Horticultural hero Monty Don has recently unveiled his highly-anticipated RHS Radio 2 Dog Garden design at RHS Chelsea Flower Show – and there are plenty of tips and tricks that you can use yourself.
It's a myth that you can't have a lovely green space as well as a dog, but you might have to adapt what you can do. From stimulating scents to cooling water, RHS chief horticulturalist Guy Barter and Battersea Lead Horticulturist Dawn Grehan (as well as Monty) share gardening ideas for a dog-friendly garden.
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How to create a dog friendly garden
Engage your dog’s senses
A sensory area of the garden will stimulate your dogs’ senses while helping to keep them mentally stimulated and decrease boredom – and less likely to cause trouble elsewhere. Dogs love to explore by using their noses and there are many dog friendly herbaceous plants and shrubs that can be planted for them to investigate such as rosemary, basil, thyme and lemon balm.
Owners can set up brain games by hiding some of their pet’s favourite treats or toys around these plants. Offering different surfaces to stimulate dogs’ paws can also engage senses, such as grass, play-grade bark chip and garden paving for pets to follow their owners around the garden.
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Fence off anything that could be toxic
There are a number of plants that can be toxic to dogs which owners should be mindful of, such as alliums (including onions, garlic and leeks), foxgloves and rhododendron/azaleas. (Take a look at this comprehensive list of poisonous plants to dogs).
If you have any plants in your garden that are toxic to dogs, ensure to enclose these off with a secure fence that your dog cannot get through, under or over.
All toxic plants can present different symptoms in dogs, from an upset tummy to vomiting and even heart problems. Any plant can cause side-effects when ingested and some animals may be more sensitive to plants that are commonly considered safe. Be sure to be vigilant when your pet is out in nature and if you are at all worried about your pet’s health, consult your vet immediately.
Within the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden at RHS Chelsea there will be a beautiful tapestry of plants for humans to enjoy and for dogs to visit only when supervised by their owners. The Garden raises awareness of certain plants that are toxic to dogs and other pets – none of these toxic plants will live on at the Garden at Battersea.
Use robust plants
Dogs love to run around and play in the garden, so it’s a good idea to have a range of plants that can endure a dog's day-to-day use and bursts of energy. Robust plants (such as sedges and shorter grasses) to run through, catmint and lavender are all good options.
Create a hardwearing lawn
A lawn is essential for your four legged friend to sprawl, sleep and play on. But if you're concerned that it will be ruined, make sure it's of the low maintenance and hardy variety. Monty Don's RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden features a hardwearing rye grass variety that's commonly found in public open spaces and gardens.
The lawn also has daisies, dandelions and clover growing on it – which provide sensory interest, support the colour of lawns during drought, provide an important resource for wildlife, including pollinators, and help in weathering exploration by pets.
Avoid artificial grass if possible, as when temperatures rise in the summer, its surface can get as hot as 50C – which can lead to burnt paws and heat stroke in dogs.
Include dog-friendly colour
As humans, we enjoy having a beautiful garden with plenty of things to look at, and you can also make it pleasing to the eyes of your pets by offering them some visual stimulation in their outdoor sanctuary.
Dogs mainly see in blue and yellow, so to help them enjoy the garden just as much as us humans, you can look to plant yellow and blue dog-friendly plants such as cornflowers, pansies, asters and sunflowers. Pansies also grow all year round, allowing for a permanent feature in the garden for owners and their pets to enjoy.
Make sure dogs can cool off
It’s important to offer your pet plenty of shaded areas to keep cool and relax – especially when the weather gets warmer. You can make use of larger trees which are dog friendly such as field maple and hawthorns, or larger shrubs such as camellias and deutzias, which will add a pop of colour to your outdoor space.
When spending time in the garden with your dog in hotter weather, be sure to offer them plenty of water stations with fresh water to keep them hydrated. In the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden, there is also a shallow stream (or "wallow") with pebbles where dogs can splash around in the heat.
Find out everything you need to know about the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden with Garden Illustrated's guide.
More pet advice
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- Poisonous plants to cats: garden plants to avoid if you have cats
- Dog walking guide: expert training tips to help your dog behave
- How to get rid of fleas on dogs and cats
Main image: the creators of the RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden at RHS Chelsea – contractor and plantsman Jamie Butterworth and his dog Ollie, with Monty Don and Ned at Form Plants in Surrey, for Gardeners' World. Credit: BBC Studios
