I have been meaning to go to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show since the mid-1980s. I recall listening to the BBC World Service programme in Trinidad, where local horticulturalists had presented and won a gold award at the flower show.  And although I have been keen on gardening in London since 1997, I still had not visited the show and have only ever looked at the coverage on TV and magazines.  So this year it was a special treat to visit the show and see how it was in real. 

The flower show developed in May 1827 at the start of the growing season for the then Horticultural Society of London.  Moving around different London locations until the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Since 1913, the show has been running there where the familiar name ‘Chelsea’ (rather than RHS) has been stuck. The hospital building is impressive too as you can see the building from parts of the main exhibition areas.  The Chelsea Pensioners who live there, were very visible and celebrities in their own right with several persons taking photos of them – including me!

As I live in London, getting to Chelsea was quite straightforward and it was nice to go through some of the residential part of the neighbourhood with their red brick architecture typical for that part of town.  The show attracts around 145000 people per annum, and there was definitely a sense of excitement as with the 1000s of people who were also at the show on the day I visited. The women especially were dressed up with the best floral or colour themes fabrics on a warm spring day – there was definitely a festival vibe. 

As we entered through the main ticket halls, there was a long arcade lined by trees of stalls made up of creative market stalls with products for the garden, homes, fashion etc. I couldn’t help thinking of how great it was to see all the creative businesses and artefacts if you are passionate about that industry.  We recently just finished landscaping my garden at home, so I also was excited by all the great products on display. 

Once we had secured our flowers show programme with a map, we made our way to see all the large show gardens.  Having seen some of the built-up media coverage earlier in the week, it was nice see the best in show in real for the large show gardens with the enormous sculpture lying on one side. In fact, going around all the large show gardens were fabulous to see – I loved the planting, the use of paths, trees, sculpture, structure and water features.  Several of the gardens were raising awareness of some causes – from the Lady Garden Foundation ‘Silent no More’ for gynaecological cancers that claim the lives of 21 women each day in the UK; The Children’s Society Garden with an urban landscape reimagined to offer young people the care and reassurance they need during the most formative years of their lives; and the Parkinson UK’s garden inspired by a workshop for gardeners living with Parkinson. The Parkinson society also launched a scentless rose for the charity to highlight a common symptom of the loss of the sense of smell.  The Sightsavers Garden which aimed to raise awareness around inclusion while also championing disability rights. And DKMS who were creating a new rose ‘Stems of Hope’ to encourage people to join the stem cell register. I was pleased to see that there were messages and causes by the garden to raise awareness and to support those communities.

I could also spot some of the more tropical palm tree on display, but even I am aware that some of these do survive the harsh British winter. There was an international element with the Japanese garden designed Tokonoma Garden Sanumaya no Niwa by Kazuyuki Ishihara and Paul Kenko Tange.  The garden was simple with understated Japanese aesthetics with foliage for changing season, moss baubles used for carpeting a wall, and building structures to represent going into a home and rooms.  There was also a representation from Barbados which I saw – unfortunately I understand that Trinidad did not exhibit this year.  The Barbados showcase won Gold with their ‘On de Road’ garden,  which had very similar tropical plants and flowers displayed that reminded me of the Caribbean from orchids, anthoriums, bird of paradise plants and heliconias. It was nice to have a chat with Barbadian representative who told me that Grenada were also in the show. In the Pavilion, it was stunning to see the flowers on display from peonies (which I had in abundance about over 25 years ago), orchids, roses, sweet peas, tulip, succulents and daffodils.  There was a lot more to see, but it was a very hot day and the Pavilion was really hot and humid for walking around.

The Balcony and Container gardens were really beautifully displayed and popular with the attendees. They were small but perfectly formed – full of inspiration and fun.  Some of these were sponsored, such as The Whittard of Chelsea Garden which celebrated 140 years of the simple pleasure of enjoying a unique tea blend with the design and sound of pouring the perfect cup.  Another was the ‘Little Garden of Shared Knowledge’ sponsored by cruise company Viking, with a London townhouse garden designed for a well-travelled retired couple who have downsized  – “it reflects a lifetime of learning and exploration and a desire to share knowledge and experience with others”. This area was good to see what is possible in smaller, urban spaces and different (like on riverbanks) locations.  In terms of colour, the Seasalt Painted Garden had bold colours and used recycled materials. The North African inspired planting, water features and mirrors where also used to show small courtyard designs.  The container plants again where great to see from the geraniums, nasturtium, alliums, stachys, herbs and some vegetables like tomatoes.   The gardens in this area were smaller but were there to inspired showgoers to take the ideas back to their own spaces.   

Sustainability and the reminder of the importance of gardens to our ecosystem for all living things and beings was apparent at the show.  We need plants and trees for our oxygen, food, and other raw materials – with wildlife considered in garden designs.  I did not see many vegetable gardens but there was a use of herbs, and some gardens used recyclable materials and features.  The Whittard Garden had all materials from recyclable pipes to copper container built into the design features. There was one arid garden design that reminded us of hotter climates and how the planting reflected this.

As the site was large, there was time to walk around…but with breaks.  We stopped for some coffee and a snack in one of the cafes, and at lunch time it was too hot but a cold drink was very welcomed.  I also like that there were picnic areas but they were really packed especially in the hotter lunchtime session.  There was entertainment throughout the week and the day I attended had a choir and a 1950’s vintage all female singing band.  It was great to take in the sounds, the sunshine and sights whilst enjoying an ice cream. There were champagne bars, and lots more to keep you entertain. 

The show had a lot of ideas for creating your own gardens but there were also lots of businesses from ornaments, materials, designers, plants and everything horticultural. I saw some beautiful sheds in various colours, and it reinforced my ideas as the next day I was actually going to be painting my own shed at home.  I loved a shed on display which had a bar, a couple of sofas and a vinyl player.  It was perfect for a warm barmy afternoon in my own garden! 

We could have easily spent the whole day there but we left after a few hours. I would recommend it but would say that it is very busy with people if you don’t like crowds. I certainly would visit sometime in the future and plan the day out a little more now that I know what to expect. There is good handy guide from Visit London here. Most of all, I was struck with the plants and flowers chosen, and the designs of the beautiful gardens and these will stay in my imagination and memory for a long time.