BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley received a horticultural treat and a genuine surprise when she was invited for a private tour of Monty Don's world-famous garden at Longmeadow.
A Personal Tour Reveals the True Scale
Whiley, who co-hosts a popular podcast with fellow broadcaster Zoe Ball, described the visit as a personal highlight. Speaking on her Dig It podcast, she revealed her astonishment at the garden's actual dimensions. The celebrated garden, which appears expansive on the BBC's Gardeners' World, is "a lot smaller in the flesh than it appears on television," she noted, adding that this is a common trait of things seen on screen.
Located at Monty's home in Ivington, near Leominster in Herefordshire, Longmeadow is presented on television as a vast, sprawling paradise. It is divided into four distinct sections, each with its own character: The Cottage Garden, The Jewel Garden, The Paradise Garden, and The Vegetable Garden.
The Four Gardens of Longmeadow
Monty Don provided Whiley with insights into each area's history and design. The Cottage Garden spent its first two decades as a practical kitchen garden, supplying the family with fresh produce, before evolving into a florally abundant space. It now features over 50 varieties of old-fashioned shrub roses in summer, with structure provided by box hedging and eight large Irish Yews, all of which famously fit in a car boot when planted in 1994.
Whiley was particularly captivated by the Jewel Garden, which Monty describes as the physical and spiritual heart of Longmeadow. The planting scheme is deliberately brash, with plants chosen for their jewel-like or metallic colours, creating an effect Monty likens to the extravagance of the 1980s.
The Paradise Garden represents a more scholarly endeavour, based on a Koranic principle with four symmetrical beds around a central water feature. Its modern planting includes stipa grass and tulips with long, ottoman-like petals, complemented by fragrant roses and lilies.
The final section, the Vegetable Garden, is the most functional, returning to the site's original purpose. It is filled with crops ready to be harvested and taken straight to the kitchen, a process Monty calls "one of life's great pleasures."
The Illusion of Television
Jo Whiley's experience highlights the clever cinematography and presentation that goes into making Longmeadow appear so vast on programmes like Gardeners' World. Despite the surprise at its real-world footprint, she was effusive in her praise, calling the garden "wild and rugged and beautiful" and Monty a "great, great host."
The new series of Gardeners' World, where viewers can see the garden for themselves, returned to BBC Two on Friday, January 9.
