The Royal Horticultural Society has announced details of certain RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens for 2025, with big names in garden design working towards gardens for next year.
Details have been released of the garden that TV presenter and gardener Monty Don will be designing at Chelsea this year. The RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden brings together Radio 2 and Monty Don to create a garden inspired by our nation's love of dogs at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025.
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It will be the first garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show to be designed by Monty, who is a regular presenter of BBC Gardeners' World and Chelsea Flower Show coverage. Monty's own love of dogs is well-known, with his canine friends regularly appearing in his Gardeners' World broadcasts. His dog Ned also appeared in a recording of the Gardens Illustrated Talking Gardens podcast, which went live today.
The garden is part of the RHS's new 'Your Space, Your Story' initiative, which champions the initiatives of all gardeners. The RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden will help dog lovers at home to create garden spaces for their pets.
Monty said: “This is an irresistible opportunity to join with the RHS and Radio 2 to share my love of gardens and dogs at the world’s greatest horticultural event. Along with the superb team headed by Jamie Butterworth we shall be making a garden that is inspired by Longmeadow and my own dogs but above all a celebration of the way that so many of us share our gardens with our canine companions.”
The garden will feature a neatly mown lawn as well as a large tree for shade, the lawn will become longer grass, planted with ornamental spring flowering bulbs as a tameflower meadow, rather than a wildflower meadow.
Brick paths run straight creating vistas a little like in Monty's own garden at Longmeadow - with one providing the route through the garden for visitors and another at right angles to this leading to the summerhouse. Brick paths will be inscribed with the names of dogs belonging to Radio 2 presenters and RHS ambassadors, as well as of course Monty’s beloved dog Ned.
The Garden for Dogs will live on after RHS Chelsea at the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. As patron of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Her Majesty The Queen’s adopted Jack Russell Terriers, Beth and Bluebell, will also feature on the path.
There will be an area for humans to enjoy the plants, and an area for dogs to visit supervised, which will raise awareness of certain plants that are toxic to dogs and other pets. This will not move to Battersea after Chelsea 2025.
Monty will be working alongside the team at Form Plants, led by Plant Expert and Horticulturist Jamie Butterworth.
Clare Matterson, RHS director general, said: “It’s exciting to be working with Radio 2 and Monty Don to create a garden that celebrates the connection between two of the UK’s greatest loves – dogs and gardens. Nothing lifts us like a beautiful garden, and then, for a little bit of extra joy, we’ve added some wagging tails."
Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley will be championing the garden on her show with a doggy playlist, which will then be played on the garden during Chelsea 2025.
