presenter has shared why he chooses to keep gardening seperate from his wife.
Discussing the benefits of gardening, the 69-year-old said being outdoors and occupied was particularly helpful for his mental health.
“It’s the peace and solace, actually, that helps quiet my mind,” he shared.
Monty, who suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), has been particularly keen to get back out into his garden following a “dreadful” October and November.
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Monty Don shared why he prefers to garden alone in his famous garden (Image: BBC)
Due to his condition, which affects one in 20 people in the UK, the presenter finds these months particularly hard due to the reduced hours of sunlight.
Speaking on the Gardeners’ World podcast, he shared: “I now have a pattern whereby I try and spend one day a week on my own in the garden, which is obviously usually a weekend, one of the two weekend days.
“I try and spend the majority of the day [there] and that’s very important and I really look forward to it.”
While his preference is gardening alone, he discussed how sharing the hobby can also be beneficial.
“It’s a kind of treat I give myself,” he added.”But when I say share, I don’t necessarily mean gardening with other people, which actually personally I don’t like very much.
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Monty Don and his wife Sarah have been married since 1983 (Image: GETTY)
“Even my wife and I, who have always gardened together, we hardly ever physically garden together, we just were in the garden at the same time.
“I was thinking more in terms of if you had to garden, no one saw what you did, no one shared the fruits or whether they were, literal fruits, or a few flowers, or whatever.
“Then, that might modify how you felt about it, sharing comes in lots of different ways.”
Monty has been married to his wife Sarah since 1983 and together they have three grown-up children, Adam, Tom and Freya.
The horticulturist has previously credited his spouse as the driving force behind him seeking help for his depression.
Speaking to Kate Thornton on her White Wine podcast, he shared: “It’s a lot to do with the greyness, the lack of light and the general sense of the world just pressing in on you and no energy.”
Recalling Sarah’s reaction when his moods were at all-time low, he added: “Sarah said to me, ‘Look, I just can’t take any longer your moods and your black depression, you’ve got to do something about it because if you don’t, I can’t live with you – I’ll take the children and I’ll go’.”
With this wake-up call, Monty later confided in a doctor who put him on anti-depressants. However he later gave them up and started to use a light box, which helps transition between the seasons.
Monty Don’s British Gardens airs tonight at 8pm on Two.