Chelsea flower show

Crikey. I shall have an armchair ticket.

Really? And that’s where one wears one’s £143 trousers and £96 shirt, I presume!

My mother and I used to go to Cheksea .After talking about gardening all day -
she'd choose plants and then ,we'd look forward to receiving them.
For years we enjoyed watching the programme on TV.
Then it changed.
Today ,I watched the part about Alliums and retreated to the kitchen when I heard the name David Beckham.

Perhaps I should have watched it .

The cult of celebrity really infuriates me.

I want to see real gardeners and the price of the tickets is obscene.

Sadly I think the BBC has ruined it in so many ways making it overly commercial and in return rather elitist and expensive.
They’ve done the same to the Malvern show which was a reasonable price to enter when I used to visit many years ago.
It had a lovely vibe to it.
The small growers were a joy to do business with but then along came the BBC and hijacked it.
The small nurseries were priced out and it became expensive so I stopped going.

Is the thought that ticket prices aren't dissimilar to those of a London theatre ticket? You can stay all day at the flower show if you have the more expensive ticket, I think.

The new alliums from Holland were pretty.
The gynae cancer garden was well thought out and a relaxing space.

Esmay

My mother and I used to go to Cheksea .After talking about gardening all day -
she'd choose plants and then ,we'd look forward to receiving them.
For years we enjoyed watching the programme on TV.
Then it changed.
Today ,I watched the part about Alliums and retreated to the kitchen when I heard the name David Beckham.

Perhaps I should have watched it .

The cult of celebrity really infuriates me.

I want to see real gardeners and the price of the tickets is obscene.

Today ,I watched the part about Alliums and retreated to the kitchen when I heard the name David Beckham.

There was only a glimpse of David Beckham
He is there as Ambassador for The King's Foundation and had input into The King’s Foundation Curious Garden, designed by Frances Tophill.

But it's your prerogative of course.

One of my cousins exhibited at Chelsea for a number of years, winning several gold medals. He specialised in wildflowers. So I’ve always taken an interest. I’ve never been, though. My feet and.stamina aren’t up to it. My son has been quite often.

They’ve done the same to the Malvern show which was a reasonable price to enter when I used to visit many years ago.
A ticket costs less than £30.

Taunton Flower show has tickets for £20 and £17 if you're near there.
Badminton Flower Show from £35

Went a few years ago, hospitality invite with exclusive access to the gardens. I really wouldn’t pay for a public ticket.

The last time I went was in 1998 when the ticket price for RHS members was £35.
I’d never cope with such a long day on my feet now so I’m happy to be glued to the TV coverage.

Me neither. I could go to Malvern as it's not so far but probably couldn't manage that either ☹

I love sitting at home doing my Chelsea week! I really enjoy the programme not sure I could afford to go as we’re up north and would have to stay over. But I love this time of the year and don’t mind the celebrities going around. Just wish Monty would have those trousers taken up!

I have mixed feelings about it. There was a whole segment of the coverage that was just talking to celebs ... bit bored by that.
I do not really know the history of the show, but I have the impression that it used to be more about the plants and flowers than big structures and architectural design. I think I would prefer that.
Having said that, the wooden Mother Earth was rather splendid.

Thirty one years ago I was given a ticket for the afternoon session . The night before my son in law phoned to say my daughter had gone into the maternity hospital. Needless to say I spent part of the time locating phones. I had rung earlier and been told to ring a couple of hours later and of course no mobiles !! I did see quite a lot .
So now the flower show is always associated with my grandson.

Years ago I went with my husband .. we sat in the Pimms tent for most of our time !!!!

I’m a bit underwhelmed by the show gardens this year but I’ll probably change my mind later in the week.
Nice to see Georgie Newbury, the Flower Farmer, has a stand promoting British grown cut flowers. I’ve been a fan for years and her Flower Farmer’s Year is my bible.
I love Chelsea week.

My dearest friend - now departed always, alongside another friend had a stand in the flower arrangement section. I used to help her get stuff together. Always good fun.

Haven’t been to Chelsea since. My problem now would be finding a seat when I got tired.

For those who live further North, the Harrogate Spring and Autumn Flower shows are always a wonderful day out. Pre booked tickets for the Autumn show are £24.

I’m hoping to see the Japanese garden planting in a bit of depth. Mine is nearly finished (about 100 times smaller😊) but I do need ideas about plant around the water fall. I think maybe the forest grass but not sure what to plant alongside.

Seconding your Harrogate Flower Show suggestion Greyduster. We look forward to it every year and always have a fun day. We have been to Chelsea twice. It is a very different experience as lots of people are very dressed up and view it as a social event to see and be seen - lots of Pimms and cocktail drinking rather than purely a gardening show. Setting off at 6am and home at 11pm makes it a long day though we enjoyed the camaraderie on the train and underground. If anyone is going to Chelsea I’d advise taking a decent packed lunch and plenty of water as the food is extortionate and the queues are massive!

Susiewong65 the RHS set the prices, I don’t see why it’s the fault of the BBC?

Without the glitz, glamour, celebrities, TV coverage and royal patronage the growers and showers wouldn’t be able to get their own financial support and firms like Landrover wouldn’t spend millions in sponsorship.
Everyone wants a return on their investment.

I’m so thankful that although Chelsea has become a commercial giant I get the chance to watch the extensive coverage from the comfort of my armchair

We used to be very lucky, in that for several years in a row we had free tickets. After going at least twice with dh I’d give the tickets away, or take a friend.

On the last occasion I took a colleague who’d been very unlucky in many ways, both family and health worries. . We both lived not too far away, so could get there via free public transport.

But it was a miserable day, chilly and raining on and off - the main marquees were absolutely heaving, and we couldn’t find anywhere undercover - and out of the drizzle, to have lunch, the one or two places we found were already packed.
So disappointing - not so much for me, as for her.

If we’d paid £££ for tickets, and for travel on top, I would have been seriously furious at the lack of enough covered places to eat. It’s not as if May weather is consistently reliable!

I haven’t been for a few years but can thoroughly recommend the Hampton Court Flower Show (or whatever they call it now) - usually in July, when at least it’s likely to be warmer! - and there is SO much more space for spreading out. Chelsea can feel terribly crowded even at the best of times.

Like you Witzend I prefer Hampton Court, with bonus of wandering round their gardens.
We stopped going to Chelsea a couple of years ago. It was impossible to see the gardens properly as you can’t actually get into many of them, unlike watching on TV.
Also there were a lot of ‘corporate ‘ visitors, even on members days, who propped up the outdoor bars and were very loud.
The food stations were crowded as well, even though our last visit was on a hot sunny day.
Just negotiating the crowds was exhausting.