Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has opened up about a rabbit invasion at his beloved Longmeadow garden, admitting the problem can leave plants disappearing almost as quickly as they emerge16:06, 26 Jun 2026Updated 16:06, 26 Jun 2026Monty Don has revealed a persistent headache affecting his cherished Longmeadow garden, admitting the issue can see plants vanish almost as soon as they emerge. During an interview on the BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast, the Gardeners’ World host described how changing weather conditions can trigger a domino effect for gardeners, with too much rainfall proving just as troublesome as prolonged dry spells.‌He said: "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 noted that the difficulty peaks at the beginning of the growing season, when damp conditions force wildlife to seek out different food supplies. "And if it's a cold and wet March, they come in and they eat everything," he said.‌Monty outlined that the consequences can be substantial yet often short-lived, depending on how the weather changes.‌He said: "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."That's what they really like. But you know, all these things are to do with water, either lack of it or presence of it," reports the Express.‌His remarks provide insight into the day-to-day challenges of caring for Longmeadow, the Herefordshire garden that has become a beloved fixture for millions watching Gardeners’ World.Meanwhile, Monty has also opened up about the chance circumstances that first propelled him into the horticultural spotlight.Speaking on the "Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner?" podcast, the 70-year-old remembered how a lifestyle magazine piece about his house initially brought him broader recognition during the 1980s.‌"A magazine called Elle, which was really big in the eighties, a sort of lifestyle/fashion thing, came and did an article about our home. Sarah and Monty Don's lovely home, you know, that type of thing," he recalled.The focus soon shifted to the garden outside.‌"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'."He mentioned that the published piece featured images which continue to bemuse him."So they said, 'Well, can we photograph it?', which they did. And I'm ashamed to say, in it, I'm topless. I genuinely can't imagine why.Article continues below"It's out there folks, you can find it."Monty explained that being an enthusiastic gardener in his twenties was uncommon then, and that the exposure from the article eventually opened doors to writing commissions that launched his horticultural career.