The year is flying by and it’s nearly May already; at long last the optimism of spring has reached even this weary and cynical gardener.
May arrives with great flourish, and this is the month of The Chelsea Flower Show- billed by some as the greatest flower show on Earth.
The great and the good from the world of gardening, and not just from here in the UK, will gather in one place for this important annual event.
I Won’t Be There
As a perk for some things I do for the Royal Horticultural Society (who would now apparently prefer to just be called the ‘RHS’), I’m offered a free pass to the Chelsea Flower Show.
I don’t take them up on the offer. I would like to tell you that I’m making some great statement against something, but the truth is I’m just not fussed about the show.
Tulipa acuminata
Let’s just be clear; I’m not one of the people who say they’re not going but who go anyway, or who go and pretend that they’re doing some great service to humanity by doing so. I could attend if I wanted to, but don’t want to.
A Different World
Fascinating as it might be to temporarily glimpse into a different world, I’m actually quite happy in my own.
As a horti-nerd I find the idea of Chelsea perplexing. Why do people want to converge on a small part of London to see a load of very expensive gardens built by very expensive garden designers, or to fight my way through crowds to look at displays in the floral marquee?
Real plants growing in real soil
I’ve been in the flower show world, a world of charming displays of still-potted plants propped on pallets and scrunched up compost bags, of show gardens that take a week to build and a day or so to dismantle. It’s all fake, it’s all temporary. I’ve just stopped caring.
Not Just Me!
A couple of people have shown surprise that this iconic event is not important to me.
On the whole I’ve found a lot of whole-hearted agreement. Clients, fellow gardeners and personal friends have also started to lose interest. Those who watch the TV coverage say they’re bored of the repetitive cycle of the same few gardens and the same faces from night to night.
I prefer specialist plant shows myself
Many have come to prefer time in their own gardens; May can be a magical time of the year in the UK, and being out among the flowers in the peace and tranquillity of the garden is very appealing.
Chelsea still draws a crowd. Even at around £100+ (~$133) per ticket there are still those who feel they have to be there.
I don’t understand why but there are people in the world who feel the need to be seen, and who get a great deal of pleasure from telling others that they’ve been somewhere they consider important. I don’t want to be seen and I certainly don’t want people to think I’m a somebody just because I’ve been somewhere interesting. If I ever walk on the moon or do something like that then we’ll revisit this…
No Thanks
The world doesn’t revolve around me.
Things exist in the world that are for the enjoyment of others; this is absolutely fine. If you’re one of those people who long to attend the Chelsea Flower Show, or maybe you’re going, how nice for you.
Likewise you might be one of those gardeners who’s glued to media coverage to see what roses Arabella Foxtrot-Brown Elliott is using in her designs this year, or which irises make the cut with Andrew H. Hobley-knucklebottom; again, nice for you.
Why fawn over fake gardens when real gardens exist?
I don’t subscribe to the idea that Chelsea represents the very best horticulture in the world. Indeed I doubt it represents the best horticulture in London.
The world of horticulture, from the amateur gardener just setting out on their journey to the seasoned gardener whose garden is envied by all, and from the plant breeders and nurseryfolk to designers and professional gardeners, is vast. Can a thing as vast, complex and generally beautiful as the world of horticulture ever hope to have a single focal point?
The Chelsea Flower Show is iconic because it’s old, famous and has become a society event. Beyond that it has little relevance to anyone outside a very small circle of designers, the apparently dwindling number of nurseries that bother to attend, and of course people in a position to spend a fortune on their garden.
This event no more represents the best of anything than a bakery can represent the best of baking bread, or a brand of light bulbs produces the best of light. It’s good if you’re morally invested in it being good, but of little to no consequence if you aren’t.
My Gripe
My objection to the culture around the Chelsea Flower Show is that we’re supposed to care greatly about it.
There’s this unwritten rule that anyone who has ever planted anything anywhere must dream of attending the Chelsea Flower Show.
