Bogs and dogs: Chelsea flower show puts practical gardens in spotlight

The Guardian

20-05-2025

Frisbees, solar panels and a toilet are among the rather unorthodox stars of the Chelsea flower show, as horticulturalists attempt to show how gardens can be practical as well as beautiful.
The event, now in its 112th year, usually tends toward showcasing peonies and roses over human waste. But the Garden of the Future, designed by Matthew Butler and Josh Parker, features a lavatory that creates a biochar compost perfect for growing vegetables.
'It converts the solids into a biochar and then the liquids into a water that is safe to use on the ornamental planting,' Butler said. Brandishing a small pot of the substance, he added: 'That's from the toilet. So it's like a light friable soil. There's a little drawer next to the toilet, you pull it out, and the contents can be used on the garden to help improve the crops.'
His garden also prominently features a ground-mounted solar panel, which powers an irrigation pump. This year has been very hot and sunny, with areas of the UK experiencing early stages of drought, making irrigation especially important. In response to weather extremes brought on by climate breakdown, the garden features drought-friendly crops that can be grown in home vegetable patches.
'Our chickpeas have been growing well,' Butler said. 'We both grow them at home ourselves too, and sweet potatoes, which are becoming a more common crop in the UK; farmers [are] growing sweet potatoes in lots of parts of the south.'
Lucy Hutchings of She Grows Veg , who is exhibiting her perfect vegetables in the Great Pavilion at the show, has also been experimenting with drought-friendly crops.
'We are based in East Anglia, and it basically hasn't rained in a month and a half,' she said. 'Leafy greens tend to bolt in these conditions, and some have, so we are experimenting with drought-friendly varieties like amaranth.'
The drought isn't all bad news though; while they can still be irrigated, it will be a brilliant year for tomatoes, Hutchings said.
'We're having to make sure that we water them, obviously, but they'll ripen quicker,' she said. 'It's going to be a fantastic season for tomatoes, and that little bit of drought actually really intensifies the flavour.'
Frisbees and tennis balls are not usually a feature of the genteel event but Monty Don of BBC Gardeners' World brought both to his dog-friendly garden.
Ned, the golden retriever, chased his toys around Don's creation, which features a special 'robust lawn' made for canine companions, flowers that are non-toxic to pets, and a pond for dogs to splash around. The BBC Radio 2 presenter Jo Whiley also brought her dog, which played on the lawn with Ned.
Gesturing to the lawn, Don said: 'You can see it's looking quite trashed already. What it'll be like for the end of the week, I don't know, but it's a real lawn, and it's for dogs to play in.'
Ned also helped him design the garden by creating pathways through the flower borders, Don revealed: 'If you look closely in the border, there are paths where the dog has weaved through.' He said a fox had already enjoyed these crumpled spaces, sleeping among the poppies on Sunday night.
Queen Camilla, a dog-lover, was due to visit Don's garden along with her new terrier, Moley, which was adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where the garden will be relocated after the show.
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Though dogs are being celebrated at Chelsea, cats are not welcome in the SongBird Survival Garden.
Susan Morgan, chief executive of the charity SongBird Survival, which sponsored the garden, said trees with spiky thorns were selected to put cats off climbing them and disturbing birds.
'Look at it – a cat wouldn't like climbing up that,' she said, pointing out a broad-leaved cockspur thorn. The garden is designed to welcome and support songbirds, which are in drastic decline in the UK.
The garden is full of plants that produce berries for birds to eat, including blackcurrant and alpine strawberries, as well as pollinator-friendly flowers that attract insects, which are prey for birds.
'We also planted thick yew hedges, which are perfect for them to nest in,' Morgan added.
She hasn't seen any songbirds using the garden yet, but there is evidence they have already been enjoying it. 'It's a bit busy here during the day, but there has been bird poo on the plants – we think they come at night. There's a blackbird on site we are hoping to attract when it's a bit quieter,' she added.
Celebrities enjoying the gardens on the show's press day, which takes places the day before it opens to the public, included Cate Blanchett, Carol Vorderman, David Tennant and Judi Dench.
The RHS Chelsea flower show is on from 20 to 24 May in the Royal Hospital gardens.