Monty Don lives in a pretty cathedral city (Image: James Manning/PA)
Legendary gardener Monty Don is best known for presenting the popular BBC Two gardening programme Gardeners’ World. Many tune in to hear tips from the expert and see what he’s up to in his own famous garden, Longmeadow, which also stars in the Gardeners’ World programme.
The 70-year-old horticulturalist, broadcaster and author took over from Alan Titchmarsh as the principal presenter of Gardeners’ World back in 2003. Further back in 1989 Monty’s television career began on ITV’s This Morning, where he hosted a dedicated gardening slot. Monty was born in Iserlohn, West Germany, yet was raised in Hampshire, where he attended a number of schools in the area.
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Monty (full name, Montagu Denis Wyatt Don) was born on July 8, 1955, and his given name was George Montagu Don. He shares his beloved home, Longmeadow, with his wife Sarah Erskine, a qualified jeweller and architect.
The couple’s three children – Adam, Tom and Freya – also resided there until they eventually left home.
Now, the pair also own two beloved dogs – a golden retriever named Ned and a Yorkshire terrier named Patti, but the garden is also home to a coppice with graves “marked by headstones” of former pets that died, Monty detailed on his website.
On his website, Monty shared: “The coppice holds the graves, marked by headstones, of Beaufort, Red, Poppy and Barry, as well as the two cats Stimpy and Blue.
“They all enriched our lives immeasurably, and are now all a permanent part of the garden that they loved.”
Monty has previously shared that living at Longmeadow, close to the pet’s resting places is one reason he’d never sell his home.
Sarah and Monty have resided in this stunning property for over 30 years, situated in the quaint village of Ivington – in the catherdral city of Herefordshire – merely a five-minute drive from the market town of Leominster.
Monty Don with his dog Ned (Image: Associated Press / Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The house
The couple purchased the house in 1991, when the garden was simply a neglected two-acre field overrun with grass, nettles and brambles.
Today, the grounds boast an impressive greenhouse where Monty cultivates crops and flowers, a vegetable patch, The Cottage Garden, The Jewel Garden and The Paradise Garden.
The house itself is Tudor in style and comprises four bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen and 10 distinct workrooms and studios. When Monty purchased the property, it was a “ruin” and had no roof, electricity, running water or toilets. It took him and wife, Sarah, 10 years to complete the building work.
The home also features a wooden summerhouse which contains a table and chairs set and a small heater.
Monty Don with his Golden Retriever Ned at the Chelsea Flower Show 2025 (Image: Getty Images)
The area
Leominster town is surrounded by breathtaking views, historic sites, beautiful gardens and incredible architecture, so it comes as little surprise that sold prices in the local area are considerably above the UK average.
According to Zoopla, the average property price in the nearby village of Ivington in the past 12 months is £680,000.
Meanwhile, properties in the beautiful cathedral city of Herefordshire had an overall average price of £283,000 over the past year, according to Rightmove.
The story of Longmeadow with Monty Don features in a 2022 BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast episode – and later this week, Monty will return to TV screens with more gardening tips on Friday, April 17 at 8pm on BBC Two, when the next episode of Gardeners’ World airs.