Monty Don to design garden for dogs at Chelsea Flower Show

TV’s gardening guru, Monty Don, is ­always joined by a beloved dog or two when he’s tending to his property in Herefordshire.

So it should be no surprise that the BBC Gardeners’ World presenter has designed a green haven especially for dogs at the Chelsea Flower Show next May, featuring a tree for them to rest under and a lawn for them to roll on.

There will also be an educational section to raise awareness of plants that are toxic to dogs and other pets. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and BBC Radio 2 said they had joined forces with Don, 69, to celebrate Britons’ “deep love of dogs and gardens we share with them”.

Don said it was “an irresistible opportunity to share my love of gardens and dogs at the world’s greatest horticultural event”.

It will be the first garden at the show to be designed by the horticulturalist and writer, whose deep affection for dogs is widely known. Viewers of his programme are often shown his dogs at Longmeadow, his Tudor hall house and gardens. He has previously praised his pets for helping him to overcome depression.

• Read more: The lawn is back — just ask Monty Don

After the flower show, the garden will be transferred to ­Battersea Dogs and Cats Home “for all the rescue dogs and the people who work and volunteer there to enjoy for generations to come”, the RHS said.