No amount of skill will ever capture the soul of a real garden
I’m not interested in shaping the hopes and dreams of others, but let’s keep things in perspective here. The Chelsea Flower Show is an elitist event that caters to a small sliver of the ultra-wealthy and the wannabes; there is little there of any relevance to the absolute majority of us. At best it’s a cue to daydream about what garden we would have if we had the time and the money.
So if you, like me, aren’t interested then that’s fine. We all find our joy in different places. The world is changing and we gain our inspiration from many different places now, so the Chelsea Flower Show is no longer the centre of the gardening world.
I’m going to play devil’s advocate for a moment Ben, if you’ll indulge me. I take group tours there every other year (2026 is the next one), and I have a different perspective, though I agree with many of the points you make.
I think of Chelsea as a [horticulturally themed] bucket list social event that has its own energy and reason for existing that goes well beyond horticulture. It is such a massive cultural institution that attending it is about experiencing that slice of culture. Seeing it for oneself after seeing it and hearing about it through media for years, is as exciting for many people as going to The Grand Canyon (just as crowded, lol), or Disneyland.
That ‘slice of culture’ means everything from the exquisitely curated nursery displays of Kevock Garden in the Great Pavillion which remind us of the great tradition of plantsmen and women in Britain, all the way to the infuriating Hoorah Henrys and Sloane Rangers gabbing with the designers in the display gardens and blocking the view of plebs like us.
The one thing however that really bothers me about Chelsea is the cost to get in, which I find unconscionable for a show where almost all of the display gardens are ostensibly more about the worthy cause they are heralding than the garden itself. How the RHS can justify £100+ for a ticket when vendors pay thousands to have booths, a Pimms (with trace amounts of alcohol) is £18, and designed gardens are heavily sponsored by big corporations; I do not know. That feels exceptionally disconnected.
Also, to hear the buzz through garden media channels of the poorly paid writer-class in Britain trying to figure out how they’re going to afford train fare or petrol, parking, ULEZ fees; a hotel, and food in order to “cover” the show, makes me sad. And not all press get a ticket – it can be extremely arbitrary. It’s just plain inaccessible to so many.
Perhaps it’s just market forces – this is now an international show with international money wanting to make international connections. A bit like London itself I guess.
In any case, I’ll continue to take people who are very excited to see it, but only every other year! – MW
It’s fakery to the n-th degree, and it belongs to the same sort of culture as certain other things.
My two big gripes are a) the cost of it all, especially against the insistence that Chelsea is for everyone, and b) the idea that this is something that we must all care greatly about.
Priorities change.
I also agree with your comment. As a retired nursery owner and Landscape Contractor fully Licensed in the State of Maryland. I was fortunate to go to the Chelsea Show on 2 occasions. I specialized in the shade and propagated many shade loving perennials. As I enjoyed designing cottage gardens I went to the Chelsea Show for inspiration of the same. Needless to say I was a little disappointed. So do you go to and have any comments on The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event and features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers.
Marianne Willburn I also agree with your comment. As a retired nursery owner and Landscape Contractor fully Licensed in the State of Maryland. I was fortunate to go to the Chelsea Show on 2 occasions. I specialized in the shade and propagated many shade loving perennials. As I enjoyed designing cottage gardens I went to the Chelsea Show for inspiration of the same. Needless to say I was a little disappointed. So do you go to and have any comments on The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show is the nation’s largest and longest-running horticultural event and features stunning displays by the world’s premier floral and landscape designers.
“I prefer specialist plant shows myself”
Maybe because I come from the orchid world, where exhibits are set up with the whole plant in a pleasing manner with other plants, rather than just a flower in vase (which I find sterile, e.g., rose, camellia, daffodil shows), that I enjoy seeing the displays at Chelsea (that use an orchid show model). Perhaps interesting new plant combinations, or ideas on trends.
But I’m on the other side of the pond, and have never attended Chelsea (and hope to one day). I think our U.S. equivalent is the Philly flower show, and it would be interesting to see if trends that are started in Chelsea carry over to Philly, or vice-versa. Also interesting to see what plants win the “RHS medals” and may actually grow in our hot and humid SE US.
