From a very early age I loved the countryside as much as any garden and was fascinated by the life that I saw all around me from trees, wildflowers, birds, insects and mammals. In a sense this book has been over sixty years in gestation. I have kept notebooks and journals ever since I could write and I have drawn upon these as well as the events of the past year.

My Garden World by Monty Don is a celebration of every living creature that we all share. This year has given us the enforced opportunity to learn more about the fascinating natural world around us. Whether you live in the countryside or the town, Monty’s observations and insights are relevant to each and every one of us. My Garden World is Monty Don’s personal journey through the natural year, month by month, season by season, observed from the immediate world around him.

Wildlife is not something that we watch happening in remote and exotic parts of the world on our screens, but right here in our own back yards and the more that we encourage it and learn to live with it, the more rewarding it becomes.

If, in our own modest back yards, we can help preserve and treasure our natural world then we will make the world a better place — not just for ourselves but for every living creature.