Monty Don’s Latest Project: Dog-Friendly Garden at Chelsea Flower Show Creates Buzz Online. Full Story

Monty Don has revealed new details about his “perfectly imperfect” garden designed especially for dogs, which will be featured at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. The garden, set to be both playful and practical, will include a shaggy lawn, a nod to rapper Snoop Dogg with his music playing in the background, and even a unique design feature crafted from Monty’s own trousers.

Taking inspiration from his own garden at Longmeadow in Herefordshire, Monty described the project as a “simple celebration of dogs and gardens.” He made it clear during the RHS Spring Press Conference, as reported by Country Living, that this garden isn’t meant to be weighed down with deeper meanings or complex symbols. Instead, it’s designed to be joyful and straightforward.

The centerpiece of the garden is the 20 x 10 meter RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden. At its heart will be a low-maintenance lawn made specifically for dogs to sprawl out on, snooze, or chase after a ball. This turf is being specially prepared by RHS gardeners at Wisley and is grown from rye grass. It’s designed to be tough and resilient, capable of handling the wear and tear that comes with active pets.

In addition to being durable, the lawn will be lively and colorful, dotted with daisies, dandelions, and clover. These plants weren’t just chosen for their visual appeal—dogs are especially attracted to yellow, and all three are beneficial for pollinators as well. The result will be a lawn that may not be perfectly trimmed but will be full of life and charm, standing up to the chaos that dogs often bring.

“Monty and I first discussed this garden 12 months ago,” said James Butterworth, the award-winning horticulturalist working alongside Monty on the project, while speaking at the RHS Spring Press Conference. “It’s totally out of my comfort zone to create a lawn like this. Dandelions are usually the last thing you want in a garden but this lawn needs to be hard-wearing, a bit shaggy—perfectly imperfect.”

James clarified that while the garden may look wild, it’s not a rewilded space or a meadow. “We just wanted it to look like a regular lawn that’s always been there,” he explained. Interestingly, the lawn will need to be mowed during the week of the Chelsea Flower Show, and Monty himself will be the one to do it.

If the sun shines over SW3 this year, dogs and their owners will find plenty of shade in Monty Don’s cheerful dog-themed garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. The design features eight carefully chosen specimen trees offering cover for panting pups, including field maple, hornbeam, and, of course, the appropriately named flowering dogwood.

True to his nature, Monty has stayed loyal to everyday, accessible plants. When James Butterworth, the horticulturalist working alongside him, suggested using the more exotic Chimonanthus, Monty politely declined. “Let’s go with a simple hazel tree of the same size – that would give me just as much pleasure,” he said. According to James, this kind of humility and preference for the ordinary is rare at Chelsea, where show gardens often lean toward the extravagant.

Adding a playful edge to the garden are topiary balls styled to look like tennis balls, a clever nod to the beloved pastime of fetch. Paths built from reclaimed bricks will snake through the garden, engraved with the names of dogs owned by Radio 2 presenters and RHS ambassadors—including Monty’s own loyal companion, Ned. “This garden wears its doggy heart on its sleeve,” James said warmly. “It’s the most exciting and joyful garden I have ever been involved with.”

Remarkably, this will be Monty Don’s first time designing a garden for Chelsea. “I’m so busy at the moment and I usually resist requests to design a garden,” he admitted. “But it’s the combination of dogs and gardens that really appealed to me with this one.” For Monty, the draw was clear: it’s not about symbols or deep messages—just a pure and heartfelt celebration of canine companions and the joy they bring to green spaces. “My dog Ned has been acting as a consultant,” he added with a smile. “Part of the garden is designed by dogs for dogs.”

That spirit is brought to life in charming details, like a rustic doghouse made from reclaimed timber. Inside will be a well-loved squashy sofa, its stuffing spilling out, and topped with a throw crafted from a pair of Monty’s old trousers, lovingly repurposed by his wife Sarah. A television will also be included—because, as James shared, “Monty has told me that Ned likes watching himself on telly.”

Radio 2 is sponsoring the garden, so naturally, the soundscape will be just as vibrant. Music from a playlist curated by listeners of Jo Whiley’s radio show will fill the air. “It will surely include Snoop Dogg and maybe Baha Men’s ‘Who Let the Dogs Out,’” said Jo.

The garden will also include a shallow stream for dogs to splash and cool off in, and low, playful grass surrounded by familiar, sturdy, and attractive plant varieties—all tried, tested, and loved by Monty in his own Longmeadow garden. But as James explained, they aren’t aiming to recreate Longmeadow. “We just want to capture the spirit of it. This is not a deeply serious garden—it’s playful.”

And because every dog’s greatest joy is a long walk, Monty Don’s Chelsea Flower Show 2025 garden will include a thoughtful finishing touch—a gate at the bottom of the garden. But it’s not just any gate. “We’ve taken a lovely wooden gate from Monty’s own garden at Longmeadow – because it’s the start and end point for Ned’s walks with Monty,” explained James Butterworth.

There’s also a special plan for Chelsea’s Press Day. “If the RHS allows, Ned will be there at Chelsea – and one of two other select dogs on Press Day. And, of course, Guide Dogs are always very welcome,” James added, highlighting the garden’s dog-friendly spirit.

Monty himself is filled with anticipation. “I am seriously excited about this. It’s even keeping me awake at night,” he admitted. “It will be a one-off. I’ve no intention of repeating it but I hope it will be truly spectacular.”

Beyond its charming and playful surface, the garden will also carry an important message. A sectioned-off area, meant only for humans, will raise awareness about toxic plants that can be harmful to pets—reminding visitors to think carefully about what they grow in dog-friendly spaces.

The garden forms part of the RHS’s new initiative, Your Space, Your Story, which celebrates how personal outdoor spaces can reflect each gardener’s unique identity. In 2025, the RHS will spotlight how outdoor areas can become powerful expressions of individual passions—whether it’s a sanctuary for pets, a small urban oasis, or a vegetable garden for food lovers.

After the show, Monty and James’ creation will live on. The entire garden will be relocated to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, just 700 metres from the Chelsea showground. “We plan to walk as many of the plants there as we can,” James shared, emphasizing the garden’s lasting impact and second life as a haven for rescue animals.

Clare Matterson, Director General of the RHS, summed up the spirit behind the project beautifully: “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.”

She added, “Over 2025, we really want to celebrate how we’re here for all gardeners; dog lovers, families, keen cooks, houseplant fanatics, everyone. And this garden is a great example of how individuals can bring their passions to life in their outside spaces.”