London’s Chelsea Flower Show is celebrating dogs, cats and the climate in 2025.
This year’s Chelsea Flower Show, currently blooming at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, has gone to the dogs—and cats. In a delightful twist on tradition, the prestigious horticultural showcase is embracing the nation’s love of pets, with several gardens designed specifically with animals in mind.
One of the show’s most talked-about features is the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden, created by beloved TV gardener Monty Don. Known for his deep love of dogs, Don has designed a space that puts four-legged friends front and centre—complete with lawns for lounging, shallow pools for paddling, and shady trees for respite.
It’s filled with plants commonly found in British gardens, including foxgloves and alliums, which Don has safely grown alongside his own pets.
“I wanted to see a garden at Chelsea that didn’t have a message,” Don said. “A garden rooted in real life—2025 England—with plants you can buy from any local garden centre.”
Though not entered into the show’s competition, Don’s pet-friendly garden will have a permanent legacy: it will be relocated to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home after the event, with any toxic plants removed. As a tribute to the royals’ affection for animals, the names of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s dogs are inscribed on the garden’s brick paths.
The Royal Family added to the pet-centric charm of the show’s opening on Monday. A new photograph of the Queen with her rescue puppy Moley was released by Buckingham Palace to coincide with the royal visit, adding a personal touch to the animal-friendly theme.
While dogs have long been a familiar sight at garden centres and family homes, cats haven’t been forgotten. Several exhibitors have incorporated feline-friendly features into their designs, from soft groundcover plants perfect for prowling paws to secluded, shaded areas where cats can nap among the blooms.
Though less overt than Don’s dog-dedicated garden, these subtle touches signal a broader trend: gardens designed with pets as valued users, not just human visitors.
Beyond pets, the show continues to explore urgent environmental themes. Many gardens this year reflect the UK’s increasingly erratic weather patterns—prompted by climate change—with designs that address extremes of drought, flooding, and heat. One such garden, by designer Joe Perkins for The King’s Trust, features resilient plants that thrive in both dry and wet conditions, symbolising the adaptability of young people supported by the King’s charity.
The Wildlife Trusts’ rainforest garden draws attention to Britain’s endangered Atlantic temperate rainforests. Created by Zoe Claymore, the immersive display features cascading ferns, moss-draped rocks, and even a leaning silver birch tree—an homage to nature’s resilience and vulnerability.
But for many visitors, it’s the animals stealing the show. In a year where climate concerns and conservation dominate the landscape, the inclusion of cats and dogs has grounded the Chelsea Flower Show in everyday joy. Gardens aren’t just for people—they’re for the whole family, paws and all.
