The highlight of the calendar for green-fingered flower fans is back in the form of the Chelsea Flower Show this month.
The annual Royal Horticultural Society event will take place from Monday, May 22 to Saturday, May 27.
Organisers say the Chelsea Flower Show will feature “amazing garden designs, gorgeous floral displays, and exclusive shopping” to delight and inspire.
Here’s everything we know about this year’s event:
Where is the Chelsea Flower Show?
The Chelsea Flower Show is held in the same place every year and, for 2023, it will again be held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The address is London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, SW3 4SR.
Sloane Square tube station, which is on the District and Circle Lines, is a 10-minute walk away. There will also be shuttle buses from Battersea Park and Victoria Station.
When is the Chelsea Flower Show 2023?
The Chelsea Flower Show will be open to RHS members on the opening two days, May 23 and 24, from 8am to 8pm.
The public will be granted access from day three, May 25, from 8am to 8pm. On Friday, May 26, there will be an additional opening — a late slot— from 5.30pm to 10pm, and on the Saturday (May 27), doors will close earlier at 5.30pm. Full opening times and ticket availability for all sessions can be found here.
How to buy Chelsea Flower Show tickets
Tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased here.
There is currently availability for all of the final days, for both the public and members, and some select tickets left for the opening two days, which is for members only.
Tickets for members start from £48 for the first two days, £37 for the Thursday and Friday, and from £95 for the final Saturday.
Non-members can purchase tickets from £48 for days three and four, with tickets for the final day starting at £115.
Tips for Chelsea Flower Show first-timers
If it’s your first time attending, comfortable shoes are a must, check the weather before and come prepared — it’s easy to get caught out by the sun (or the rain!). There is a great selection of food at the show but, if you’re keeping an eye on the pennies, a picnic might be better value for money.
If you want to see the whole show, you really need the full-day ticket.
Gold medal-winning gardens naturally attract the most attention so, to avoid the crowds, the best time to see these is first thing, at lunch-time, or early evening as the crowds begin to dwindle. Unfortunately, unlike the TV gardeners, you won’t be able to cross the rope and enter the gardens. With around 30,000 visitors a day, there wouldn’t be a lot left.
Saturday, the final day of the show, is not quite like the other days. At the ring of a bell, normally around 4pm, garden designers and exhibiting nurseries are permitted to sell plants. The spectacle is quite something to behold as displays that have in some cases been years in the making are dismantled in a matter of minutes to smug ticket holders. Unlike other garden shows, you can’t normally buy plants at Chelsea.
