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Gardening

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Original poster

Anyone else following RHS Chelsea?

55 replies

starlingdarling · 24/05/2022 18:11

I am obsessed with the giant water feature from Sarah Eberle (see photo). Every year I'm amazed by how much they can do in the smaller gardens too. I wonder what their budget is?

OP posts:

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UndertheEagle · 28/05/2022 22:42

DeedlessIndeed · 27/05/2022 17:02

We went this year. Just got back home today (we went Thursday). I love gardening, plants, anything horticulture. It's been my dream to go and I'd originally booked to go 2020 which was cancelled so I was really looking forward to it.

To be honest, I doubt I'll be going next year...

Basically, it was just too too busy. Six deep around the edges of the show gardens so had to queue to see anything. So difficult to move even up and down the main avenue because of the crowds.

Food was pricey which I guess was to be expected (330ml standard bottle water was £3.50). Long queues for food but then no-where to sit down. Ended up eating lunch stood up which wasn't ideal. We had been there over 6 hours and I was knackered so we sat on a kerb to have a coffee.

It is also a bit smaller than I expected. The stalls were nice consisting of the usual brands that you'd find advertised in the back of aspirational gardening and lifestyle magazines.

I enjoyed speaking to some of the nurserymen and women in the pavilion, there was a lot of knowledge and passion there which really made it worth it. I also managed to buy some unusual varieties of miniature Hosta which I could take home on the plane.

Other RHS Flower shows seemed far better value for money. Whilst the show gardens were perhaps better at Chelsea, that is little use if you can barely see the gardens.

I would prefer that RHS either gave time slots for tickets so people were spread out a bit across the day, or increased the price of the ticket but allowed fewer entrants, or even reduce the number of tickets sold per day and then run it for a couple of extra days.

I went in 2019 and agree with everything you've said. I was really disappointed. I will go to other shows but will stick to watching Chelsea on the tv.

Yamadori · 29/05/2022 11:09

Thank you @senua

bilbodog · 29/05/2022 11:35

I preferred going to hampton court - larger site so everything is spread out a bit more so places to sit and you can buy plants there every day which you cant do at chelsea. If you live in the London area you can also get reduced price tickets from 4 pm so less crowded then as well.

TheQuern · 29/05/2022 13:07

I used to go regularly up until about 10 years ago, then stopped - it was just too crowded for me, plus I started getting the most awful hay fever - couldn’t see or smell anything after a few hours! Agree that it’s good on tv.

I do miss the plant lists the designers produce. The BBC will linger on a beautiful plant as a sort of “filler” shot but not say what it is :(.

lightisnotwhite · 29/05/2022 16:17

Relieved I didn’t attempt it now . Friends arrived at 10am and the queue to get in was over an hour. It’s been slated this year on TripAdvisor.
A real shame. I think I’ll have a go at Hampton Court though.

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