What to expect at this year's Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 returns next week with a fun-filled programme guaranteed to reignite your horticultural imagination. The Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) most famous flower show is the highlight of the spring calendar, filled with inspiring garden designs and practical advice for seasoned and novice gardeners.

RHS Chelsea 2024 at a glance

Gardens will be delivered by an incredible line-up of both established medal-winning designers and fresh faces.

For the Show Gardens, RHS Chelsea veteran Tom Stuart-Smith returns with the National Garden Scheme Garden in celebration of the native British woodland, while designer Tom Massey and architect Je Ahn unite to tackle water management for the WaterAid Garden. Meanwhile, for the Sanctuary Gardens, designer Catherine MacDonald will be creating a feast for the eyes in the Boodles Garden, using plants as paints to celebrate great works of art. And there will also be a Bridgerton Garden designed by Holly Johnston to coincide with season three of the popular Netflix period drama.

Meanwhile, the All About Plants gardens will feature a twist on the traditional, with an edible skate park, plants for gut health, and a tropical forest. We're particularly keen to explore the Balcony and Container Gardens which will be brimming with ideas for small spaces, and another highlight will be the Feature Gardens: A special No Adults Allowed Garden designed by children, for children, and the Chelsea Repurposed Garden made almost entirely out of repurposed materials.

Sponsored by The Newt in Somerset, RHS Chelsea 2024 promises to be the most sustainable show yet. 'We are proving that great design and sustainability go hand in hand,' says show manager Gemma Lake.

Committed to harnessing the power of more sustainable gardening techniques, RHS Chelsea will be created using low-impact materials and processes that reduce by-product waste, plus, every single garden on display will relocate or be repurposed.

As always, Chelsea Flower Show 2024 will be full of masterful displays of the best the world has to offer in the way of garden design, which is sure to give you lots of new ideas for your outdoor space (recap all the fabulous gardens at RHS Chelsea 2023). It's also a chance to speak to the experts and become enlightened in recent horticultural scientific developments considering how gardens impact us and our communities. Of course, it's worth going alone for the abundant display of beautiful flowers overflowing with scent and colour.

When does Chelsea Flower Show start?

RHS Chelsea returns to SW3 for five days, from 21st - 25th May 2024, and the globally renowned show promises to be an unmissable week of bold garden design, beautiful floral displays and exclusive shopping.

The full dates are as follows:

• Monday 20th May: Press Day (restricted to members of the press, celebrities and the Royal Family)

• Tuesday 21st May: The show officially opens to RHS members only, 8am – 8pm

• Wednesday 22nd May: RHS members only, 8am – 8pm

• Thursday 23rd May: RHS members and non-members, 8am – 8pm

• Friday 24th May: RHS members and non-members, 8am – 8pm, Chelsea Late event: 5.30pm – 10pm

• Saturday 25th May: RHS members and non-members, 8am – 5.30pm (typically on the last day, the plant sell-off begins at 4pm).

How much are Chelsea Flower Show tickets?

Currently, tickets prices start from £47.85 for members and £55.85 for non-members, but prices vary depending on the day and time. Limited tickets are still available via rhs.org.uk.

Buy tickets

The first two days (21st and 22nd May) are reserved for RHS Members only. If you get an RHS membership, tickets are cheaper, plus you get lots of great membership benefits, including unlimited entry to RHS gardens (with a guest) and over 200 partner gardens, discounted prices for gardening workshops and events, unlimited garden advice and access to a monthly magazine and the members' app.

Become an RHS Member

Feature Gardens

The Feature Gardens category is the only one not judged at Chelsea Flower Show. The Feature Garden is a RHS Garden with a strong message to deliver, from climate change to accessibility and mental health. Typically a well-known garden designer will collaborate with the RHS to bring the design to life. There are three Feature Gardens for RHS Chelsea 2024.

• The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden designed by Harry Holding

• RHS Chelsea Repurposed designed by Cityscapes (Darryl Moore with Toby Magee)

• RHS Britain in Bloom 60th Anniversary: The Friendship Garden designed by Jon and James Wheatley

Show Gardens

Running along Main Avenue, the Show Gardens demonstrate the most remarkable horticultural offerings in the world of garden design and landscaping. They are the biggest gardens at Chelsea, so expect to be totally bowled over by the garden designers' efforts to create dazzling and thought-provoking displays full of memorable details. There are eight Show Gardens for RHS Chelsea 2024.

• St James’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different designed by Robert Myers

• Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery designed by Miria Harris

• Muscular Dystrophy UK: Forest Bathing Garden designed by Ula Maria

• The National Autistic Society Garden designed by Sophie Parmenter & Dido Milne

• The National Garden Scheme Garden designed by Tom Stuart-Smith

• Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden designed by Matthew Childs

• WaterAid Garden designed by Tom Massey and Je Ahn

• The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust designed by Ann-Marie Powell with the Blue Diamond Team

Sanctuary Gardens

The Sanctuary Gardens more closely reflect what we might see at home in our own back gardens, exploring both modern and more traditional garden concepts. The focus here is on the calming and uplifting benefits we can get from our very own private green spaces, so wellbeing themes are central here. There are eight Sanctuary Gardens for RHS Chelsea 2024.

