Does everyone have a decided view on Monty Don?.

[Weirdconditionaltense]

I remember not long after starting a job about 10 years ago my boss he was always a really really lovely man, for some reason we must have been talking about gardening, and he said he disliked Monty Don. I was shocked because for one thing that current boss was very laid back and didn't have any extreme views on anybody and secondly, because I have no extreme view on Monty Don.

Just seen another thread where someone dislikes him. What is there to dislike about Monty Don? He's just a gardener isn't he?

How can anyone have a strong view on him ?

There's many offensive men on television, but Monty Don's not one of them. I have a bit of a soft spot for him because he looks like my late dad.

I like him, he seems a nice gentle sort of a chap even though he's been through some quite tough times. World would be a better place if there were more men like him around, although obviously I only know him through his tv persona. I like his programmes about world gardens, but prefer other gardeners for gardening advice.

I'm doing an RHS course at the moment - the tutors all dislike him!

Apparently he's not well regarded in the industry and known for being miserable and not particularly knowledgable. I found it hilarious!

The guy who looks like Dr. Who, if Dr Who were a gardener?

Some people get a big kick out of disliking people other people like. It makes them feel clever and unique and not like the “mundanes.” A very common behaviour on here. Ditto “never having heard” of very well known public figures. Very tedious.

i like him as a presenter. But always get the vibe that he could have a really nasty temper. Based probably because he reminds me of someone who looked like him who had that temperament

He has spoken openly about his struggles with depression so yes, he might be " miserable " sometimes.

He's a style icon. My brother is a gardener and prefers Carol Klein.

He used to come across as quite snippy and bad tempered online but his PR people seem to be more in control of that lately.

Here you go - this is the original:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4281220-If-Monty-Don-was-a-woman?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

(There are a few follow on threads too.)

Those clothes, the corduroy and twill trousers and shirts, with their appearance of being old as the hills and carelessly thrown on, are in fact extremely expensive, and were often from a small (now defunct?) Norfolk brand called Old Town, and some Carhartt.

I actually think that’s what irritates some people about MD, especially gardeners— that his segments of Gardeners’ World are so carefully curated with an air of effortlessness. Beautifully aged earthenware pots, pre-sieved soil, gorgeously-arranged potting benches, an army of unseen workers, and the apparently careless but in fact expensive gardening ‘uniform’.

On the other hand, some of us accept the artifice and find it soothing!

He still is, imo

He's a style icon. My brother is a gardener and prefers Carol Klein.
Me too. I don't rate MD as a gardener but he's easy on the eye.

What is there to dislike about Monty Don? He's just a gardener isn't he?
He's a tv gardening programme presenter.
He's from a privileged background, went to Harrow and Cambridge and women fancy him.

I can't stand Alan Titchmarsh and Ant and Dec seem unremarkable, and Phillip Schofield always gave me the creeps.

@Poulaphooka , Carrhart isn't particularly expensive and Old Town was very good quality.

I agree. Though OT was relatively expensive, from what I remember. I’m just saying that the apparently careless clothes are a deliberate aesthetic.

Hard to imagine anyone disliking him (out of all the obnoxious men there are on TV to choose from) but I could understand people in the industry maybe thinking he wasn't a "proper" gardener.

I worked with him years ago and he was quite difficult but I found out later that he suffers with depression and I think the event must have been quite tough for him. He’s the highlight of my Friday nights now!

@Poulaphooka They are but so are Margaret Howell, Toast etc.
Carol Klein wears Agnes B cardigans, I think.

Old Town were expensive but the attention to quality was excellent.
A comparison might be between Fisherman's Smock Navy | LABOUR AND WAIT and Newlyn Smocks

They're both 'authentic'. They're garments you might wear if you were a potter or something and you'd probably expect a very long life from the garment.
They're shapeless/boxy overgarments meant to protect your clothes, have useful pockets, and yet look the part.

The L&W one will be superior in terms of craftmanship and fabric. Seams will be finished. The stitching neater. One three section pocket compared with two etc.

Is one worth £93 more than the other? (I've included postage)

Somewhere in the middle there's Fisherman Smock UK – Carrier Company and Yarmo Fishermans Smock - Yarmo British Workwear.

If it was for me pottering in my back garden I'd go for the cheapest. If I was a fancypants tv gardener or artisan facing the public, then the L&W one.
The only one I'm not familiar with is the Carrier Company one. The L&W one is made by Old Town.

There's a tv series that used to be on and there was a set designer as one of the experts. A bit of an artist/architect type and he always wore Carrhart. It fitted the workwear vibe and looked more stylish than the carpenter's more regular workwear. (I actually preferred the carpenter personailty-wise. The woman presenter was an interior designer who obviously liked her clothes but she wore a boilersuit for dirty work.) The show was a bit like Changing Rooms but more up-to-date.

Yes. I've heard that too. I find him ...odd. He has that beautiful garden and never has friends over ,ever. Can't get my head round that at all.

I love Adam Frost though!

Monty Don is great, he’s terrific on gardens and is handsome and has a gorgeous voice. Genuine person, love him.

Might be because he doesn't have any gardening or horticulture qualifications. He's self taught. I still learn a lot of useful tips from him though and enjoy watching him.

He and his wife were jewellery designers in the 80s, then I believe he took up gardening because he suffered from SAD. I know he had a stroke a few years ago too.

I have a photo of Monty and me, taken at a talk he gave. He was very pleasant.

I love him and agree with a previous poster saying to listen to the Giles Brandreth podcast. It is so, so moving to hear him talk about his childhood, his father and his twin sister.

However, my husband and BIL both dislike him for reasons unknown.

The only times I've seen people mention they didn't like him was due to his wife being married to someone else when they met and got together.

I can't see how anyone could take offence to him in a presenter sense though, I think he's great - very calm and soothing voice. Also agree on his clothes, very stylish.