Though I’ve never been to Chelsea, I wholeheartedly support Linus’ recommendation of the Philadelphia Flower Show held annually during the first week of March when a bit of Spring is much needed in northern climes. From both Ben and Marianne’s comments about Chelsea, the ticket cost, access to the venue in Philadelphia and displays are possibly more attuned to the average gardener as well as experts and display garden sponsors. The organizer is the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (https://phsonline.org/) which uses the proceeds to promote access to gardening for all in the southeastern region of Pennsylvania and beyond. With a tagline of “Gardening for the Greater Good”, PHS appeals to gardeners for many reasons and provides education and support to gardeners throughout the year. I encourage any garden enthusiast within reasonable travel distance to Philadelphia to consider attending the Philadelphia Flower Show in the next few years. I’m a member of PHS and have been attending for over 25 years and always enjoy the event and gain new ideas. Happy Gardening!
The earliness and the accessibility to all of the Philadelphia Flower Show does sound more appealing.
We have specialist shows that feature whole plants (orchids, alpines and bonsai trees spring to mind), and I completely get that there are those who don’t get the appeal of shows like this weekend’s Rhododendron show.
It’s even more interesting to see which plants win RHS medals and survive here in the UK! You’d think being a Chelsea Plant Of The Year would cement a plant in cultivation for eternity, but this is not always so.
I’m a lifelong gardener in the Great Lakes region of the US. I gave up on such shows years ago. I’ll admit though to watching for articles about trends in the Chelsea Flower Show and enjoy looking at some of the pictures. Like Ben, May is too precious a month for me to miss out on a day in a (real) garden.
There’s so much to enjoy at this time of the year.
We both gave up wanting to go many years ago. For all the reasons you give and just the sheer hassle. And sillinesses.
But we could still hope for some new and exciting garden design possibilities. I remember how truly exciting Christopher Bradley-Hole’s gardens were, for example.
I think some of your lack of interest is to do with being more engaged with plants than garden design?
Quite possibly, but do Chelsea gardens offer all that much innovation in design? Is there all that much innovation around, or are we condemned to variations on New Naturalism for the foreseeable future?
I find new naturalism less and less interesting. Lately I’m more excited by color and even ornaments.
Well, Christopher Bradley-Hole gave Chelsea up some time ago. And I haven’t seen anything really exciting for some time. Many people loved Sarah Price’s garden last year. She lives near us – you should visit her garden!
I agree whole heartedly with Ben but that could be because I agree with Marianne’s second paragraph.
After year’s of hearing and reading about our big flower show in Pennsylvania I made the trek, only to come away feeling like I had attended the equivalent of Mardi Gras for horticulture. It was an experience I did not need to repeat.
Would the chartreuse blossoms in the first photo be a Euphorbia? Lovely!
It is indeed a Euphorbia, it’s Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae.
I went for the first time last year, as the guest of an RHS plant committee or expert group, as they’re now pretentiously named (to the chagrin of their members).
It was press day so primping and posing ‘celebrities’ abounded. There were some marvellous displays in the Floral pavilion, but so much vacant space. I was disappointed that gardens had crept in there, but can understand that it’s a huge commitment for nurseries, in both time and money, when local events are more manageable.
I wouldn’t pay to visit… but I did enjoy catching up with so many people I knew in the planty world!
I’m sworn to secrecy about the RHS’ rebranding exercise, so can’t comment about the ‘expert group’ branding.
Interesting you mention gardens creeping into the floral pavilion; I’ve heard this from a few sources. The feeling is that a combination of increasing costs (including costs of covering the nursery during the show) plus increasing regulations from the RHS are making the thing less appealing to nurseries.
My personal view is that everyone should experience the Chelsea Flower Show at least once. Personally, I prefer the Hampton Court Flower Show, the Canada Blooms exhibition in Toronto, Canada and the Buffalo, New York Garden Walk in the USA that is held the last weekend in July. The Buffalo Garden Walk features over 300 urban gardens maintained by home owners and it’s free!
I like the idea of a garden walk. We have places in the UK where communities open their gardens, usually for charity, and it’s something I should be more engaged with as an advocate of ordinary gardens.
