The beloved BBC 2 show Gardeners' World has been essential viewing for generations of gardeners so we are taking a peek into the worlds of Monty Don, Carol Klein, Adam Frost and his fellow presenters beyond their famous gardens.
Fronted by Monty Don from his spectacular garden in Herefordshire, the gardening programme boasts an eclectic team of co-presenters who frequently film sections from their personal green spaces.
Yet while audiences gain intriguing insights into their beautiful gardens, the homes that belong to these presenters seldom make an appearance on camera. We join John Sturgis for a sneak peek at the lives and homes of these gardening stars.
Carol Klein
We take a stroll through Carol Klein's Devon residence, near the idyllic village of Umberleigh, where she has lived for over four decades. Now, in her seventies and a grandmother, Klein once described herself as a young horticulture-obsessed teacher in North Devon college, who "just wanted a garden". She found her "perfect" patch at Glebe Cottage, now speculated to be valued around £1 million.
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It was far from perfect initially, being filled with old broken cars and rubbish, forcing Klein and her husband, Neil, to hire a JCB to clear out before planting could commence. In the resulting stunning garden, every plant was grown from seed.
The couple once operated a commercial nursery close by, but Klein now devotes her energies to broadcasting. The Kleins have two adult daughters: Annie, based in California, and Alice, residing in South London, reports The Express.
Monty Don
This year marks the 21st anniversary of Monty Don's tenure on Gardeners' World after taking over from Alan Titchmarsh in 2003. However, as he hints at retirement, this may be his last year hosting.
Fans of the programme are well accustomed to the picturesque gardens he nurtures at his Longmeadow residence in Leominster, Herefordshire. Don, aged 68, and wife Sarah, 70, with whom he's been married for 41 years, originally purchased the main house in a state of ruin back in 1991.
The Grade II-listed timber-framed property lacked a roof, electricity, running water or even basic sanitation at the time they moved in. The gardens were once an neglected agriculture field filled with thorns and stinging nettles, whilst another section was littered with construction debris. The only greenery of note was a solitary tree. Today, the property is estimated to be worth around £2.5 million.
Before earning the title "the nation's gardener", Don and Sarah were society staples in the 1980s, running a jewellery business which counted Princess Diana among its fans. When their business collapsed in the aftermath of the 1987 stock market crash, Don suffered a breakdown and spent some time unemployed.
His relocation to Herefordshire was integral to his recovery journey. He has voiced how gardening "eases a troubled mind - it is happiness".
Despite relinquishing more presenting duties to co-hosts such as Adam Frost - who many speculate is being lined up as Dons successor the grandfather-of-three aspires to stay in work into his 80s.
Monty Don's grown-up children, Adam, Freya and Tom, typically steer clear of the limelight. However, Monty's canine companions, Patti and Ned, are often seen loyally following him around Longmeadow on camera. The family faced a loss last year with the passing of their cherished Golden Retriever, Nellie.
Adam Frost
Adam Frost's residence is nestled near Stamford, in Lincolnshire, where an unexpected revelation shook Gardeners' World fans at the start of the penultimate series. The genial Frost shared that he had relocated to a property with a more modest garden.
Previously, Frost resided as a tenant in a stately home surrounded by five acres of land, part of The Burghley Estate, near Stamford, in Lincolnshire. Now, he has returned with his wife Sulina, 48, and their four children - Abi-Jade, Jacob, Amber-Lily, and Oakley - to their Grade II-listed, three-bedroom abode in Tinwell, which they originally purchased in 2013.
Despite being listed for sale at £850,000 in 2021, it seems the Frosts reconsidered selling and have since moved back in.
The 53-year-old Frost explained to his audience: "As a family, we've just decided to scale back, so I can spend more time with them - but it does mean I've got a smaller garden."
His journey began in east London, followed by a move to Devon at the age of 15. He later received guidance from Geoff Hamilton, a past favourite of Gardeners' World, which paved the way for his success at Chelsea and subsequent television career.
Rachel de Thame
Rachel De Thame, 61, initially pursued a career as a ballerina until glandular fever put an end to her dancing dreams. She then transitioned into modelling and acting in film and TV. After completing a two-year gardening course in 1998, she quickly found herself presenting on Gardeners' World.
Her first marriage to Stephen Colover, with whom she shares two children, ended in 1993. She later tied the knot with one of the country's top advertising executives, Gerard de Thame, and they have two children together.
In 2018, Rachel took a hiatus from her career after being diagnosed with breast cancer, but she is now regularly back on our screens. Her London retreat is located in the trendy area of Maida Vale, but she often presents from the expansive walled gardens of her eight-bedroom, Grade II-listed manor house in the Cotswolds, believed to date back to the early 1800s and valued at around £10million.
Frances Tophill
Frances Tophill has a home on the south Devon coast. The youngest regular presenter, Frances, 36, has recently purchased her first house and garden. Frances was raised in Deal, Kent, before relocating to Scotland to study horticulture and plantsmanship at Scotland's Rural College.
After completing her studies, she lived and worked in Devon before returning to Kent. She once filmed in her garden with Alan Titchmarsh. After leaving there, she briefly stayed with her mother Christine. But now, she has bought her own property, located on the south Devon coast.
Joe Swift
Joe Swift's home is situated in Stoke Newington, north London. Unlike many of his rural-dwelling co-stars, Swift, 57, is a true Londoner. The son of novelist Margaret Drabble and actor Clive Swift - best known for his role as Mr Hyacinth Bouquet - Swift has resided in a townhouse with a small garden in Stoke Newington, north London, for many years.
He lives there with his wife Cathryn, 56, and their two older children, Stanley and Constance. He doesn't have much room to broadcast from his home, so he once took on an allotment and filmed there, but viewers have occasionally seen his relatively small garden where he grows bananas. His house is valued at approximately £1.4 million.
Arit Anderson
Arit Anderson, who was raised by a single mother alongside six siblings, many of whom were in foster care, didn't own a garden until her mid-40s. After a 25-year stint in fashion retail, she decided to pursue her passion for plants and enrolled in a horticulture course at Capel Manor in North London.
Her big break came when she clinched a "fresh talent" award at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2013, which was swiftly followed by a gold medal at the Hampton Court Flower Show. Her success led to broadcasting opportunities, and she has been a staple on Gardeners' World for several years now.
Arit has also introduced her family to the public eye, with her husband Scott and two teenage stepchildren, Freya and Harvey, featuring alongside her.
The Anderson family resides in a quaint late-Victorian terraced cottage in Capel Manor, North London, with a modest rear garden, estimated to be worth around £800,000, located in West London.
Nick Bailey
Nick Bailey, like Arit, entered the world of broadcasting later in life. Having worked as a gardener for many years, both in the UK and overseas, he led a nomadic existence. Now 49, Bailey, from Kent, began his broadcasting career while living in Norfolk about 15 years ago.
However, his rise to fame occurred when he accepted a position as the head gardener at the globally acclaimed Chelsea Physic Garden ten years ago. He later won a silver gilt for his garden, which was based on mathematical principles, at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2016.
Since then, he has been a regular feature on Gardeners' World, filming in various British gardens and making trips back to South Africa, where he once resided. Similar to Frances, his most public relationship is with his spaniel Orla, who he adopted during the lockdown.
He has always kept his personal life separate from the show and has never filmed around his own residence near Crystal Palace Park. He resides in a garden flat valued at approximately £500,000.
