The television presenter and Gardening writer Monty Don is stepping down from Gardeners' World after suffering a minor stroke, the BBC said yesterday. The 52-year-old has been absent from the screen for the past six weeks following the stroke and now intends to take "gardening leave" over the summer while he makes a full recovery.

A spokesman for 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." The spokesman added that Don would be "sorely missed by viewers and the production team".

Don has appeared on Gardeners' World for five years, and this year also presented Around the World in 80 Gardens, a horticultural odyssey which took 18 months to film. Don and his crew visited locations from the Arctic to Australia, to profile gardens - and their creators - on every continent.

In a statement yesterday, Don said: "I am proud to have led Gardeners' World for the past five years and have enjoyed every minute of sharing my passion with the programme's viewers. I intend to take some gardening leave for the rest of the summer to make a full recovery and so that I am ready to tackle new projects."

A self-taught horticulturalist, Don also wrote a long-running column for the Observer, often straying beyond gardening to discuss personal issues such as his own experiences with depression and seasonal affective disorder. He is the author of a number of popular gardening books including 'The Sensuous Garden' and 'The Complete Gardener'.

He began his television career as the resident gardener on This Morning before going to present a string of Channel 4 series including Don Roaming and Lost Gardens. He lives with his wife and three children in Herefordshire.