Enduring gardening friendships

To mark the arrival of World Friendship Day, we thought we'd look back over some of the most enduring friendships in horticulture, from loving bromances to Nigel and Monty.

Christopher Lloyd and Beth Chatto

These two giants of horticulture were thick as thieves. The extent of their friendship is on show for all to see in the book Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening. Which features their correspondence over years and, perhaps surprisingly, the subjects they cover include gardens, of course, but also opera, food, the arts and wildlife too.

Adam Frost and Geoff Hamilton

Gardeners' World presenter Adam Frost often talks about his friendship with veteran Gardeners' World presenter Geoff Hamilton, who sadly passed away in 1996. Adam worked with Geoff when he was 21 and he says he owes his training in garden design to Geoff, their connection continued throughout Geoff's life. And in an interesting twist, after Geoff had passed away, Adam was stung by a wasp at the exact moment he poked fun at his old buddy on Gardeners' World. A message from the beyond? Quite possibly!

Monty Don and Nigel

One of the most famous friendships in horticulture, which sadly ended earlier this year. The sight of Nigel and Monty on our regular Gardeners' World episodes was always a delight and it's easy to tell the two adored each other. Monty still has two dogs, a golden retriever Nell, and now a new recruit in the form of Yorkshire Terrier Pattie.

James Alexander Sinclair, Cleve West and Joe Swift

Nicknamed the three men went to mow, these three gardening cards are responsible for a host of comedy gardening YouTube videos, in which their friendship is there for all to see. We'd absolutely recommend their very charming channel. This particular one is a favourite of the GI team's...