The Chelsea Flower Show has been held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, London every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars. Once Britain’s largest flower show (it has now been overtaken by RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show), it is still the most distinguished. See: The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020 has been cancelled Key dates: Press and VIP Day will be held on Monday 18th May 2020 (the Queen and other members of the Royal Family arrive in the afternoon to tour the showground). Show Open Days: From Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd May, the show will be open from 8am–8pm. Please take note of the following: Tues 19th and Weds 20th are for RHS members only. Thurs 21st and Fri 22nd are for RHS members and non-members. Saturday 23rd May is the final day, and the show will be open from 8am–5.30pm. On Sat 23rd at 4pm, the plant sell-off begins.
What’s on at RHS Chelsea 2020
Gardens highlighting ways to combat climate change will take centre stage at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2020, sponsored by M&G, in next year’s garden line-up.
Highlights for 2020
As the climate crisis continues to escalate, a number of global brands and garden designers will use the world’s most famous flower show as a platform to encourage a future where we live in harmony with nature through urban design and sustainable practices.
Urban gardens is a new category this year, replacing Spaces to Grow.Sustainability will be a huge factor this year. While a ban on floral foam (which uses microplastics and is currently non-recyclable) won’t come into effect until 2021, this year designers are being encouraged to trial alternative products for their displays.Growers at the heart of the show in the Great Pavilion are being directly impacted by climate change as environmental changes such as extreme weather conditions are affecting their plants and growing methods. To lessen their impact on the environment a number of growers and nurseries exhibiting this year have made positive changes by, for example, going peat free, growing in bio-degradable pots, switching from chemical to biological pest controls and harvesting rainwater for irrigation.The Show Gardens category will be missing a regular – and famous – sponsor this year as Welcome to Yorkshire announced it was scrapping its garden for RHS Chelsea 2020. Citing budgets and funding as the main cause, the sponsors had been showcasing their gardens for 10 years.Timber is championed as the building material of choice for a number of garden structures due to its green, carbon-locking credentials.The RHS Potting Bench is a new feature that is coming to the Great Pavilion. It will provide a seating space where visitors can drop in to listen and watch demonstrations from experts.Floristry and gardening talents from across the UK will be entering a RHS-run competition, where themed 3D installations of varying sizes and smaller display windows, will be judged.
See: Blue Forest and Chewton Glen create a spectacular treehouse for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019
Gardens
The RHS has revealed that gardens highlighting ways to combat climate change will take centre stage at Chelsea 2020, in a bid to encourage a future where we live in harmony with nature through urban design and sustainable practices. Feature Gardens Feature Gardens are not judged at Chelsea but each year they are an integral part of the show, in helping to deliver a key message and initiate long-term action. This year’s Feature Gardens will be: Adam Frost, RHS International Year of Plant Health Garden This garden draws attention to the problems surrounding biosecurity and plant health and demonstrates how these issues could, and are, affecting our gardens and the wider landscape. The garden is divided into two areas separated by gate houses and a central paved area. Inside the buildings is an exhibit of some of the most important pests and diseases currently threatening the UK. Jo Thompson in collaboration with Zoe Ball, RHS Garden for Friendship A Chelsea garden that promotes making friends through gardening will live on at an NHS Mental Health Trust after the show. Garden designer Jo Thompson will re-create the garden, using plants and some landscaping from the RHS Garden for Friendship for patients and staff to benefit from. It is intended that the garden will benefit new mothers experiencing significant perinatal mental ill health, as well as the staff who care for them. Show Gardens Beyond Rank or Status The RAMC Garden tells of the Corp’s unique and compelling history; a homage to the courageous servicemen and women who have cared for the wounded, beyond rank or status. The Guangzhou China: Guangzhou Garden First-time Show Garden designers Peter Chmiel and Chin-Jung Chen of Grant Associates aim to provide a city garden of the future that balances the needs of both people and wildlife while sustaining the planet’s health and promoting a move towards a new ‘ecological civilization’. The garden features a woodland dell to clean the air, a pool to clean water and bamboo structures which represent homes for humans and wildlife. The Facebook Garden: Growing the Future This inspiring garden looks at the benefits of increasing the UK’s tree cover while highlighting the need for better woodland management. Using timber in various forms, Chelsea Gold medal-winning designer Joe Perkins hopes to showcase timber’s renewable and sustainable properties The Yeo Valley Organic Garden Britain’s largest organic dairy company, Yeo Valley hopes to encourage the UK’s 27 million gardeners to consider going organic and put nature first. The Yeo Valley Organic Garden, designed by award-winning designer Tom Massey, has been created with sustainability front and centre. Where possible the plants will be grown organically, while the carbon used to create the wildlife-friendly Show Garden will also be offset at Yeo Valley’s farm in Somerset. The Florence Nightingale Garden: A Celebration of Modern-Day Nursing Award-winning designer Robert Myers and his contractor Bowels and Wyer are experimenting with a new, more sustainable ‘wood’ concrete among other sustainable materials in The Florence Nightingale Garden: A Celebration of Modern-Day Nursing. The Animal Health Trust Garden The garden is inspired by the double helix structure of a DNA molecule, which represents the way in which all living forms are connected to each other. DNA is a chemical that carries genetic information. It contains all the instructions that a living organism needs to grow, reproduce and function. The M&G Garden The M&G Garden is designed to be a shared haven of natural beauty and wildlife where we need it the most: the busy urban environment. Our aim is to inspire communities, architects and developers to improve the quality of life and health for city dwellers by creating sustainable green space in their plans. Trailfinders’ 50th Anniversary Garden The Trailfinders’ 50th Anniversary Garden celebrates how far the company has come since selling their first overland trips to Kathmandu in 1970. It aims to capture the essence of Nepal and the wider Himalayan region through a representation of the culture, plants and landscape, specifically of the Himalayan foothills. Urban Gardens Urban Gardens, situated along Royal Hospital Way, is a brand new category this year – it replaces last year’s Space to Grow category which focused on how to make a smaller outdoor space look amazing. This year’s Urban Gardens will be: Sarah Eberle, Bible Society: The Psalm 23 Garden Sun MiaoFu and Chen Guangming, MiaoFu’s Garden Tawatchai Sakdikul & Miss Ploytabtim Suksang, The Calm of Bangkok Amanda Waring, The SSAFA Garden supported by CCLA Taina Suonio, Finnish Soul Garden - A Nordic Heritage Seaside Garden in the International Year of Plant Health Tamara Bridge & Kate Savill-Tague, The Amaffi Garden Artisan Gardens These gardens revitalise traditional materials and methods through new design approaches. Here, rustic combines with stylish modern twists, resulting in bold and exciting garden designs. This year’s Artisan Gardens will be: Yoshihiro Tamura, Circle of Life Nikki Tibbles, Bicester Village Shopping Collection – Inspired Jennifer Hirsch, The Body Shop Lady Garden Kazuyuki Ishihara, The Zen Garden
Awards
As well as building the gardens and bringing their brief to life, the garden designers, construction team and sponsors also have their eye on the awards, with Gold being the highest award, followed by Silver-Gilt, Silver and Bronze. In each category there will also be a Best Garden and the People’s Choice award and Best Construction award.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now. They can be purchased here (opens in new tab).
Getting to RHS Chelsea flower show 2020
It has been recommend that visitors travel to the show by public transport. To find out more about how to get to the showground by public transport, go to the Transport for London Journey Planner. Tube Sloane Square tube station (on the District and Circle Lines) is a 10-minute walk from the showground. Train London Victoria is the closest train station to the show. Shuttle Transport for London operates a shuttle service from Victoria Station to RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Cycle Cycle racks are available at Burton’s Court Car Park, opposite the London Gate entrance - postcode SW3 4SR. Parking Public parking is available in Battersea Park and must be pre-booked with your tickets.