• The Boodles Garden designed by Catherine MacDonald

• Flood Re: The Flood Resilient Garden designed by Naomi Slade & Ed Barsley

• The Bridgerton Garden designed by Holly Johnston

• World Child Cancer’s Nurturing Garden designed by Giulio Giorgi

• Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden designed by Helen Olney

• The Wonderstruck Garden designed by Holly Johnston

• MOROTO no IE designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara

• The Freedom from Torture Garden: A Sanctuary for Survivors designed by John Warland & Emma O’Connell

Balcony and Container Gardens

The Balcony and Container Gardens provide much-needed inspiration to renters and urban dwellers, proving you don't need a big garden to do something bold and beautiful with your outdoor space. These creative and resourceful displays will be sure to spark the imagination of even those with the smallest balconies and terraces. This is a mentored category, open to designers who have not exhibited or been involved in the design of a garden at RHS Chelsea.

There are five Balcony Gardens and five Container Gardens this year. See the full line-up below.

Balcony Gardens

• La Mia Venezia designed by Michela Trinca

• Children with Cancer UK 'Raines Repurposed' designed by Thomas Clarke

• The Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden designed by Mike McMahon & Jewlsy Mathews

• Tomie’s Cuisine the Nobonsai designed by Tsuyako Asada

• The Discover More Garden sponsored by Viking
  

Container Gardens

• Sanctum designed by Sonja Kalkschmidt

• The Anywhere Courtyard designed by Elisabeth Wright-McCalla

• The Ecotherapy Garden designed by Tom Bannister

• The Water Saving Garden designed by Sam Proctor

• Changing Tides Garden designed by Lucy Mitchell

All About Plants

All About Plants was the first ever garden category to be showcased in the Great Pavilion (joining the growers and nurseries). Here you will find small-scale garden displays that focus entirely on the significance of plants, highlighting the many unique ways in which they positively benefit us. These gardens are by up-and-coming designers. For 2024 there are six All About Plants gardens, all supported by Project Giving Back.

• The Panathlon Joy Garden designed by Penelope Walker

• The Pulp Friction - Growing Skills Garden designed by Will Dutch & Tin-Tin Azure-Marxen

• The Size of Wales Garden designed by Dan Bristow

• Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden designed by Katherine Holland

• Planet Good Earth designed by Betongpark & Urban Organic

• Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden designed by Chris Hull & Sid Hill

The Great Pavilion

The Great Pavilion is widely considered to be the crème de la crème of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Every year, the enormous white tent is packed full of exquisite spring flowers. Get ready to see unforgettable floral displays put together by the world's most distinguished growers and nurseries. You can also find educational exhibits that provide a fascinating insight into the most exciting recent discoveries in horticultural science.

Chelsea Flower Show on TV

If you're unable to make Chelsea Flower Show 2024, there's no need to miss out. The exclusive BBC and RHS broadcast partnership brings gardening inspiration to millions of homes across the UK. Monty Don, Joe Swift, Sophie Raworth, Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell will be leading coverage across the week with a range of gardening experts and celebrity guests. See the full episode breakdown for Chelsea Flower Show's BBC coverage.

Where is the Chelsea Flower Show held?

Chelsea Flower Show 2024 is held in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home to the iconic Chelsea Pensioners who are retired soldiers of the British Army. Some 300 veterans live in the retirement and nursing home on site.

Chelsea Flower Show address: Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London, SW3 4SL.

What3Words: ///parent.arena.spider (London Gate)

Travelling to the Chelsea Flower Show

Public transport is the best way to get to the Chelsea Flower Show. Please visit the Transport for London website to plan your journey and rhs.org.uk for more travel information.

Buses: Bus numbers 11, 137, 211, 360, 170, 44 and 452 stop closest to the showground. Alternatively, bus numbers 19, 22, 319 and C1 stop at Sloane Square.

Shuttle Bus: You can use the shuttle bus service from either Battersea Park or Victoria Station to RHS Chelsea.

Tube: Sloane Square tube station (District and Circle Lines) is just a 10-minute walk from the Chelsea Flower Show.

Train: The closest train station is London Victoria. Visit the National Rail website for information on rail services.

Cycling: You'll find cycle racks at Burton's Court Car Park, which is opposite the London Gate entrance (postcode SW3 4SR).

River: You can travel by river with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to Cadogan Pier or Battersea Power Station. From the pier it is approximately a 15-minute walk to the Chelsea Flower Show.

Car: If you are driving to RHS Chelsea, public parking is available in Battersea Park but this must be pre-booked with your tickets. Please note, it is within the ULEZ Charging Zone. Battersea Park is approximately a 20-minute walk from the show. If you are parking at Battersea Park, use the postcode SW11 4BY for your Sat Nav. This will take you straight to the Rosary Gate entrance.

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