Monty Don's Golden Rule for Gardeners in a Changing Climate
BBC Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has issued a crucial warning to gardeners across the UK, advising them to abandon rigid horticultural calendars and embrace flexibility in their gardening practices. With the climate shifting unpredictably, Don argues that traditional timetables for tasks like pruning are becoming increasingly obsolete.
The Problem with Fixed Gardening Schedules
Don, who writes his Gardeners' World column over a month ahead of publication, has observed firsthand how climate change is disrupting long-established gardening rhythms. He notes that tasks once reserved for January now often crop up in December, while spring blooms are already emerging by mid-February in some areas. This variability makes strict adherence to calendar-based gardening a potential mistake.
Reflecting on his own experience, Don recounted how he recently felt the urge to prune an indoor vine in late December, despite it being traditionally a January job. He hesitated initially, thinking "January was still a week or so away," then realised this mindset was problematic. He writes humorously about being perceived as "a rule-bound idiot tied to an absurdly rigid horticultural calendar," acknowledging that many gardeners share this tendency to fixate on specific timing for tasks.
The Golden Rule of Pruning and Timing
Monty Don's central advice revolves around a simple but profound principle: "if it works for you, then whatever you did or however you did it is, up to a point, right." This golden rule encourages gardeners to trust their instincts and observations rather than slavishly following predetermined schedules.
He supports this with wisdom from the late gardening expert Christopher Lloyd, who believed "the best time to prune practically anything is when you remember to do so and have a pair of secateurs in your hand." Don emphasises that the risks of pruning slightly early are minimal—at worst, you might cut off some flower buds and delay flowering by a few weeks, but serious damage is unlikely.
Adapting to Nature's Shifting Patterns
Don explains that plants respond to environmental cues like light and temperature, not calendar dates. "Blossom does not start to appear on your fruit trees because it is spring and therefore the right time to flower," he notes. "They are responding to extra light and heat, and if that warming happens in what was formerly considered winter or 'too early,' they will still produce flowers."
This understanding is particularly crucial as climate change brings warmer periods during traditional winter months, forcing gardeners to adapt their practices. Don suggests that being too rigid could mean missing optimal windows for care and maintenance.
Learning from Experience and Failure
While advocating for flexibility, Don includes an important qualification to his golden rule. He warns that even methods that have worked for years can suddenly fail without obvious explanation. He views these moments not as setbacks but as valuable learning opportunities.
"Failure means you have to think for yourself and challenge all the things you have diligently learned from others," Don explains. "And that is when things get interesting." This perspective encourages gardeners to develop their own expertise through experimentation and adaptation.
Monty Don's Gardening Credentials
With over two decades as the main presenter of Gardeners' World since taking over from Alan Titchmarsh in 2003, Monty Don ranks among Britain's most trusted gardening authorities. His experience, including a health-related break between 2008 and 2011, lends weight to his advice about adapting practices in response to changing conditions.
His message is clear: in an era of climate uncertainty, successful gardening requires abandoning rigid calendars, trusting personal observation, and being willing to learn from both success and failure.
