For over one hundred years, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been staged at the Royal Chelsea Hospital grounds in London. It’s the pinnacle of the gardening year and draws crowds, celebrity and royalty from every end of the kingdom. Each year the show blossoms into a horticultural extravaganza, featuring the very best in garden design, plants, floral displays and so much more.
If you’ve got a ticket, you’ll want to make the most of it, so here are a few highlights from this year’s show that you should really try to see.
Extraordinary Show Gardens
The show gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show are the main highlight for visitors, but it’s not just the gardens on Main Avenue you should look out for. Tucked away in different areas of the showground are a range of smaller gardens that for some offer much more achievable ideas and inspiration to recreate at home. Look out for the Balcony Gardens designed for those with sky garden aspirations and a creative focus. Take time to look at the planting combinations that show off the flowers and foliage for the very best results. But don’t miss the Container Gardens, the Sanctuary Gardens and the All About Plants Gardens.
Inspiring Discovery Zone
The wonderful thing about horticulture and all its associated strands is that there is always so much to learn. Understanding how every layer of our garden integrates with the environment is inspiring and incredible. Every year the Discovery Zone inside the Great Pavilion showcases different tiers of our gardens, exploring fascinating elements relevant to our lives, our planet and gardens. This year, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-the-change-stand-at-the-rhs-chelsea-flower-show-2023/) is taking its Bee The Change campaign to the show, showing gardeners how simple but powerful changes can transform a garden into a bumblebee haven.
Happy Houseplant Studios
Don’t miss the fabulous Houseplant Studios tucked away behind Eastern Avenue. This year there are six diverse and inspirational cabins packed full of the most incredible ideas for displaying, using and enjoying a wide range of indoor plants. It’s not just the diversity of plants that are astonishing, but also the ideas of how to use them in your home, your office or even your classroom. Don’t miss the Plant School from Beards and Daisies. (www.beardsanddaisies.co.uk).
Fabulous Floristry
Are you growing a few more flowers for cutting??? Floral decorations, arrangements and art are an up-and-coming trend that is gaining appreciation and there’s no-where better to see the extremes of this art than at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. There’s a hotly contested Floristry & Floral Design competition at every show, with the most fabulous displays of not just cut flowers, but dried flowers, art and the most exquisite accessories all woven into fantastical arrangements on a theme. Even if you think it’s not for you, have a look. It’s magical, mysterious and extremely exclusive.
Great Pavilion
One word describes the extraordinary exhibits clustered within the Great Pavilion; WOW. Every single stand of plants and flowers is incredible and literally the best of the best. Every petal is examined, every leaf inspected and every flower encouraged or held back to be at its absolute perfection for one week in May. Whatever group of plants gets your attention, the Great Pavilion is the place to be, from sweet peas and African violets, to lilies, peonies, tulips, fruit, herbs, vegetable and more, you can’t fail to be bowled over by the overall effect of so many incredible plants displayed in creative and inspiring ways. Take a camera to record your favourites and capture a little of the Chelsea Flower Show magic.
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