HEREFORDSHIRE gardener Monty Don will still appear at Hay Festival despite health concerns.

He is due appear at the Guardian Hay Festival on Monday, May 26, where he will discuss food production, climate change, and the organic movement's lead in in local and supermarket shopping.

The BBC has said the presenter and writer has stepped down from Gardeners' World after suffering a minor stroke.

The 52-year-old has been missing from the long-running BBC2 programme's line-up for the past six weeks after being taken ill.

In a statement, Mr Don said he intended to take some "gardening leave" over the summer to enable him to make a full recovery.

The German-born horticulturist has fronted Gardeners' World for the past five years, following in the footsteps of green-fingered greats Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh.

Prior to the popular BBC show, Don did a five-year stint as the resident horticulturist on This Morning. Other TV roles have included presenting the Channel 4 series Don Roaming and Real Gardens.

Away from his presenting duties, Mr Don has written a number of popular gardening books including The Sensuous Garden and The Complete Gardener.

He also penned a long-running column for The Observer which often extended beyond horticulture to discuss issues including his own experiences with seasonal affective disorder.

In a statement, the BBC said: "Monty Don has decided to stand down as the main presenter of Gardeners' World.

"Monty has presented the series for the past five years but has been off our screens for the past six weeks as a result of a minor stroke. Although he is making a good recovery he feels unable to commit to regular filming for a while."

It added that Don would be "sorely missed by viewers and the production team".