RHS Chelsea set to return with a series of floral firsts
If amazing garden designs, gorgeous floral displays and a bit of celebrity spotting sound like your thing, then don’t miss the 2023 edition of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Taking place from 23 – 27 May, this most famous of floral events may be over 100 years old, but this year a number of firsts are set to be achieved.
For example, The Royal Entomological Society Garden features a functioning laboratory which will study insect
numbers visiting the garden during the show. A movable projector screen, linked by some clever cloud technology to the microscopes in the lab, gives visitors the opportunity to see the insects in all their glory at magnified scale.
In another Chelsea first, The Savills Garden will be cooking for the Chelsea Pensioners – the Show takes
place in their back yard, after all – in a working kitchen set amongst edible planting for a true ‘from plot-to-plate’ experience.
With a firm focus on sustainability, from this year all RHS Chelsea gardens are required to have a plan for life after the show. Some will be moved in their entirety and relocated permanently while others will be rehomed in parts. Setting a precedent,
many of the gardens from 2022 were successfully moved to new locations, including the brilliant Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station,
which was moved to the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.
Finest floral design
Fans of floral design will be heading straight to the unforgettable colour and fragrance of the Great Pavilion…where yet more show firsts will be found.
Florists, including plenty of Direct2florist members, will be tasked with designing floral lamp posts (that is surely a first), as well as floral clouds and floral installations, where florists are being encouraged to ‘break the rules, throw away
the judging criteria and showcase the most fabulous floral installations ever’!
Look out for Headteacher, Sir David Attenborough
Finally, we reckon the House Plant Studios at RHS Chelsea are not to be missed. Bringing beautiful indoor gardens to life, they promise to be a real treat.
Our highlight of the studios? It’ll no doubt be the Plant School – ‘Planting the Future’ – where pupils led by their Headteacher, Sir David Attenborough, will be on a mission to protect and heal our planet through all things green. The Plant School
has a focus on saving our planet’s future. Its curriculum is solely concentrated on educating children about all things green – from biodiversity to growing their own produce.
Want to head along?
If you would like to head along to Chelsea to see the fabulous flowers for yourself, the good news is that (at the time of writing) some tickets are still available via the RHS website – follow the link by clicking here to get yours.
