Monty Don admits 'this is heresy' as he makes bold claim about gardens and plants

Monty Don admits his views could be seen as "heresy" as he made a bold claim about gardens and plants. Monty, 70, has become a beloved voice in the gardening community over the past three decades.

Since 2003 he has been the main presenter on the hit BBC show Gardeners' World. In it viewers get to see a glimpse of Monty's garden at his Longmeadow home in Herefordshire.

The two-acre plot boasts a variety of plants and flowers including dahlias, gingers, bananas, cannas, tithonias, zinnias and sunflowers. But in a recent Gardeners' World column, Monty claimed a garden doesn't need any of those.

He wrote: "A garden can be anything you want it to be, even if and I know that this is heresy to many people it does not include a single plant."

Monty says plants have become a "dominant feature" in many gardens across Britain. But he explains the use of garden plants is "relatively new".

Instead, Monty highlights the "Arcadian ideal" of Lancelot "Capability" Brown, thought by many as Britain's best gardener, and the landscaped gardens he built in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. Lancelot's garden heavily incorporated sculptures and used "plants as a medium" where necessary, Monty explains.

Lancelot however received criticism from his peers in the 18th century, with claims he created "identikit" gardens using turf, a waterway, and clumps of trees. He is however thought to have been responsible for the gardens at around 170 of the finest properties in Britain.

Monty also recalled a trip to Mexico and the roof garden of architect Luis Barragán. He wrote: "It consisted of pink-painted walls, terracotta walls and nothing else save the sky which Barragán insisted was an essential part of the garden."

Monty also points to the rock gardens of Japan, which he says feature "hardly any plants". He says they contain "only gravel, rock and moss" using "elements of the garden as metaphor".

The garden at the famous Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto consists of just moss growing at the base of five clusters of stones. Monty however went on to accept that his own garden is "happily filled to overflowing with plants".

In fact, he believes the best garden around is one that has fully embraced plants. He says Rousham in Oxfordshire, which consists of three walled gardens, luscious planted borders, and a rose garden is "the greatest garden ever made".

He wrote: "Whenever I visit Rousham - which is never often enough because it is to my mind the greatest garden ever made - I am painfully aware that I am only 'reading' a fraction of what the 18th-century contemporary visitors would have clearly seen and understood from the various statues, groves and buildings."

Monty took over the Gardeners' World role from Alan Titchmarsh in 2003. He has since gone on to present a host of gardening shows on the BBC, including Monty Don's British Gardens and Monty Don's Japanese Gardens.