Nigel, Nellie, Patti and Ned from Gardeners' World

Monty and dogs

Monty Don's current dogs names are Nell or Nellie, Patti and Ned.

Nigel
The late Nigel was born on 17 May 2008 and was a Golden Retriever.

He was best known for his central starring role in Gardeners' World.

Nigel from Gardeners World

Nigel's co-stars were Monty Don as well as his fellow doggy friend Nell and the newbie Patti.

Adam Frost

Adam Frost

Adam Frost is a Gardener, Award Winning Garden Landscape Designer, Author, and Presenter on Gardeners' World who was born in September 1969.

His early gardening experience came from helping his grandparents in their gardens and allotment.

Adam spent a large part of his childhood living with both sets of grandparents.

When he was 15 his family moved from Harlow, Essex, to Devon and this caused him to lose interest in school and he left home to start working.

Branching out

Adam's early gardening experience included working for the parks department.

At the age of 21, Adam became an assistant to the late, great Geoff Hamilton, helping him with small gardens in Barnsdale Gardens, Rutland.

He even appeared on Gardeners' World!

After Geoff died, Adam Frost set up his own landscape company and progressed to running his own garden courses and garden design business.

From little acorns

Adam has won 7 Gold Medals and 1 Silver (should have been Gold) at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

He launched the Homebase Garden Academy in 2013 with his Chelsea sponsor, Homebase.

In 2016, Adam Frost joined Gardeners' World alongside Monty Don as a presenter.

Adam Frost's stunning 4 acre garden appeared in the show.

As we followed his progress in the garden, we saw him create new borders, a breakfast terrace, a gravel garden and his stunning walled kitchen garden, we were all envious of.

Adam became a popular presenter of Gardeners' World, often standing in to present the programme from his own garden when Monty was off.

Adam Frost and Ash

Adam was not alone, though he too had his own pets to feature on the programme, the most popular of them was Ash the Cat who likes to steal the limelight.

His other pets including his dogs all feature in The animal co-stars of Gardeners' World.

This was not only the reason Adam Frost was much talked about at the time.

It was also because he uses an unusual trowel like tool on Gardener's World called a Great Dixter Planting Spade.

In March 2017, The Adam Frost Garden School opened in Lincolnshire in a building in his own garden offering gardening skills and garden design courses.

Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic the Garden School along with lots of other businesses had to temporary close.

Adam Frost kept from the viewers at the time the problems his family were having when his wife Sulina fell seriously ill and other problems within the family led to Adam having Mental Health problems.

As this is a gardening post about Adam and it has been spoken about by himself since in various articles I will not elaborate on his family's private life.

Adam however, is now very open about his own health and his struggles with Fibromyalgia.

He also talks about his burnout and depression following the closure of his Garden School and his worries over his family.

This change resulted in a house move from the large 4 acre garden to a much smaller property and garden that surprised us all in Gardeners' World 2022

In the new garden he created 2 terraces on the small sloped plot that rose in height of over 2 metres from the bottom to the top.

At the bottom he created a seating area and on the terrace a wildlife lawn, there was a greenhouse and a gravel garden on a much smaller scale this time.

Adam and Buster

Adam introduced us to a new pet when Buster a Miniature Dachshund pup first appeared in Gardeners' World 2025. He proved to be just as show stealing as Ash.

Buster's best performance on Gardeners' World was to be seen in a shot of a totally oblivious Adam watering by cocking his leg up a plant in the background.

This garden brought Adam a break from the pressure of running a business from home as well as a very large garden.

Adam Frost has a new surprise for viewers of Gardeners' World 2026. He has moved house again and has a brand new garden planned to share with us.

There has been glimpses of Adam new garden on his Instagram and it includes the construction of some dry stone walls and lots of earth moving!

Another big change (well for Ash the Cat) is that Adam Frost has 2 new kittens called Fern and Taxus.

Adam has also hinted there may be more new additions of the Dog variety!

