Monty Don faces major garden issue as BBC 'contribution is going' after show exit

Monty Don has confirmed the BBC has been subsidising staff at his Longmeadow garden, but that contribution will end following his departure from Gardeners' World — forcing him to find new ways to fund the Herefordshire site.

Gardening legend Monty Don has revealed he faces a financial challenge in maintaining his treasured Longmeadow garden following his departure from BBC Gardeners' World. The 71-year-old presenter is bowing out after more than two decades fronting the beloved programme.

Taking to Instagram earlier this month, he announced that now feels like "the right time for a change". Yet his decision to leave the show, 23 years after succeeding Alan Titchmarsh in 2003, brings practical implications for the garden he's nurtured since 2011.

A key concern is securing funding for Longmeadow's upkeep, with Monty revealing at the RHS Malvern show that the BBC had been contributing towards the wages of two gardeners maintaining the two-acre plot.

Speaking to those gathered at the event, Monty clarified that the team had been necessary to keep the garden "camera ready" while he was away filming other projects.

Monty, who has called Longmeadow in Herefordshire home alongside his wife Sarah since 1991, said: "The BBC pays a contribution towards their wages. Not enough, but they do pay something, which is great. Obviously that contribution is going to go.

"I will have to think of ways - I can't afford it unless we earn money from it - so I am going to think of ways of earning something from the garden, but I can't do that until the middle of next year at the earliest."

Monty, who delivered the shocking news about his departure from BBC Gardeners' World on 8 September, acknowledged that while he was stepping away, he remained deeply grateful to his soon-to-be former employer for both past collaborations and future opportunities.

He stated: "I look forward to continuing to work with and for the BBC on other projects, as well as following new avenues. And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by side, here at Longmeadow."

These "other projects" indicate that Monty isn't severing ties with the BBC entirely, with the seasoned presenter recently appearing in another programme called Rhineland Gardens, which aired earlier this year.

Monty has also expressed interest in exploring other destinations, including South America and Scandinavia, though he's acknowledged that while he values his television work, it can occasionally prove demanding.

During an appearance on the Good Food podcast, Monty discussed the lengthy days he and his crew endure while producing popular programmes such as Monty Don's British Gardens.

He explained: "It's harder work doing that than Gardeners' World, for example. Very often leave the hotel early, at six or something like that. Film all day. Travel, as well. Get to our next location if we're lucky about half past six, seven, if we're unlucky, nine.

"Then all the kit has to be unloaded, the batteries charged, I have to do my research for the next day, we have to eat, you get to bed about midnight, up at half past five the next morning, and that's what we do."

Monty continued: "There are no rest days. A lot of travelling which is tiring in itself. When we filmed British Gardens, which was shot over two years, there were five trips.

"Each trip, I personally drove 1,000 miles. Huge amounts of travelling around. When we did the Rhineland, one day we filmed in four separate countries on the same day."

Reflecting on the demanding schedule, Monty acknowledged that while there was "a lot of preparation" and "an awful lot of filming" involved, the programmes remained a "labour of love".