Monty Don says he might have to let go of gardeners paid for by BBC after he steps down from Gardeners' World

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 11:28 EDT, 28 September 2026 | Updated: 11:31 EDT, 28 September 2026 Monty Don has said he might have to let go of the staff who keep his property looking spick and span for Gardeners’ World.It comes after the BBC presenter announced earlier this month that he will leave the show he hosts - alongside his much-loved dogs - after 23 years.Speaking for the first time since then, Don, 71, revealed that the Corporation pays towards the salaries of two full-time gardeners at his home, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire.He said: ‘From day one it’s been in my BBC contract that I have to have two full-time gardeners.‘If I’m off filming in the Rhine or India or somewhere like that, somebody has got to be getting it ready.‘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.His current team of two gardeners, a propagation expert and a landscaper have been with him for ten years, he said. ‘They are a great team and we all work together really well. 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 Don is quitting Gardeners' World after more than 20 years as the BBC show's longest-serving Head Gardener Monty joined the show in 2003, and in 2011, he welcomed audiences weekly into his own gardenSpeaking at the RHS Malvern autumn flower show, Don said he would not open his two-acre private garden to the public, as organising parking in the area would be too difficult.He and his wife Sarah, 72, created the garden in the village of Ivington in 1991, at which time it was a neglected field with one hazel tree.Longmeadow now features a cottage garden filled with shrub roses; the jewel garden, with bright, multicoloured flowers; the Islamic-inspired paradise garden; and a vegetable garden, which provides produce almost year-round.Don started presenting Gardeners’ World in 2003, and has hosted it at Longmeadow since 2011.However, announcing his exit, the horticulturist said it was ‘the right time for a change’.‘There are more books to write, more programmes to make,’ he continued. ‘And of course, I will still be gardening, dog by side, here at Longmeadow.’Throughout his time on the show, Don spoke about his struggles with grief and depression, and how ‘the power of the natural world’ benefited his mental health.In a statement, the BBC’s chief content office Katie Phillips said she was ‘very sad’ to see Don go, and thanked him for his ‘honesty and kindness’.The final series hosted by Don will continue to be broadcast from Longmeadow until later this year. He will work with the BBC on other projects, and it is understood he will shortly begin filming a travel programme called Island Gardens.