Monty Don issued warning to Gardeners' World co-star about wife before wake-up call

Monty Don issued a warning to his Gardeners' World co-star ahead of a brutal wake-up call. The 70-year-old has taken budding presenter Jamie Butterworth under his wing in recent months.

Jamie, 30, worked with Monty on the Radio 2 Dog Garden at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show, having won gold himself three years ago. In April last year he made his first appearance on Gardeners' World and even presented on the BBC's coverage of Chelsea alongside Monty. It led to the two horticulturalists grabbing a coffee together as Monty imparted his wisdom.

It was during their chats that Jamie says Monty told him he needs to "master the craft" to succeed on television. Jamie revealed Monty also had a word of warning should he continue to pursue a TV career.

He said: "Monty sat me down and told me to be prepared that being on TV will change my entire life, and that my wife, Devon, needs to be on board with it."

Jamie's attitude soon changed however when he attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show press day with Monty. He continued: "But I thought, how hard can it be?

"Until I saw how mobbed he was at Chelsea press day - everybody wanted a piece of him. He even had a bouncer. Monty's iconic."

Jamie described working with Monty as one of the "best experiences" of his life. He even credits Monty with inspiring his passion for gardening.

At nine years old he decided to buy 1,000 cornflower seeds with the intention of selling them for £1 each after watching Gardeners' World, although his plan didn't quite go as expected. He confessed: "I thought it looked quite fun. It didn't work, embarrassingly. Don't tell Monty."

Despite this early setback, Jamie wasn't discouraged. At just 16, he was a finalist on BBC Three's Young Gardener of the Year and later trained at RHS Garden Wisley.

Today, Jamie runs his own business, Form Plants, which began as a shipping container on an industrial estate. As his venture grew, he found himself needing to relocate to larger premises.

He has now cultivated a celebrity following with "luxury brands" and notable figures such as Nigel Slater and Tony Blair visiting his nursery. Jamie believes gardening is the "greatest leveller" and maintains that "anyone can garden" regardless of their background.

His distinguished clientele includes King Charles, who, upon meeting Jamie at the Chelsea Flower Show, remarked, "I know Jamie," before reminding him of an upcoming delivery. While many might feel anxious about working for the King, Jamie reveals that it was actually collaborating with Monty that left him "really worried."

He admits he was initially concerned that the BBC presenter would receive all the praise while Jamie did the hard work. However, he notes that Monty "got really stuck in" during the garden planting process.

Away from Gardeners' World, Jamie makes regular appearances on BBC Radio London and Talk Radio discussing gardening matters.

Gardeners' World airs at 8pm on BBC Two tonight (September 26)