvellous photos, good advice, tips galore, and enough information to share with like-minded enthusiasts.

This is an Excellent book every garden should follow Monty Don.

As a confirmed fan of Monty Don this latest book was a must-have. He is a practical gardener ( like the late Geoff Hamilton) and you know that what he says re gardening, planting,dealing with pests and other problems will work, because he has been there, done that and learned through his own experience. As he takes you through the gardening year, with lovely illustrations as a bonus, you cannot help but be enthused and want to get going in your own patch. Buy it, --it's worth every penny !!

This is a lovely book with some beautiful photography and as ever the delightful musings of Monty Don. However, I feel it is lacking depth in some respects and I felt myself yearning for detail and information. The book deals with his garden at Longmeadow and how he has built it up over the last couple of decades. The book is broken into 12 chapters, with each chapter dealing with one month of the year. It was nice to read Monty's thoughts on each month and their impact on the garden. I feel that this book is more suited for the veteran gardener who can relate to the joy of gardening, one garden for 20 years +. As a relative new comer, I was hoping for a little more explanation on how he divided his garden into the Jewel Garden, Ornamental Veg Garden etc. and his reasons behind it. Overall, if you like his style on Gardeners' World and are looking for a pleasant (not too technical) read about gardening, then I think you would enjoy this book. If you are looking for a more in-depth detail on gardening I would recommend his book 'The Complete Gardener'.

Great ideas and quite complex. Not for the beginner but the more experienced printmaker that wants to experiment and explore new possibilities.

I love Monty Don's chatty but punctiliously grammatical style; I learned so much from his garden joys and woes that I faced updating my garden with a balanced view that some thing will work and others just don't, in spite of nematodes, too much rain, too much sun and a relaxed view of my Devon garden that falls rather short of his Herefordshire one, with a few tweaks here and there... Oh, all right, I'll constantly be changing it, but that's part of the joy of having a garden. Thanks, Monty; I'll be coming back to this book again and again, seasonally and just through the excellent index.

This gardener is the messiah of gardening. I can safely say, I follow the advice of Monty with passion. I learn from the mistakes and read about the ways to do it and just trial and error to see where it ends up. I absorb the help I can get from my neighbour who is a proud dahlia grower and tomato plant seed sower. So it is a must for new and aspiring gardeners to take heed before just “diving in”, to have a bit of savvy before you just make the journey into growing your own produce, plants and so on. Start with the easy stuff and the novice in you will be the expert in a good few years.

Only comparable to the other Monty Don's book 'The complete gardener', which is a good addition to this..Monty Don's articles are so well founded, his enthusiasm is contagious and his advice is invaluable.

A wonderful, great book. All the info for beginers and advanced gardeners with beautiful photos ! It is a great pleasure for me to read it. Written in simple, clear way with all the passion and poetry that Monty Don has. This book is a great inspiration and the best book about gardening. Thank you Monty Don !

It's big, thick and bulky but from my partners review it's got lots of good info on gardening in it. Boys if your partner is into gardening this dude is like their messiah.

Although Monty gardens 3000 miles away from me, I can take a lot of his advise and wisdom and use it in my own gardening efforts. The book is also an easy read and if you watch Gardeners world it is easy to hear Monty’s voice in your head as you move through the pages.

Exactly what every happy gardener needs on a month to month basis. Good as a reference book but also a joy to read