Sarah Don is a British author and former jewelry designer best known for her marriage to celebrated gardening broadcaster Monty Don. Yet her public achievements extend beyond her role as the wife of the longtime Gardeners’ World presenter. She helped establish a successful fashion jewelry business, co-authored gardening books and played a significant part in creating Longmeadow, the couple’s famous Herefordshire garden.
Her contributions are documented in publishing records, gardening programs and interviews with her husband. Together, these sources reveal a creative partnership that developed through business success, financial difficulties, writing and decades of gardening.
Quick Bio
| Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sarah Don |
| Also Known As | Sarah Erskine |
| Profession | Author, jewellery designer |
| Known For | Co-authoring gardening books and helping create Longmeadow |
| Husband | Monty Don |
| Marriage Date | 29 July 1983 |
| Children | Three |
| Notable Books | Fork to Fork, The Jewel Garden |
| Former Business | Monty Don fashion jewellery |
| Associated Garden | Longmeadow, Herefordshire |
Who Is Sarah Don?
Sarah Don is a writer and creative professional whose career has involved jewelry, gardening and publishing. Although the wider public generally recognizes her through Monty Don, she has also done substantial work of her own.
During the 1980s, she was closely involved in designing the distinctive jewelry sold through the business she established with her husband. Her creative interests later informed their work in gardening and publishing.
The couple’s gardening projects have also attracted attention through television and books. Publisher Hachette recognizes Sarah as an author, while Monty Don’s official bibliography credits them jointly for two gardening titles.
This publishing history is an important distinction. Sarah is not simply someone mentioned in a celebrity biography; she has identifiable creative work and published credits.
Sarah Don and Monty Don’s Marriage
Sarah and Monty met during the late 1970s, when Monty was studying English at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Their relationship developed before his television career made him a familiar figure to British audiences.
They married on July 29, 1983, and subsequently raised three children together.
In July 2026, Monty publicly marked their 43rd wedding anniversary with a wedding-day photograph. The anniversary offered a rare glimpse into a relationship that has continued through several different stages of their personal and professional lives.
Their partnership has not been limited to family life. They have worked together as business owners, authors and gardeners, often bringing different perspectives to shared projects.
Her Career as a Jewelry Designer
Before gardening became central to the family’s public identity, Sarah and Monty operated a fashion jewelry business in London.
Sarah’s designs included colorful statement pieces inspired by flowers, insects and decorative shapes. The business developed a fashionable following during the 1980s, when elaborate accessories became increasingly popular.
According to The Guardian, customers included well-known figures such as Princess Diana and Boy George.
Sarah’s design work was especially important to the business’s appeal. In a 2003 interview, Monty acknowledged that naming the company after himself failed to recognize the major creative contributions adequately.
Despite its early success, the company eventually collapsed amid financial problems. The experience represented a considerable setback for the family.
Rather than defining Sarah’s career entirely by that unsuccessful ending, the jewelry business demonstrates the design expertise and entrepreneurial experience she brought to later creative projects.
Sarah Don’s Books and Writing Career
Sarah has two particularly significant collaborative book credits.
Fork to Fork, published in 1999, explores the relationship between growing food and preparing meals. Written with Monty Don, it brings practical vegetable gardening and home cooking together, including recipes and cultivation advice.
The accompanying television project also explored growing, harvesting and cooking organically produced food.
Her second notable collaboration, The Jewel Garden, describes the couple’s experience of developing a garden while recovering from severe financial difficulties.
The book considers how gardening became intertwined with their changing circumstances and family life. It is as much a personal account of recovery and creative partnership as a description of plants and garden design.
A paperback edition was published in 2005, with later digital editions making the work available to new readers.
These books offer the clearest published evidence of Sarah’s contributions to writing.
Sarah Don’s Role in Creating Longmeadow
Longmeadow, the celebrated garden associated with BBC Gardeners’ World, is one of Sarah and Monty’s most enduring shared achievements.
They bought their Herefordshire property in October 1991, when the surrounding land was mostly rough grass, brambles, and neglected ground.
Over the following decades, they transformed it into a series of distinctive garden spaces, including the Cottage Garden, Jewel Garden, and vegetable-growing areas.
Although television viewers mainly see Monty presenting from Longmeadow, he has repeatedly described the property as a shared creation.
In a 2022 Gardeners’ World podcast, Monty discussed how he and Sarah make major garden decisions together, with both having a say in proposed changes.
This collaborative approach helps explain why Longmeadow has developed as a personal family garden rather than merely a television filming location.
Sarah’s background in color, form and decorative design also provides useful context for understanding the couple’s wider creative interests.
Family Life and Public Recognition
Sarah and Monty have three children and have generally kept their family relationships separate from the publicity surrounding his broadcasting career.
Sarah occasionally features in published interviews, photographs and discussions about Longmeadow, but she has not pursued the same level of television visibility as her husband.
That distinction should not be confused with a lack of professional involvement.
Her work is documented through jewelry design, published books and the long-term development of their home garden.
For readers interested in the family behind Gardeners’ World, these contributions provide a fuller picture than focusing only on Monty’s public career.
Sarah Don and Longmeadow in 2026
Longmeadow attracted renewed attention in September 2026 when Monty Don announced that he would step down from presenting Gardeners’ World after 23 years.
The announcement brought renewed attention to the Herefordshire garden, which had been a principal filming location for the program since 2011.
Monty said he intended to continue gardening and working on other projects.
The change does not diminish Sarah’s longstanding involvement in the property. Longmeadow was their shared gardening project long before the BBC program made it widely known. Its development remains one of the clearest examples of their creative collaboration.
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FAQs
1. Who is Sarah Don?
Sarah Don is an author and former jewelry designer, widely recognized as the wife of British gardener and television presenter Monty Don. She co-authored Fork to Fork and The Jewel Garden.
2. Is Sarah Don still married to Monty Don?
Yes. Their marriage was publicly acknowledged in July 2026 when Monty celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary.
3. What books has Sarah Don written?
Her documented collaborative books include Fork to Fork (1999) and The Jewel Garden, which she wrote with Monty Don.
4. Did Sarah Don help create Longmeadow?
Yes. Sarah and Monty developed Longmeadow together after acquiring their Herefordshire property in 1991. Monty has publicly described the garden as a shared project.
5. What did Sarah Don do before gardening and writing?
Sarah worked in fashion jewelry design and helped run a successful London-based jewelry business with Monty during the 1980s.
Conclusion
Sarah Don’s public story is closely connected to Monty Don, but it also includes her own creative accomplishments. From designing fashionable jewelry to co-authoring gardening books and developing Longmeadow, she has contributed to several projects that became important parts of the couple’s shared career.
Her published work and documented involvement in the garden offer a clearer understanding of a partnership built around design, writing, gardening and family life.
