One of the things I love about this time of year is all of the flower shows, and the Chelsea Flower Show is a highlight for me. It was great to see the Chelsea Flower show back for 2022 after being cancelled during the pandemic.
This week, I headed to the Monday press day, and I was very snap happy with my camera. In this post, I am sharing loads of pics from the day with you, and I hope you get inspiration from these stunning garden pics.
If you are heading to the flower show this week, you are in for a treat! You will find 39 gardens of all different shapes, sizes and styles. Plus loads of floral displays and discovery exhibits.
Stimulating Show Gardens
Get loads of planting and design inspiration from the 13 show gardens at The Chelsea Flower Show. These are my favourite gardens, as they give me ideas on how to plant up borders in my garden.
I love how the designers and their teams fit enormous trees, shrubs and structures into these spaces in the middle of London city. When I am poking around the show gardens, I always find myself in awe at the amount of work that goes into building them and the thought behind them.
In the RNLI garden, you will see a seven-metre high pine tree, and I love how the gardens look like they were always there.
The bees and pollinators were having a field day, as lots of the gardens show how easy it can be to create a beautiful garden and also one that is great for pollinators.
Stunning Sanctuary Gardens
If you stroll past the exhibition stands, you will find the sanctuary gardens. These are smaller in scale than the show gardens but give you lots of inspiration for styling a small space.
Sanctuary Gardens explore the concept of how gardens become havens for humans, with our wellbeing benefitting from the power of nature while also providing sanctuary for wildlife.
The garden that really struck me was The Plantman’s Ice Garden. This garden features a 15 ton, 2.5m cubed block of ice, melting throughout RHS Chelsea as an icy reminder of the melting of the Siberian permafrost.
The Great Pavillion
The Great Pavilion covers almost three acres, and it is jam-packed and full of flowers and displays.
If you watch my youtube videos, you will know I LOVE watching Gardeners World on a Friday evening ( highlight of my week ). One of the things I love is when they share the stories behind the people that have display stands in the Great Pavilion, and some people specialise in a specific plant. It was so nice to see these flowers in person and chat with the people who grow them.
One of the highlights for me was the rose displays, mainly because the scent of the roses was a treat to my nose.
On show days, you can have chats with the experts behind the plants, and there is also a stand where you can get specific plant advice from the RHS.
Is the Chelsea Flower Show worth visiting?
I am a lover of flower shows, but I am not a lover of large crowds, and I was lucky enough to get a media pass to visit on Monday. If you love flowers, and gardening and are a massive fan of Gardeners’ World, yes, it is worth it.
However, if you are more nervous in large crowds, then try to visit earlier in the week, as from chatting to exhibitors, they say that Thur – weekend days are hectic and it can be harder to see the displays.
If you are a photographer, I recommend getting a media or press pass as it can get difficult to photograph in the crowds and get close to seeing the gardens. Also, using a telephoto lens is great for getting the close-up flower shots.
A flower show that I haven’t been to, and I would like to visit, is the Hampton Court flower show. From chatting with people, they have said that Hampton Court is not as crowded and in a larger space. So, if you are like me and not a fan of crowds, check that one out.
How do you get a media/press pass for the Chelsea Flower Show?
To get a media/press pass to attend on the Monday for the Chelsea Flower Show, you will have to apply for one in Early Spring.
Applications are submitted early and are assessed on an individual basis by the RHS media team. I normally submit my application in March, and you are not always guaranteed to get one.
You can find out more information on how to get press accreditation here.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures I took from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and let me know in the comments which are your favourite.
Thanks for reading, Chat soon, Catherine.
All such lovely photos. The one of the low green and white border and the one with the fake church ruin I like especially And I like the idea of a desk in the green-house. Just not practical I fear with all the danger of mould.
thank you for sharing these lovely photos I am from the states