I get the excitement around gardens designed by celebrity designers, but at the same time I also appreciate the importance of more humble and more ‘real’ gardens too.
Ive been involved in creating a Chelsea exhibit. For me,the true magic happened behind the scenes,with exhibitors helping each other,and the extraordinary proliferation of Spring within a week.
Other than that, I feel no desire to be crushed in the crowds,unable to see exhibits or ask questions. I watch the coverage to remind me of the buzz,but what I see on TV is distinctly underwhelming.
Whilst I understand that fashions change, the current wild gardens are more like stage sets than ever and bear little relationship to reality.- Where’ s the fun in that?
So much skill goes into these gardens, but as you say the gardens are more like stage sets.
I was told about a garden show in France where gardens need to be in place for six months. Teams are allowed to swap out a limited number/proportion of plants over the period, but otherwise the gardens must stay in place. I wonder how the Chelsea cohort would cope with that?
Chaumont! Yes – now that is another world. Very French, very philosophical and really interesting. See https://thinkingardens.co.uk/articles/chelsea-or-chaumont-by-catharine-howard/
Ben, I’ve been to Chelsea several times. My first visit in 1979 was memorable for several reasons. It seemed so extravagant, and beautiful, compared to anything I had seen from a few small-fry flower shows before. Beth Chatto was on a multi-year Gold Medal roll with her beautiful perennials, and the Ingwersen’s Birch Farm Nursery was celebrating their 75th anniversary with loads of alpines and rock garden plants. Return Chelsea visits were less pleasing. As you mentioned: too crowded. Still, I recommend going if you’ve never been.
Totally get this—sometimes the quiet of your own garden beats the buzz of any big event. Peace > prestige any day.
Bravo, Ben. I used to go on Press Day and gawped at the celebrities and felt horribly competitive with all the other photographers and then realised it was like a drug that was unsatisfying and fundamentally ridiculous.
I am curious Ben so how do you feel about the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show?
The one time I’ve been to Maymont Gardens exhibition(?) tradeshow(?) at the convention center in Richmond, Virginia it was a lot of fun. I believe it was in late February or early March.
Certainly not a relaxing garden visit. But enjoyable for what it was.
Peak spring is hardly the best time to schedule anything besides working in/enjoying my own garden.
Happy gardening!
Because my exposure to the Chelsea Flower Show has only been through the BBC tv presentations, with ‘presenters’ given time to visit each and comment, I am amazed by the awful dresses the women presenters are made to wear. They look like bedsheets or curtains draped and gathered to resemble something from the 1960’s. Style-less. The one presenter who seems to be avoiding this syndrome is Frances Tophill- good for her!
I shall never visit there, but it is nice to look-in from the lens of the tv, thereby avoiding the crowds, and to read about everyone’s hands on experience of attending.
A classic rant. Right on about the elitism. Something I’ve been interested in lately is vernacular gardens — in other words, gardens made by ordinary gardeners. There’s so much meaning to be had on a small scale and with inexpensive plants. For example I gain tremendous satisfaction from the plants I grow in honor of loved ones. Would I trade one of them in for a fancy new cultivar? Hell no.
Exactly. I’ll never give up my patch of Lilies of the Valley that came from my grandmother’s garden, even though they are considered invasive in several areas of the USA. I enjoy the “friendship plants” given to me by people who have passed away. They bring back memories of loved ones.
I’ve only just caught up with this piece Ben, and have to largely agree! It may sound like sour grapes, as I’ve never been (too expensive, too far away) but I feel Chelsea is now a celebrity event rather than anything much horticultural. It appears (from this distance at least) to be set up largely for the benefit of TV cameras – the show gardens look wonderful on camera, but it appears that physical visitors can only view them from behind a rope – a bit like peeking over a hedge to see a beautiful garden, so the whole garden is often designed for viewing from that aspect alone. A horticultural stage set. Clearly there’s profit to be made from all involved or they wouldn’t have nurseries filling the pavilions but it speaks volumes that many of the gardens are sponsored by ‘wealth management’ companies, high end law firms, etc