Monty Don take viewers on a three-part tour to see some of Spain’s pristine designs

Since making his debut on Gardener’s World in 2003, Monty Don has built up a loyal army of fans, but many were left concerned in November when the national treasure announced he wouldn’t be staying with the much-loved show long term.

“I won’t do it forever,” he said. “I will stop. I have no firm plans, but the BBC knows – I’ve told them. It will come to an end sometime in the next three, four or five years. It depends on circumstances and what else I’m doing.

“I’m now 68, I was going to stop when I was 65. I’ll now go on till I’m 70 and then reconsider.

“While I’ve still got energy, there are lots of other projects I want to do that mean I can’t be here every week.”

But putting the Gardeners’ World issue to one side, and Monty has no plans to hang up his TV trowel just yet.

On the contrary, he is now launching another new show in which he explores more stunning gardens across the globe.

Following on from his series Around the World in 80 Gardens, Monty Don’s Italian Gardens, Monty Don’s French Gardens, Monty Don’s Paradise Gardens and Monty Don’s Adriatic Gardens, he is taking viewers on a three-part tour to see some of Spain’s pristine designs considered among some of the prettiest in Europe.

“This was filmed last year when I spent seven weeks in Spain across April, May, June and October and covers over 40 different gardens right across Spain,” he explains.

“I found it an exhilarating and fascinating experience with stunning gardens and learned so much more about the country – despite having visited many times before as a tourist.”

In the first edition, Monty learns about ways in which designers are tackling the all-important issues around climate change, and by starting in the central part of Spain, he is able to see the importance that history plays in the country’s culture.

He begins at the Escorial – a vast imposing palace and garden, built as a symbol of the power of Spain’s once huge empire.

He then travels to the centre of Madrid to visit the city’s famous Retiro Park and Paseo del Prado.

He also visits a tropical garden in the unlikely setting of one of the capital’s main railway stations, as well as a modern garden created by and for dogs and a dynamic new school where nature and gardening play a central role.

Monty then visits important towns like Toledo, a palace that was originally a Moorish castle and a modern garden in a home that was once a Monastery.

As he travels around Castile, he discovers modern gardens including one made in an olive orchard and another hewn out of some of the harshest landscapes in Spain.

Monty finishes the first part of his journey in Valencia, where locals have defied plans to create a motorway through the city centre along a disused riverbed and instead campaigned successfully to create a park for everyone to enjoy.

​