Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has described a persistent rabbit invasion at his Longmeadow garden, admitting that plants can disappear almost as quickly as they emerge. The problem, he explained on the BBC Gardeners' World Magazine podcast, is linked to changing weather conditions, particularly flooding.
Rabbits Invade After Flooding
Don noted that heavy rainfall drives rabbits from flooded fields into his garden. "One of the really annoying aspects of flood, around us, is that the rabbits all come in out of the flooded fields into our garden. We now have a big rabbit problem because the poor things have got nowhere to go," he said. The issue is especially acute in spring, at the start of the growing season.
He added: "And if it's a cold and wet March, they come in and they eat everything." The damage can be substantial but often short-lived, as rabbits leave when conditions dry up and grass becomes more appealing. "As soon as it dries up and you start the grass growing and it warms up, they leave because the grass is much nicer than anything we can offer. You know, rabbits love freshly grown grass," Don explained.
Impact on Longmeadow Garden
Don's remarks highlight the daily challenges of maintaining Longmeadow, the Herefordshire garden featured on Gardeners' World. The rabbit problem is a recurring issue tied to water availability, whether too much or too little. "All these things are to do with water, either lack of it or presence of it," he said.
Don's Rise to Horticultural Fame
In a separate interview on the "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?" podcast, the 70-year-old recalled how a magazine feature in the 1980s launched his career. A lifestyle magazine, Elle, did an article about his home. "They looked out the window and said, 'Wow! Look at your garden, who did you get to do that?'. I thought, that's fighting talk. I said, 'we did it, it's our garden, planted every single thing, of course we did'," Don said.
The resulting article included a photo of Don topless, which he now finds amusing. "I'm ashamed to say, in it, I'm topless. I genuinely can't imagine why. It's out there folks, you can find it," he joked. The exposure led to writing commissions and eventually his horticultural career.
