Monty Don is back on our screens this evening, presenting the first of a two-part special, Monty Don's Japanese Gardens, which sees the Gardeners' World star travel to Japan through spring and autumn to find the country's most beautiful gardens.
We bet the gardening oracle is looking back fondly on his trip to Japan, as he is facing many struggles here in the UK currently, mainly thanks to the never-ending rain, which has left his beloved garden at Longmeadow looking more like a lake than a garden.
The 68-year-old has been sharing regular updates and photos of his waterlogged home on Instagram, and he took to his blog to share his frustrations.
© Instagram"It has barely stopped raining for the past three months and as I write this the fields as far as the eye can see are underwater as is sections of the garden," he wrote, before explaining the trouble this causes in his garden. "Mostly all this rain just means mud, slippery paths and the frustration of not being able to get on with much work in the garden without making a terrible mess."
Sharing his concerns about climate change, Monty added: "This is a wet part of a wet country and there have always been very wet periods in British winters but it is definitely getting wetter, warmer and more extreme.
"Climate change now means that instead of being something we are observing and monitoring with a detached, almost academic interest, it is really affecting our day to day domestic lives and we have to react to this. The practical problem for gardeners is that it is too wet in winter and too dry in summer," he continued, before adding: "So this is the big, over-riding challenge facing gardeners in the Northern hemisphere biggest it is not going to go away and will not get any easier."
© InstagramAs Monty shared photos of his flooded garden, fans were quick to sympathise with his woes, commenting: "Hope you're ok? Our garden is similar it's heartbreaking," while others worried about the water reaching Monty's house. "Omg that’s a lot of water! Hope it doesn’t reach your house!" one fretted.
LOOK: Monty Don’s stunning Tudor hall home went through a decade of restorations – take a look inside
Monty explained that he and his wife Sarah are now stranded at home due to the catastrophe, sharing: "The highest flood in the past 33 years and rising. Roads in and out impassable," before reassuring fans that they're well-stocked at home to ride out the isolation.
"We have plenty of sauce from last summer's tomatoes, so can hunker down for a few days until it starts to go down."
Fans were reassured by his comments, writing: "It’s quite worrying how our weather is changing. Glad your self-sufficiency is paying off and those tomatoes came good for you," while another shared Monty's worry: "That is seriously concerning. We all need to address global warming. So distressing to see this. So sorry."
Here's hoping the rain eases off soon!
Visit HELLO!'s Happiness Hub for inspiring ways to feel happier
