Gardening guru Monty Don can hardly do any wrong in our eyes, or those of his many fans, including the 1.2 million Instagram followers he has. And on social media the celebrity gardener has served up a new gardening goal we're desperate to achieve - the Monty Don flower table.
Given the influence that Monty has in the world of gardening, we can see this taking off as the latest gardening trend for spring and beyond. Especially given the reactions and comments the gardener’s flower table posts have garnered, calling it everything from, ‘A beautiful spring banquet’, ‘Gorgeous breath of spring’ to, ‘New gardening goals for us now’.
So if you’re keen to jump on this spring bulb-filled trend, then we’ve identified what Monty’s flower spread is made up of with the help of our eagle-eyed in-house gardening experts. And we’ve collated some additional recommendations to add as per our trusty pros.
Monty Don’s garden flower table
Monty Don is our endless source of gardening inspiration, whether it’s his dahlias-growing tips or hedge pruning advice for January. His flowering table in the garden displaying a variety of spring bulbs is our latest obsession.
And if you’re looking to recreate the Monty look, whether you’re employing IKEA’s new and popular ASKHOLMEN garden table or a simpler design, then we found out exactly what varieties you need to invest in. And those are daffodils, hyacinths in white, pink and purple, grape hyacinths, bluebells, arctic bells, crocuses, irises danfordiae and Katharine Hodgkin.
We know, it’s quite the variety! So if you’re working with less space or a smaller budget, you can just pick and choose your favourite ones from this list.
But if you want to mix it up a little and adorn your garden flower table with more than just spring bulbs, these are the flowering plants that our gardening experts recommend ‘considering longevity, aesthetics and fragrance as three main factors for what makes a good flower table display,’ says Steve Chilton, garden expert at LeisureBench.
1. Strawberry plant
‘Strawberry plants are best enjoyed at eye level, where their numerous characteristics can be appreciated easily,’ says Petar Ivanov, Fantastic Gardeners' gardening expert. ‘Despite their deep green foliage, these plants offer plentiful double flowers in three colours.’
Plus you get the benefit of delicious, sweet berries, even if you grow your strawberries in pots.
Where to buy a strawberry plant:
2. Lavender
The rustic aesthetic of a flower table goes perfectly with a pot of lavender.
‘Very fragrant and versatile, lavender adds a pop of light colour and a rustic, aromatic element,’ Steve says. ‘Lavender can last a long time when cut as long as they're looked after properly and the flowers are kept away from direct sunlight.’
Where to buy a lavender plant:
3. Sunflower
If you’re looking to carry this trend all the way to summer, then a sunflower plant is the perfect addition.
‘Perfect for summer tablescapes, sunflowers are vibrant, happy plants that brighten up every space,’ Steve notes. ‘They have a relatively long vase life, but their main benefits are their appearance and their sturdy stems, which mean that you can do a lot with them when it comes to decoration.’
Where to buy a sunflower plant:
4. Calibrachoa
‘These plants can be displayed in a small planter on your sunny patio table all summer long. If you use them, your tabletop will be covered with pink petals trailing across white outlines throughout summer,’ Petar paints a picture.
Where to buy a calibrachoa plant:
Great, now we want a flower table too!
