Monty Don has shared a heartwarming garden tribute to his late dog Nigel, in honour of the beloved dog's birthday.
Sharing the photograph on his Instagram recently, Monty wrote in the caption: "Topiary Nigel wading through a wash of flower. He would have been 13 today." The image showed a beautiful garden display in the shape of a dog surrounded by forget-me-nots to keep his memory alive.
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Many commented on the sweet snap expressing their sadness at the loss of Nigel, who passed away last year. One person wrote: "Dear old gentleman. He's sadly missed by GW viewers."
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Another said: "Surrounded by Forget-me-nots, how appropriate!", as a third added: "That is so beautiful! Well done. A lovely memorial to him!"
The Gardeners' World presenter has been adored for a number of years by fans of the show and with his popularity came an adoration for his beloved pets who often featured on the programme. Fans of Monty were then devastated to learn that Nigel had passed away last year and sent their condolences when the sad news was announced.
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Monty Don shared this sweet tribute to Nigel on his birthday
Monty remains devoted to the other two dogs he shares with his wife, Sarah – a golden retriever named Nell and a Yorkshire terrier named Patti.
Speaking about his love of dogs on his website, he writes: "I have lived with dogs all my life and so it is absolutely natural to me that wherever I am in the garden I should be accompanied by a dog or two. It is their garden as much as mine or any other members of the family."
He continues: "Something that I take for granted is that, by and large, they do absolutely no damage and respect the garden completely. They (rarely) dig holes or crash through the flower beds. They do treat the long paths as bowling alleys down which they career in chase of the ball that we are obliged to throw, but it is harmless enough."
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