"The Greatest Flower Show in the World"
There is nothing quite like the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Held annually in May, the five-day event kicks off London's summer season and draws in over 157,000 visitors from across the globe, who come to marvel at the show's impressive designer show gardens and horticultural exhibits, as well as engage in the odd bit of celeb spotting!
Plan of the RHS Spring Flower Show at Chelsea (1921)RHS Lindley Library
Did you know that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was held for the first time in 1913?
Crowds by rock garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1936)RHS Lindley Library
Often considered the most prestigious, Chelsea is in fact not the largest RHS flower show – that honour is given to the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
Building Chelsea
It takes over a year to plan each RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with the show site taking hundreds of people over three weeks to build.
Exhibits in cold storage at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1934)RHS Lindley Library
To ensure that they are perfect for Chelsea, plants are moved between cold storage and greenhouses to either delay/advance their flowering.
Gardeners carrying pots at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1931)RHS Lindley Library
Arranging an exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1930/1931)RHS Lindley Library
An image depicting the relationship between an employer and a worker, or a visitor posing for effect?
Crane lifting large rocks for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1934)RHS Lindley Library
At the end of the show, contractors have as little as five days to dismantle and remove everything from the site.
Visitors outside the Grand Marquee at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1953) by Will and Elsie TjadenRHS Lindley Library
The show's 'Grand Marquee' made its debut in 1951 and was named in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest tent.
Housing the show's floral exhibits, it was replaced in 2000 by the 'Great Pavilion' and covered roughly 3.5 acres – enough room to park 500 Double-decker London buses!
Sutton's Seeds Floral Display (1958) by Will and Elsie TjadenRHS Lindley Library
A riot of colour awaited visitors to the 'Grand Marquee'.
Westcountry Nurseries lupin display at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show's Great Pavilion (2013) by Bethany ClarkeRHS Lindley Library
A sight that continues to this day in the 'Great Pavilion'.
Webb's Cinerarias (1954) by Will and Elsie TjadenRHS Lindley Library
In 1927 there was a campaign to get the RHS to ban foreign exhibits from Chelsea to reduce competition with British firms. The RHS refused saying, ‘horticulture knows nothing of nationality.’
Beatrix Havergal and Waterperry students staging their Strawberry display in the Marquee at the Chelsea Flower Show (1950/1960) by Valerie FinnisRHS Lindley Library
It's not just flowers on display at Chelsea! Vegetable and fruit exhibits have long been a feature of the show.
Model garden with tiled roof gazebo at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1931)RHS Lindley Library
As have Show Gardens, which have mirrored the changing enthusiasms and tastes of garden designers over the years.
Japanese Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1936)RHS Lindley Library
From the Japanese gardens of the early days...
The M&G Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (2018) by Georgi MabeeRHS Lindley Library
...to the cutting-edge designs of the present day.
Royals at Chelsea
The British Royal Family has paid annual visits to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show since 1913. Her love of flowers and trees meant that Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother), hardly ever missed a show.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1937)RHS Lindley Library
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth regularly attended the Chelsea Flower Show, including this one held in May 1937, the same month as their coronation.
Royal party by a formal pond at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1947)RHS Lindley Library
Queen Elizabeth II is patron of the Royal Horticultural Society. She made her first visit to the Chelsea Flower Show as Queen in 1955.
Charles McLaren, 3rd Lord Aberconway and Queen Elizabeth II at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1966) by Valerie FinnisRHS Lindley Library
In fact, the Queen has only missed ten shows since her coronation in 1953.
Dressing for the Show
The horticultural world's equivalent to 'Fashion Week'? Some of the outfits worn by visitors through the years certainly reflect that.
Visitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1936)RHS Lindley Library
Visitor at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1936)RHS Lindley Library
The enquiries team at the first RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1913)RHS Lindley Library
Top planting and gardening tips can be found at Chelsea through the RHS's Gardening Advice stand.
Three Chelsea Pensioners at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (1935)RHS Lindley Library
A visit to the show wouldn't be complete without spotting a Chelsea Pensioner. They are often seen strolling around the site in their famous scarlet and blue uniforms.
Pick up a Bargain!
The closing bell on the final day of Chelsea marks the start of a spectacular and peculiar sight: 'The Great Plant Sell-Off', where exhibitors sell their plants and flowers at reduced prices and chaos ensues. Black cabs transform into mobile gardens, while crammed wheelbarrows become a temporary addition to London's traffic woes!