Adam Frost Website offers online Garden courses during the Winter, details of any Book Tours or book signing appearances as well as details for his Garden Design Business.

Adam also presents on RHS Flower Shows coverage, appears on BBC Morning Live and writes for Gardeners' World Magazine as well as has a Podcast.

Adam is married to wife Sulina they have 4 children Abi-Jade, Jacob, Amber-Lily, Oakley and various pets including the ancient cat Ash and Dog Buster, which features on Gardeners' World.


Adam Frost Show Gardens

2007 Realistic Retreat - Gold Medal

2008 A Welcome Sight - Gold Medal, Best Urban Garden

2009 The QVC Garden - Silver Medal

2011 The Lands' End - Across the Pond - Gold Medal

2012 The Lands' End A Royal Muse - Gold Medal

2013 Homebase Garden - Sowing the Seeds of Change - Gold Medal

2014 Homebase Garden - Time to Reflect - Gold Medal

2015 The Homebase Urban Retreat Garden - Gold Medal


Adam Frost Awards

2014 RHS Ambassador


Adam Frost TV Programmes

2016

Gardeners' World

2020

Gardeners' World

2021

Gardeners' World

2022

Gardeners' World

Episode 1: 11 March 2022

2023

Gardeners' World

2024

Gardeners' World 2024

Morning Live on BBC 2025

Gardeners' World

2026

Gardeners' World


Adam Frost Books

2019

RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space

Real Gardens: Seven Amazing Chelsea Gold Medal Winning Designs

2022

RHS The Creative Gardener: Inspiration and Advice to Create the Space You Want

Gardeners' World: How I Garden: Easy ideas & inspiration for making beautiful gardens anywhere

2025

For the Love of Plants: Over 150 Plants to Bring Joy to Your Garden and Your Life

All photographs are copyright of BBC.com

Rachel De Thame

Rachel De Thame

Rachel De Thame is a Gardener, Award Winning Garden Designer, Actress and TV Presenter on Gardeners' World.

Her maiden name was Rachel Cohen who was born on 13 October 1961 and she was the eldest of 4 children, she has 3 younger brothers.

Her father gave her the passion for gardening and her childhood memories are of helping in the garden and visiting nurseries. 

At aged 10 Rachel studied ballet at The Royal Ballet School but at the age of 15 years old she contracted Glandular fever. which unfortunately ended her ballet ambitions.


Branching out

Drama was to be the next career move for Rachel and she took a course at Southgate college.

She then went on to study History of Art before taking a job at an art dealers.

Rachel married her first husband Stephen Colover in 1986 and they have two children Joe and Lauren Colover.

Rachel and Stephen were divorced in 1993.

Rachel De Thame Merlin
Copyright Channel 4

Rachel was  recruited by a modelling agency. From modelling work Rachel moved on to TV adverts and then into television starring as Lady Igraine in the 1998 series Merlin.

Also under the stage Name of Rachel Colover she appeared in the feature film Bodywork.

In 1998 Rachel returned to her passion of gardening and enrolled in a course studying Practical Horticulture , plants and Plantmanship at the English Gardening School.

Rachel De Thame married Gerard de Thame in 1999 and they have two children, Emma and Olivia De Thame.

The De Thame family live in West London with a second home in the Cotswolds. 


From little acorns

After finishing her course Rachel started her television career as a regular presenter on Gardeners' World.

She went on to have her own series Small Town Gardens and Gardening with Experts as well as appearing on several gardening programmes.


Rachel De Thame is also a presenter for the RHS flower show, presenting the 2019 coverage and had her own medal winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

She has also presented RHS Malvern Flower Show, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show and Gardeners' World Live.


She has written articles for magazines and papers as well as appearances on various radio programmes.


In 2018 Rachel De Thame revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing cancer treatment.

Following concerns that she was absent from the coverage of RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Rachel De Thame's illness was revealed in an interview with Joe Swift.

