London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2025

Scaly stowaway: lizard makes an appearance at Chelsea flower show

Scaly stowaway: lizard makes an appearance at Chelsea flower show

Gardeners at the Yeo Valley Organic display were delighted to find the common brown lizard in pile of logs
Visitors to Chelsea flower show come from all over the country, and range from senior royals to interested gardeners looking for some new plants.

This year, however, there has been a rather special guest – a common brown lizard. Gardeners at the Yeo Valley Organic display were delighted to find him in a pile of logs.

In the past, Chelsea was known as a showcase of perfectly manicured lawns and prize-winning blooms in symmetrical flower beds. But there is now a clear trend towards nature-friendly gardening. This has been somewhat controversial, with veteran gardeners including the Royal Horticultural Society rose expert Charles Quest-Ritson arguing that people do not attend flower shows to see piles of logs and patches of nettles. He believes prizes should not be given for “weeds”.

But Quest-Ritson is in the minority, and this year’s show features multitudes of nature and eco-friendly gardens including a Cop26 garden and a woodland planting supported by Prince Charles, which urges visitors to “plant a tree for the Queen”.

Yeo Valley Organic’s garden is built to attract amphibians and reptiles, as well as pollinators and insects. It seems to have achieved that aim, with the lizard making himself at home in the log pile.

Sarah Mead, who created the Yeo Valley Organic garden, which is a permanent fixture at the company’s farm in Somerset, said there had been a discussion about whether the lizard had hitchhiked from the farm, where materials from the original garden were transported for the mini Chelsea version, or whether had it crawled in as a rare example of a London lizard.

She said: “It’s definitely a common brown lizard – there are lots of them in the West Country so we are sure it came down from Yeo Valley in Somerset among the stone that was transported from the farm, but it’s made itself quite at home here.

“As lizards are cold-blooded, they like the cool stone – it’s Mendip stone they’ve brought up from the dry stone walls on the farm, so a perfect environment for lizards, cool with lots of nooks and crannies. Lizards are just one example of the rich biodiversity at Yeo Valley, where they do everything to encourage wildlife.”

Common lizards are found across the country, but their numbers are declining because of habitat loss. They thrive in grassland and moorland, as well as the edges of woodlands.

The gardeners have enlisted experts from the Wildlife Trusts to help them keep the lizard comfortable at the busy show and teach them more about it.

Features of the Somerset garden recreated at Chelsea include an open perennial meadow with flowering plants and a glade of silver birch. The design also features charred logs used as garden markers and rammed earth walls as boundaries, both highlighting the importance of soil health. The garden is designed to show how to create a beautiful and peaceful space that encourages nature and has soil health in mind.

Tom Massey, who with the help of Mead designed the show garden, said: “The soil plays a pivotal role in our fight to reverse climate change but the world of microscopic activity under our feet is often overlooked. Carbon is the building block of all life and as gardeners we need to be reminded of the role we play in locking carbon into the soil, where it can help sustain life for generations to come. We want to create a beautiful garden that inspires visitors to think about using more sustainable gardening practices.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×