Monty Don made big change and admits 'it didn't go according to expectations'

Monty Don admits his latest project "didn't go to expectations" meaning the gardener had to make a big change as he brought it to life. The 69-year-old gardening expert joined forces with Jamie Butterworth for a collaborative design at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This year's attendees wandering through the enchanting displays are in for a treat, owing to a unique guide - Monty's dog Ned.

That is because the Gardeners' World star unleashed his Golden Retriever into the charity's garden to help carve a path in the new "dog garden". Ned, joined by dogs owned by Jamie and RHS director-general Clare Matterson, ended up throwing a spanner into Monty's plans when he was let loose. Speaking to The Times, he said: "We've been observing the way that they move around among the plants in order to plan out the paths.



It didn't actually go according to our expectations, which is good, because it meant that we had to rethink." Elaborating on the project's "paths", Monty detailed the dogs' influence on the garden's layout: "The way dogs work, when they're moving around, they're sifting and they keep going back to a sort of central point, like the branches of a tree, and then go off sideways and see what's happening and move a little bit around from there, and then go retrace their steps." He says the four-legged friends created a "branching, curving system" which neither gardener would have predicted ahead of time.

Monty explains he thought the dogs would create a more maze-like system, similar to the path of a snake, reports . The idea for the garden came to Monty during a trip to Madrid for his Spanish Gardens series. There, he encountered a plot specifically cultivated for canine enjoyment, and while Monty isn't looking to replicate the garden exactly, he's drawn considerable inspiration from it.

Key features he wanted to integrate into his creation include a lawn – an unusual sight at Chelsea – along with trees, shrubs for shade, and a refreshing stream for dogs to cool off in. His Chelsea innovation will incorporate personal touches from his own garden including brick pathways, plant selections, and colour schemes, all complemented by dog-centric furnishings such as a dog sofa. Unlike many displays at Chelsea which carry deeper social or environmental messages, Monty concedes his project is crafted purely "for fun", using plants easily sourced from regular garden centres.

When the flower show concludes, the garden will find a new home at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, marking the first time canines, except for assistance dogs, will set paw in the space due to longstanding rules against dogs at the event. Gardeners' World fans will know that Monty has been fond of his dogs for a long time, with his animals regularly featuring on the show. The RHS Chelsea Flower Show will run between May 20 and 24.

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