Rachel now promotes the healing benefits of gardening.


Rachel De Thame has a Lupin, Dahlia and a Rose named after her.


Rachel De Thame is Vice President of the Wildflower Charity Plantlife and an Ambassador for The National Garden Scheme

Broadwell Manor is Rachel De Thames  Cotswolds  home and she runs courses and workshops with Arit Anderson and her Daughter Botanical Artist, Lauren Lusk throughout the year, all listed on the website.

Lauren Lusk illustrated her Mother Rachel De Thame latest book A Flower Garden for Pollinators. 


Rachel De Thame Awards

2008
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 
LK Bennett Garden - Silver medal

2012
Floral decorations for The Royal Barge for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant


Rachel De Thame Television Programmes

2000 - Present
Gardeners' World


2001
Small Town Gardens


2002
The Joy of gardening


2003
Gardening with the Experts


2013
Great British Garden Revival


The A - Z of TV Gardening


2020
Gardeners' World 2020




2024






2025


Gardeners' World




2026


Gardeners' World


Rachel de Thame Books

2001
Small Town Gardens

2002
Top 100 Star Plants

2003
Gardening with the Experts
with Phil McCann

2024
A Flower Garden for Pollinators
Illustrated by Lauren Lusk (Daughter)


Unless Stated all photographs copyright of BBC.com


Rachel De Thame Website  Twitter   Instagram

Nick Bailey

Nick Bailey

Nick Bailey is a Gardener, Author, Award Winning Garden Designer and TV Presenter on  Gardeners' World. 


Nick was just 12 years old when he wanted to make a garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Reading books like Garden Design by John Brookes started him on his Horticultural career.



Nick attended Hadlow college studying Horticulture before going to the University of Greenwich in 1995 where he obtained a first class degree in Landscape Design.

He worked at Hadlow college as a Horticulture/Design Lecturer and Curator.

Nick Bailey became a Garden Designer, Horticultural Editor and later the Head Gardener at The Wicken.

In 2010 Nick Bailey became the Head Gardener at the famous Chelsea Physic Garden.



Gardener Nick Bailey's television career began in South Africa in 1995 presenting Gardens Wild and Wonderful.

He was a panellist on a garden programme on BBC Radio Norfolk.

Nick has written articles for Gardeners' World magazine, Garden Answers, Garden News and RHS The Garden and many more.

Nick's other television appearances have included Great Garden Revival, Big Dreams Small Spaces and coverage of RHS Flower shows.


in 2016 Nick Bailey started as a presenter on Gardeners' World with Monty Don.

In 2018 Whilst filming for Gardeners' World in South Africa Nick Bailey was one of the last people to meet with the World renowned Botanists Rodney and Rachel Saunders.

Rob and Rachel Saunders meet Nick Bailey for Gardeners' World

The interview shown again in Gardeners' World 2020 Episode 7 Nick joined the couple searching for Gladioli.

Shortly after Rodney and Rachel Saunders were tragically kidnapped, robbed and murdered. 


Nick Bailey Website gives details of his Horticulturist Consultancy, his courses and details of the talks he gives.

Nick Bailey New Garden in Northamptonshire featured when he gave it a makeover in Gardeners' World 2024 along with his Springer Spaniel Orla


Nick Bailey Awards

2016
RHS Chelsea Flower Show
The Winton Beauty of Mathematics Garden - Silver Gilt Medal

2025
BBC Gardeners' World Live
The Plant Based Garden - show garden only


Nick Bailey TV Programmes

1995
Gardens Wild and wonderful


2013 - 2015
Great British Garden Revival


2014 - 2017
Big Dreams Small Spaces


2016
Gardeners' World


2020
Gardeners' World
Chelsea Physic Garden - a Companion Guide

2015
365 Days of Colour in your Garden by Nick Bailey

2018
Revive your Garden: How to Bring your Outdoor Space Back to Life


Nick Bailey  Website   Instagram  Twitter