My Garden World: the Sunday Times bestseller

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Beautiful descriptions of all aspects of the natural world - landscapes, animals, birds, plants, insects, weather. I paid much more attention to their behaviour this year as I learnt what to expect on a monthly basis. All in all a worthy read and it certainly has made me watch what is going in my garden more closely. I found out so much about him and the knowledge he has about not only about gardening but the creatures and birds that visit was amazing.

I struggled initially at the hard bare facts laid before me, virtually every creature mentioned is in dangerous decline, this I knew - but not how long we’ve known about it - from the 70’s and 80’s! he notices the little things that so many of us 'gardeners' and outdoor people notice and gives lots of interesting extra facts. Many of you, like me, will know Monty Don through his TV documentaries and Gardener's World - and viewers came to love his gentle golden retriever, Nigel who died the day after Monty finished writing this book.Monty has sectioned the book into the four seasons with a month by month observations of what he may or may not have been seen in the garden and up at the farm. I regard this book as a treasure trove of all the many wonders of the natural world that surround us. Along with his home and garden in Long Meadow, there is a farm in Wales which provide endless opportunities to observe the comings and goings of plants and wildlife as the seasons change.

This was slightly different to his usual flower/plant based books, about his gardening endeavours at Longmeadow. I also found his way of talking about hunting/killing a bit brutal, but then he is a farmer - and living in Devon, I know that death is a part of farming and most farmers talk about it as they would any other part of life. My Garden Worldis Monty Don’s personal journey through the natural year, month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him. I will keep this book and revisit it over time, I feel I learnt so much from it and hopefully will be able to filter it along to others. Recent times have given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us.If in our own modest back yards we can help preserve and treasure our natural world then we will make the world a better place - not just for ourselves but for every living creature". His new book is a celebration of the living world, through which he walks us, following the calendar year, pausing to observe everything from hares to hawthorn. I’ve never read a book by Monty Don, but I do so love his gentle manner on television, and that coupled with my love of gardening for nature drew me to this book. My Garden World is Monty Don's personal journey through the natural year, month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him.

However getting back to this tome, it is both entertaining and funny in places and very informative, so if you want to know your woodcock from your pheasant or your willow from your crack willow, then I highly recommend it. There are also some lovely pictures of the garden and the farm as well as Nigel including the last one ever taken. Best Christmas Releases* --While some gardeners appear bent on suppressing nature, Monty Don loves and works with it. A journey through the natural year , month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him. Evocative for me because I grew up in the Welsh Marches and really, really miss seeing the changes across the seasons.Whether you live in the countryside or the town, Monty's observations and insights are relevant to each and every one of us. By definition, it is fair to say that there are sensitive areas that may not be to everyone’s taste, but for the best part it makes for informative, descriptive reading, IMO. Monty never wrotes that he is for the hunting of any animal (and in fact often states otherwise), but simply tries to explaon that the situation of conservation is more complicated than a yes or no answer. There are full page colour photos for each season included in the book and Monty's descriptions and anecdotes are more than enough to bring to life the magic he sees and observes as a outdoors man submerged in nature. If I’m honest, I’m not sure I’d have chosen this book for myself, but I was given it so felt obliged to read it.

My only criticism is I wish it had been purposefully written in a I'm an avid watcher of Garden's World and while I like gardening, I know little about it which is why this book was ideal - I know perhaps I should read a boo about gardening. I found the book incredibly informative and I applied several of Monty’s suggestions in my garden throughout the seasons. Monty has a lovely writing style that makes this book very enjoyable as well as a great learning tool for gardeners. After lending this to a couple of people who I know will love it, I will keep it as a source of reference about animals and plants.If, in our own modest back yards, we can help preserve and treasure our natural world, then we will make this planet a better place ~ not just for ourselves but for every living creature. I have used the calendar months because these fit in with the rhythm of my gardening year ~ I always begin each January with a sense of hope and optimism because the garden is starting to wake up after the slow descent down to the end of the year. His previous books include the Sunday Times bestseller Nigel, The Jewel Garden, Paradise Gardens and Japanese Gardens with Derry Moore , which was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Awards. In this book he talks more about the wildlife he observes both at his home and at the farm he owns in Wales. It deals with the course of the natural year month by month, so is broken down into bite-sized chunks, which I like.