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A first-look at the most talked-about garden at the world-famous horticultural show
Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don has designed his first-ever garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025.
As one of Britain’s best-loved and most well-known gardeners, Monty, who presents the BBC's coverage of RHS Chelsea, has created The RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden with plantsman Jamie Butterworth of Form Plants.
Known for his beloved dogs, including Ned, who is a regular on Gardeners' World, Monty has conveyed his passion with a space designed for both dogs and their owners. Now, the garden has been unveiled, where it will be on display for all to see for just one week.
'I’m aware that people will judge,' said Monty in an interview with the Royal Horticultural Society's The Garden magazine. 'The first thing I said to Jamie Butterworth was, "We cannot screw this up. This has got to be good." And by good, I mean really good; this is not playing. You’ve got to do it absolutely as well as possible, as it’s going to be seen in real life by tens of thousands of people, and on television by millions.'
Does Monty's dog garden live up to expectations? Take a tour below.
• You can see the garden up close at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 20th-24th May 2025 (tickets are still available).
More RHS Chelsea 2025 news:
'I'm so busy at the moment and I usually resist requests to design a garden. But it's the combination of dogs and gardens that really appealed to me with this one,' says Monty, who in 2022 was awarded the RHS Victoria Medal of Honour, the highest honour in horticulture. 'It will be a one-off. I’ve no intention of repeating it.'
Monty was asked to design the garden by the RHS. It's a Feature Garden, which is not judged for a medal as others are.
'I’ve always said I would never do a Show Garden at RHS Chelsea – actually, no-one has ever asked me – but the chance to do an RHS Chelsea garden that wasn’t being judged, well, that was different,' Monty explains in The Garden magazine.
To keep the garden as authentic as possible, Monty enlisted the help of his beloved golden retriever, Ned, to design the paths that intersect through the planting. Jamie reveals Ned 'followed his nose and forged the routes' that are now seen in the final garden design.
On press day, Ned enjoyed a family reunion, joining his mum Mabel and sister Isla, and their owners James and Alizee Middleton, on the garden.
Within the garden is a sectioned-off area for humans to enjoy a beautiful tapestry of plants.
'It's not a stage set; it's a garden. I’m not trying to sell my wares as a garden designer,' says Monty. 'All I’m doing is making a garden I like, and I know my dogs will like. That simplicity is a great strength.'
The summerhouse, or rather human-sized doghouse, is complete with cosy sofas.
'In the building there will be a screen playing a loop of my dogs – Ned loves to watch himself on TV – and there’ll be pots of couch grass for dogs to have a nibble. It’s a weed that everybody wants to get rid of, but dogs love it,' reveals Monty.
DJ, keen gardener, and dog lover, Jo Whiley, has been asking Radio 2 listeners to choose songs for a special doggy playlist that will be played within the garden.
Is it a mini replica of Longmeadow; the sprawling gardens at Monty's Herefordshire home? 'We made a decision very early on that we weren’t going to make a mini Longmeadow. What we have done though, is take little details from Longmeadow,' Monty remarks.
At the very centre of the garden is a lawn, which is essential for canines sprawling, sleeping, rolling, flopping, itching and chasing balls. The lawn drifts into longer grass planted with ornamental spring flowering bulbs, creating more of a tameflower meadow than a wildflower meadow.
'Shaggy lawns are back,' says Jamie, revealing that turf was grown at RHS Garden Wisley using a special seed mix of tough grasses that will cope with dogs.
To make the lawn look authentic, Jamie grew 500 daisies (Bellis perennis), along with other weeds planted into it, such as Rumex (dock) and Plantago lanceolata (ribwort plantain).
'Our ultimate dog lawn is in truth, pretty humble, combining only a hardwearing grass seed and the stalwarts of the garden – daisies, dandelions and clover,' says Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the RHS. 'It’s a reminder that lawns don’t have to look perfect to be perfect for our pets, every day use and the wider environment.'
Straight brick paths will create vistas – à la Longmeadow – with one providing the route through the garden for visitors and another leading to a hipped-roof summerhouse/human doghouse.
Reflecting the special place dogs hold in our hearts and our gardens, the paths are inscribed with the names of dogs belonging to Radio 2 presenters and RHS ambassadors, including Monty’s beloved dog Ned. Her Majesty The Queen’s adopted Jack Russell Terriers, Beth and Bluebell, also feature on the path.
The main tree was supposed to be a beautiful black mulberry (Morus nigra), but it snapped at the trunk after being loaded onto the truck from the grower.
'I was surprised and sad, but I sort of figured if that’s the worst thing that happens, so be it,' recalls Monty. 'It was a real shame because it would have been perfect, but the replacement – a really nice multi-stemmed apple (Malus domestica) – is good.'
Monty's garden includes the likes of lupins, alliums, and foxgloves, known to be toxic to canines, a decision he has defended.
'There are plants in the garden that are technically poisonous to dogs. However, there are no plants that I don’t have in my own garden, and I’ve always had dogs,' he explains.
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