New Three-Part Series On BBC Two

• Episode two: Friday 14th January at 8pm, BBC Two

• Episode three: Friday 21st January at 7pm, BBC Two

BBC/AHA Productions/Alexandra Henderson

BBC/AHA Productions/Alexandra Henderson

What happens in each episode?

Episode one: Venice

Monty travels to Europe and explores the influence of the Venetians on gardening, starting in their home city at the top of the Adriatic coast and travelling on through Croatia and Greece.

Visiting a range of public and private gardens, Monty learns about the impact that history, climate change and culture have had on the people who live there.

Exploring Venice on one of the city’s famous barges, he steps out to visit green spaces (both large and small) that are often hidden from view behind high walls, as well as wonderful gardens along the Grand Canal. He also meets those who have transformed a disused rubbish dump behind one of the city’s famous churches into a productive garden.



BBC/AHA Productions/Alexandra Henderson

Episode two: Croatia

In the city of Trieste, close to Italy’s border with Croatia, Monty visits a public garden first created by an obsessive royal plantsman more than 150 years ago – and it’s now being carefully restored.

He then heads down the Adriatic coast through Croatia to pick up the trail that the Venetians followed, ending his journey on the beautiful island of Lopud, near Dubrovnik. Along the way he discovers natural lakes and wildflowers, is given a tour of ancient olive groves, discovers a nursery where over 200 varieties of Iris – the national flower of Croatia – can be found, and is allowed into one of only two monastic gardens in the whole country.



BBC/AHA Productions/Alexandra Henderson

Episode three: Greece


Monty kicks off the last leg of his journey in Corfu, a Greek island with strong Venetian links, including olive trees planted by them that are still grown today. Monty visits a spectacular garden made by an Englishman with Greek connections, and meets with the widow of English writer Gerald Durrell, who takes him up into the mountains on a wildflower trail.

Next on the list is Greece’s capital, Athens, the place where the study of botany first began. As well as the Royal Gardens, Monty visits a reforestation project on Mount Hymettus and two modern gardens in and around the city.

Finally, he rolls up his sleeves and gets to work on a garden he has helped to create on another Greek island.



BBC/AHA Productions/Alexandra Henderson

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16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration



Garden book

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.



Garden book

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.



Garden book

National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts

National Trust
amazon.co.uk

£14.99

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.



Garden book

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.



Garden book

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.



Plants book

RHS Practical House Plant Book

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.



Garden book

Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers

Ten Speed Press
amazon.co.uk

£12.35

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.



Garden book

Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1

No Dig Garden
amazon.co.uk

£17.53

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. 



Plants book

In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round

Kyle Books
amazon.co.uk

£17.65

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.



Garden book

RHS Complete Gardener’s Manual

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.



Garden book

Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything

Bloomsbury Wildlife
amazon.co.uk

£10.21

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. 



Plants book

My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors

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.



Garden book

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.



Garden book

How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening

Lorenz Books
amazon.co.uk

£11.29

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.



Plants book

RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers

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.



Garden book

Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd
amazon.co.uk

£12.55

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
Executive Digital Editor, House Beautiful UK
Olivia Heath is the Executive Digital Editor at House Beautiful UK where she’s busy uncovering tomorrow’s biggest home trends, all whilst delivering stylish room inspiration, small space solutions, easy garden ideas and house tours of the hottest properties on the market.

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