Chelsea Flower Show

It’s as English as an Alice band, and dates back to 1862, but the Chelsea Flower Show has more to do with fashion than tradition. This design-led demonstration of man’s mastery over plantkind sees dozens of organizations competing for recognition – from glossy magazines and banks to charities and regional flower-arranging clubs. It’s a high-visibility event, with cameras trained on celebs, royal regulars, and beloved Brit gardeners. And the 11-acre site is teeming with inspiration, so even those with the pokiest urban patches will find something to stimulate their green matter. As a forum for trends and eco brainwaves, and a super-social scene, Chelsea has become the horticultural height of young-fogey hip.

Highlights

Whether you come for the green-welly glamour or the cutting-edge plant varieties, the winning gardens are genuinely gorgeous. They’re our top reason for attending – though champagne and lobster in the Ranelagh Restaurant come a close second. Having said that, there’s nothing conspicuously flash about this event: despite its popularity among royals, America’s A-list and Europe’s aristos, Chelsea has a very broad appeal – why not take your parents?

In The Know

Head Count

More than 150,000 people attend the event every year.

Meeting Point

There is an official meeting-up place designated most years – check on the site map.

Best View

The Rock Bank Restaurant (0845 260 7000; www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea) has the best views. Book early, and ask for a table overlooking the gardens.

Packing Tips

Take a waterproof with you, since there’s often a bit of rain. We also recommend whipping out one of those see-through plastic headscarves – it’s up to you whether you work it HRH-style or with postmodern chutzpah.

Escape

A number of the gardens are designed to be tranquil retreats, but that can take a little imagination at peak times. If the crowds get too much, nip out and take in a view of the Thames along Chelsea Embankment, or have a walk through nearby Battersea Park.

Dos and don'ts

• Decide absolutely to get there early. The doors of the Royal Chelsea Hospital open at 08h, and it’s much lovelier to enjoy the show before it gets packed.
• Avoid the ‘sell-off’, when exhibitors hawk their plants and products at the end of the show, unless there’s something you have to have and won’t be able to get elsewhere. It’s almost always a bit too busy to be much fun.
• Don’t take an umbrella – especially not of the gargantuan golfing variety. On a rainy day, among throngs of determined garden-hoppers, the last thing you need is something that’ll either poke an eye out or ruin your view. Wear a hat!
• Keep your camera/phone handy, for taking discreet portraits of the Queen/Joanna Lumley/Alan Titchmarsh.

Need To Know

Children

Children under five are not admitted, for safety reasons. The crowds can make wrangling older children feel like an uphill struggle –if your kids are restless, take them to Kew Gardens, 25 minutes away on the District Line, instead.

Parking

There’s limited parking at Battersea Park, which is about 20 minutes’ walk from the show. The charges vary from £12.50 or £20, depending on the time of day, and the area is outside the Congestion Charge zone.

Disability Access

There are no special facilities for the hearing- or visually impaired. The site is almost completely accessible by wheelchair (the exceptions are the Rock Bank Restaurant, Ranelagh Seafood and Champagne Restaurant and Thames View Restaurant; there are other good dining options, though). Carers or companions are admitted free of charge, manual wheelchairs are available, and there are parking spaces closer to the show available for wheelchair users (ring ahead to secure one of these). Assistance dogs are welcome.

Food & Drink

Catering is a broad church here, with everything from jacket potatoes to lobster available at various restaurants, cafés and food courts. The Rock Bank restaurant is open 08h–20h, so you can go for a full three-course lunch or early dinner. The Ranelagh Seafood and Champagne bar is our favourite, being the buzziest of the lot. There are also champagne and Pimm’s bars scattered across the site. Ring 0845 260 7000 to make reservations.

Sleep

There are some gorgeous hotels in this area of London: we especially love Blakes, the original boutique hotel, in South Kensington; Baglioni Hotel on High Street Kensington and the Bingham, on the riverside in Richmond. You can book these – and other London hotels – online at www.mrandmrssmith.com, or by ringing 0845 034 0701.

VIP

There are invitation-only RHS tea parties, and the royal element (a handful of Windsors turn up every year) means that there are some very, very VIP areas, but these aren’t the sort of thing you can blag your way into.

More Details

www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea

Chelsea Flower Show Map