Monty Don Reveals How Flooding Creates a Rabbit Problem in His Garden

Monty Don, the beloved host of BBC’s Gardeners' World, has opened up about a frustrating and recurring issue in his Longmeadow garden. In an interview on the Gardeners' World Magazine podcast, he explained how changing weather patterns—especially flooding—have led to a surge of rabbits invading his garden, causing plants to vanish almost as soon as they emerge.

Monty detailed the root of the problem: “One of the really annoying aspects of flood, around us, is that the rabbits all come in out of the flooded fields into our garden. We now have a big rabbit problem because the poor things have got nowhere to go. Again, this is particularly in spring, rather than winter.”

He emphasized how this issue peaks at the start of the growing season when wet and cold conditions push wildlife to seek alternative food sources. “If it’s a cold and wet March, they come in and they eat everything,” Monty said.

Despite these setbacks, Monty highlighted that the damage tends to be temporary. Once the weather warms and grass begins to grow, the rabbits leave to feed on the more attractive fresh grass. “They really work their way through. As soon as it dries up and you start the grass growing and it warms up, they leave because the grass is much nicer than anything we can offer. You know, rabbits love freshly grown grass.”

Monty’s reflections underscore the intricate balance gardeners face with weather and wildlife. Both lack of water and excess water play a crucial role in shaping the garden environment.

Beyond his current gardening challenges, Monty also shared memories from his early career on the Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? podcast. He recalled how a feature in the 1980s lifestyle magazine Elle unexpectedly spotlighted his home and garden. “They looked out the window and said, ‘Wow! Look at your garden, who did you get to do that?’ I thought, that’s fighting talk. I said, ‘We did it, it’s our garden, planted every single thing, of course we did.’”

The magazine photos impressed Monty despite one quirky detail: “I’m ashamed to say, in it, I’m topless. I genuinely can’t imagine why. It’s out there folks, you can find it.”

Being a passionate gardener in his twenties was unusual at the time, and this publicity launch-pad helped Monty secure writing opportunities that paved the way for his horticultural career.

Gardeners' World continues to reveal the joys and hurdles of gardening, with Monty Don’s candid insights providing a real glimpse into the everyday realities of nurturing a garden like Longmeadow.