From the rose pavilion to garden furniture, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a date for every garden-lover’s diary. Gardener and RHS Chelsea judge Tamsin Westhorpe explains its allure.
Ask me to pick between a country lane or a bustling city and I will always choose the former – that is until May. There is nothing that will keep me from heading to London to walk through the gates of the world’s greatest flower show, RHS Chelsea. For one week every year, the twenty-three-acre site in the centre of London is home to approximately 500 exhibitors, 160,000 visitors, new plants, innovative ideas, celebrities and the world’s most accomplished plants people. Chelsea brings both the unexpected and the familiar – however, the one thing you will never see is a gnome (they are banned in the grounds of RHS Chelsea).
Once wrapped in the comforting arms of the showground the surrounding chaos of the city floats away, and your senses are overwhelmed. It serves as a perfect example of why urban gardens are so important. The show exposes emotions like nowhere else – it’s a place of happy tears and cheers and proves that gardening is as much about people as plants.
This kind of collaborative magic doesn’t happen overnight. It’s taken over 100 years to build such a strong reputation since the first show in 1913, each year is fifteen months in the planning and involves endless sleepless nights, coaxing of plants and solving of logistical conundrums. The reason why so many put so much into this bucket list event is to express their deep love of plants and demonstrate how they can change and enhance all our lives. It’s not just about the clinking of champagne glasses – it takes horticulture forward, breaks boundaries and embraces change.
When the event was first born it was held in a single marquee and has only experienced breaks during the two world wars. What was once one small venue is now the almost three-acre Great Pavilion. It’s home to perfumed roses, plump strawberries, proteas from South Africa and remarkably out of season daffodils. The portfolio of plants here is like nothing else on earth.
As well as a complete and utter indulgence of the senses, the show is a place of competition and excellence. An RHS medal is the goal for all exhibitors. It’s an honour to be one of the volunteer garden judges – we bring with us a wide range of experience and determination to give the best possible medal. There are nine criteria on which the gardens are judged, and these include planting implementation, design layout and construction. One of the most important criteria is the brief which outlines what the designer hopes to create and the message the garden brings. The stories that the gardens are designed around are highly important, especially if they are relaying an environmental or charitable message.
Show garden judging takes place over two days and involves sixteen judges and two moderators. The public can also vote for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ so everyone gets to make their mark on this world-famous event. What will catch your eye this year?
Neptune at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
In 2024, we had our first exhibition space at the famous flower show, featuring a canopied dining area and relaxing sitting area which won a 5 Star Tradestand Award. This May, we will be at the show again, with our new freestanding kitchen, a dining space and an alfresco seating area. We hope to see you there.
