Gardeners' World and Chelsea Flower Show presenter Monty Don is one of the UK's best known and most respected gardeners, and he's just been awarded the highest honour in horticulture.
The Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) was established in 1897 with the approval of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. It enables the RHS Council to 'confer conspicuous honour on those British horticulturists whom it considers deserving of special honour', such as contributing to the positive impact of gardening and reaching large audiences to make a difference.
TV gardener Monty, 66, shared the news with his social media followers, reflecting on the award, which he called 'a small medal but a great honour', and his meeting with the Queen, who arrived at Chelsea on Monday afternoon (23 May) to tour the gardens.
"The RHS is delighted to award Monty the highest honour in horticulture, the VMH, in recognition of his passion and hard work to bring gardening to the wider British public, sharing his skills and advice, and getting millions of people gardening and growing plants," said RHS President Keith Weed, who presented the accolade to Monty.
"During lockdown Monty brought the joy of gardens and gardening, in the bleakest of times, into the homes of millions of people across the UK. Gardeners' World became a lifeline for the nation, with show ratings soaring by more than one and a half million to their highest in a decade.
"Monty's immense contribution in communicating to and engaging the UK public about gardens and gardening is inspiring. On top of this he has been the strongest advocate for the therapeutic benefits of gardening, talking about gardening for health and wellbeing and happiness long before anyone else and championing gardening as the force for good that it is."
In recognition of the duration of Queen Victoria's reign, only 63 VMH medals may be held at any one time, therefore the honour is not awarded every year. Alan Titchmarsh and Carol Klein, plus the late Peter Beales, Beth Chatto, David Austin and Peter Seabrook, have all previously been awarded the prestigious accolade.
Monty, who has been making TV programmes for over 30 years, has been lead presenter of BBC's Gardeners' World since 2003 – and since 2011 he started to present it from his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire. He was the Observer's gardening editor from 1994 until 2006, and was for many years the President of the Soil Association. His numerous books include Nigel: My Family and Other Dogs and Down to Earth, The Complete Gardener and Gardening at Longmeadow. He was awarded an OBE in 2018.
16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration
RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space
Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.
Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere
Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners, Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.
National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts
The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.
Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month
Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.
DK The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening
Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.
The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.
Ten Speed Press Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers
A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. In Small Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.
No Dig Garden Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1
Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.
Kyle Books In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round
Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round with In Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.
The RHS' Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.
Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? In Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything, Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.
Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.
DK RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space
If you're looking for new garden ideas, the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.
Lorenz Books How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening
This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.
Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.
Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest
Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.
Olivia Heath is the Daily Editor at House Beautiful. Heading up all things digital, Olivia loves uncovering tomorrow's biggest design trends and sharing the best decorating tips, small-space living solutions, and houseplant care advice. She also enjoys curating stylish and affordable homeware on the high street, as well as spotlighting the hottest properties on the market. Olivia covers some of the biggest events in the calendar, including all the action from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Colour of the Year forecasts from Pantone to Dulux, and exclusive previews of all the new Christmas collections before they hit the shops. Olivia has been writing about homes and interiors for the past seven years, and her work has also been published on House Beautiful US, Elle Decor US, Country Living, Good Housekeeping, Red, Prima, Town & Country, Elle Japan, Modern Living and Micasa Revista. Prior to joining House Beautiful, Olivia worked at Reveal magazine, where she reported on celebrity and entertainment news by day, and attended showbiz parties and red carpet events by night! Olivia has an MA in Journalism with an NCTJ qualification, as well as a BA in Journalism and Media & Cultural Studies. Previous bylines include The Guardian, Independent on Sunday, The Huffington Post, Frontline Club and Pride Magazine.
