With Monty Don leaving Gardeners’ World, perhaps it’s time the BBC admitted that most British gardens resemble mild domestic crises rather than Longmeadow’s pastoral calm. Real gardens are small, scruffy and chaotic. So let’s embrace it. Reboot the show in the spirit of Top Gear: a bold horticultural lead, a chaos‑loving sidekick, a quiet purist, and a silent “Stig” performing dangerous garden tasks. Include realistic makeovers, a “reasonably priced plant” test, and obstacle courses built from collapsing fences and hostile hedges. A show that keeps Monty’s heart but finally reflects Britain’s gardens.
Richard Eltringham
Leicester
• I agree with Claire Ratinon (My gardening world differs from Monty’s, 11 September) that there should be a greater focus on “ordinary” gardens on the BBC’s Gardeners’ World. Monty’s comment that a container of mixed herbs should stand near the kitchen door so that it could be quickly accessed proves this point. In the majority of gardens you could place it anywhere and it would be within easy reach.
Karen Gammack
Newcastle upon Tyne
