Worried fans urge BBC Gardeners' World star Monty Don to ‘stay safe’ after recent Instagram posts

Monty Don and his Longmeadow garden have become household names thanks to BBC Gardeners' World and has earned the horticulture expert a legion of fans. This week, a concerning social media post has seen viewers urging the 69-year-old to ‘stay safe’.

On Monday, Monty shared a series of photographs showing large parts of his impeccably maintained gardens under water as flooding that, he says, used to happen “once every 10 years”, now arrives three or four times every year. In another post, he said: “I think this is the first time in 34 years we have simultaneously had flooding and lying snow. In any event the roads to the garden are flooded so no vehicles in or out today.”

His 1.3 million followers were quick to send their well wishes along with words of warning. Kim Sherlock said: “So sorry to see these scenes Monty, I really do feel for you, you have a beautiful garden and it will recover in time. The climate change is making it so difficult for you and your fellow gardeners. Thankfully gardeners are resilient folk.”

Helen Hewson commented, “stay safe and cosy”, echoed by Cathy Flo who said: “Stay safe Monty and family.”

However, the beloved presenter did follow up to let people know he was okay in a post captioned, "It looks alarming, but we are used to it", Later adding: "After a day of unrelenting rain, wind and grim grey gloom, the sky broke free for a brief flight of fancy before darkness - and more rain fell. It's a trifle damp this morning.."

In some good news for green-fingered fans missing their weekly dose of Gardeners’ World, Monty will be returning to screens this week in his new series, Monty Don’s British Gardens starting on Friday night (January 10) at 2pm on BBC2. Over the five episodes, he will travel Britain, from the north of Scotland right down to the furthest tip of Cornwall, visiting more than 50 fascinating and varied gardens on the way.

He said: “I have visited glorious gardens all over the world and I have made gardens and gardened all my life. In fact, gardening is as essential to me as the air that I breathe. But I feel now the time has come when I want to explore my own country and discover just why we British are a nation of such passionate garden lovers.

“Whether it’s a big garden where fantasies are indulged or a small plot where dreams are made. So many of us feel impelled to make a garden and will find a way of creating one, wherever we are. I want to find out what this tells us about ourselves. Is it just a particular aspect of our history, our climate, or some part of our national character that has made us a nation of garden lovers.

“So, for over a year I’ve criss-crossed the entire country, visiting as many gardens as possible, and on that journey, I’ve discovered new and exciting gardens, gardens that are having to adapt to the changing climate, as well as gardens that are distinctly quirky.”