My Latest Obsession: Monty Don
- Caroline Sturman
- Jul 5, 2019
- 2 min read
Anyone who has asked me about my latest obsession with gardening, I will profess that it is all from watching "Big Dreams, Small Spaces" on Netflix. (For simplicity's sake, I call flower gardening and landscaping just 'gardening'). And what I would talk about next is how I absolutely love the host, Monty Don. Monty Don is new to me, but not to anyone else who has ever dipped their toe into gardening! He is known as Britain's top gardener, but I only just heard of him a few months ago (from the show) and have been inspired to get out in my garden and "get stuck in" ever since!
The show is basically a garden makeover shower featuring two sets of people per episode that each have a small backyard that they want to turn into their dream garden. It is a light-hearted show that I would usually watch while Elizabeth napped to add a little peace in my day, especially when still settling into our new home in Maryland. One of my favorite episodes is about these new parents creating a sensory garden for their son, Noah, who has down syndrome (pictured below). So precious!
What I like most about Monty Don is he carries this extremely positive attitude all the time, even when people's plans sound overly ambitious or nontraditional. And he seems to believe that anyone can be a gardener and I need that kind of reassurance in my life. He also has spoken about how gardening has helped his mental health over the years and I have to admit I have been striving for a certain calm/slowness in my life as of late. I'll have more to say on that in one of my next "Obsession" blog posts. But there is something so comforting to me (and I think for humans, biologically) about connecting with the surrounding environment and the earth. I think it helps to ground me to what is really important in life, which is that in itself, life.
Photos from my own garden
In an interview Monty said that, "if you like weeding, you've got it, you understand it" and anyone who follows my Instagram stories knows I have had to do a ton of weeding lately! And I absolutely love it! So if you ever need some encouragement to get out in your garden and "get to it", let me know! Or just watch some gardening shows on Netflix.
Of course, my man here has a website and blogs "Tips and Advice" for what to do in your garden each month! You can also follow him on Instagram @themontydon. And you know I'm going to read his book, "Down to Earth: Gardening Wisdom."
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