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The prestigious spring show is back! Here's everything we know so far
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022 has begun and garden designers and vistors alike are thrilled to welcome the event back to its normal spring slot, after a one-off autumnal appearance due to the pandemic last year. The show will run from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th May 2022, at The Royal Hospital, Chelsea
This year's show – which showcases 13 impressive Show Gardens and multiple Platinum Jubilee floral tributes – is off to an exciting start with a visit from the Queen herself (see the photos here), and a number of other VIPs.
The winning gardens of Chelsea Flower Show 2022 have been announced. These include the Gold, Silver Gilt, Silver, Bronze, and Best in Show Medal awards. Medals are awarded in each garden category, which include Show Gardens, Sanctuary Gardens, Balcony Gardens and Container Gardens. SEE ALL THE WINNING GARDENS
The Chelsea Flower Show 2022 Plant of the Year: X Semponium 'Destiny' from Surreal Succulents in Cornwall. With unique, veiny leaves, the purple-hued plant beat 19 other species in this year's coveted competition. As well as having an eye-catching appearance, this plant can produce one very large flat head up to 60cm across and is the world's first cross between aeonium and sempervivum. READ MORE
RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2022: Dobbie’s range of peat-free John Innes 1, 2 & 3 composts. Ideal for potting on most plants, the peat-free compost has been specially developed with all the vital materials for maintaining plant growth and health. Whether you want to grow vegetables or young hardy plants, the compost has a new mix of loam and grit to provide the perfect structure for your plant's roots. READ MORE
Floral Awards in the Great Pavilion:
There is a long list on impressive blooms awarded in the Great Pavilion this year. The RHS has published the full list here.
Floristry and Floral Design Awards:
These awards include the Floral Window and Installation categories. The RHS has published the full list here.
There was one Gold awarded in each category. The Floral Window Gold went to Jane Belcher and the Installation Gold went to Dmitry Turcan.
BBC Studios Our Green Planet & RHS Bee Garden, designed by Joe Swift. A collaboration with BBC Earth at the Chelsea Flower Show. Celebrating plants and pollinators, Joe Swift's space aims to inspire gardeners to play their part in balancing our ecosystems — one of Chelsea's key themes for 2022. The planting scheme will be based on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list and Joe hopes to demonstrate how easy it is to make your garden bee-friendly. The design is inspired by the shape and formation of a bee's wing. SEE GARDEN DESIGN
"We can't wait to see the return of a spring RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022 and welcome our visitors back after a two year wait," Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Gardens & Shows, says. "The show is jam-packed with stunning gardens and inspirational displays and with an abundance of wildlife-friendly planting, we won't be the only ones buzzing!"
The Chelsea 2022 Show Gardens will include:
1. A Rewilding Britain Landscape, designed by first-time RHS Chelsea designers Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt. The duo are set to use native plants to demonstrate the dramatic transformation of land through beaver reintroductions. SEE GARDEN DESIGN
2. Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station, designed by Howard Miller and Hugh Miller
3. Brewin Dolphin Garden, designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes
4. Hands Off Mangrove by Grow2Know, designed by Tayshan Hayden-Smith and Danny Clarke
5. MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future, designed by Sarah Eberle
6. Morris & Co, designed by Ruth Willmott. The garden was originally supposed to appear at RHS Chelsea in 2020 but, due to the pandemic, was moved to this year. The Morris & Co garden will mark the 160th anniversary of the design company, Morris & Co., founded by textile designer, print-maker, poet and novelist William Morris, in 1860. SEE GARDEN DESIGN
7. The Meta Garden: Growing the Future, designed by Joe Perkins. Taking its inspiration from the British countryside, the garden aims to highlight the connection between plants and fungi in our woodland ecosystems. SEE GARDEN DESIGN
8. The Mind Garden, designed by Andy Sturgeon
9. The New Blue Peter Garden - Discover Soil, designed by Juliet Sargeant SEE GARDEN DESIGN
"It's a children's garden, but I really wanted to address something that was important. I want it to be a garden that engages their imaginations, but also engages their minds and thoughts. They've got to think about the future in a way that we never really had to," Juliet told us in an interview ahead of the show.
10. The Perennial Garden ‘With Love’, designed by Richard Miers
11. The RAF Benevolent Fund Garden, designed by John Everiss
12. The RNLI Garden, designed by Chris Beardshaw
13. St Mungo's Putting Down Roots Garden, designed by Cityscapes (Darryl Moore & Adolfo Harrison)
The Chelsea 2022 Sanctuary Gardens will include:
1. The Plantman’s Ice Garden, designed by John Warland SEE GARDEN DESIGN
2. The SSAFA Garden, supported by CCLA and designed by Amanda Waring
3. A Swiss Sanctuary, designed by Lilly Gomm
4. The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, designed by Jamie Butterworth
5. Circle of Life, designed by Yoshihiro Tamura
6. The Body Shop Garden, designed by Jennifer Hirsch
7. A Garden Sanctuary by Hamptons, designed by Tony Woods
8. Out of the Shadows, designed by Kate Gould
9. The Boodles Travel Garden, designed by Tom Hoblyn
10. Kingston Maurward The Space Within Garden, designed by Michelle Brown
11. The Stitcher's Garden, designed by Frederic Whyte
The Chelsea 2022 Container Gardens will include:
1. A Mediterranean Reflection, designed by Tanya Wilson and Johanna Norlin
2. Mandala, Meditation and Mindfulness Garden, designed by Nikki Hollier
3. The Enchanted Rain Garden, designed by Bea Tann
4. The Still Garden, designed by Jane Porter
5. Wild Kitchen Garden, designed by Ann Treneman
The Chelsea 2022 Balcony Gardens will include:
1. Jay Day, designed by Flock Party (Alison Orellana Malouf, Su-Yeon Angela Choi)
2. The Blue Garden, designed by Tom Wilkes-Rios
3. The Cirrus Garden, designed by Jason Williams
4. The Potting Balcony Garden sponsored by Viking, designed by William Murray
"With clever use of space The Potting Balcony Garden rethinks how we can use limited outdoor spaces for hands-on gardening," William says. "The balcony offers a practical place to sow seeds, pot up plants and propagate cuttings, utilising smart garden technology to nurture micro-greens and seedlings ready for the kitchen and for transfer to an allotment or community garden."
The RHS has announced that there will be a brand new garden category this year, All About Plants, which will celebrate the powers of plants. The first garden category to feature inside the Great Pavilion, All About Plants gardens will see growers and nurseries show how plants can positively influence mental health, community, and industry.
"We are thrilled to be hosting this category of firsts at RHS Chelsea. All About Plants is the first garden category to be hosted inside the Great Pavilion and is filled by four first time RHS Chelsea designers," Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Gardens and Shows, says.
"They have each interpreted the positive powers of plants in such unique and interesting ways and we can't wait to see the designs come to fruition at the show."
The Chelsea 2022 All About Plants category will include:
1. A Textile Garden for Fashion Revolution, designed by Lottie Delamain
2. The Core Arts Front Garden Revolution, designed by Andy Smith-Williams
3. The Mothers for Mothers Garden - 'This Too Shall Pass', designed by Pollyanna Wilkinson
4. The Wilderness Foundation UK Garden, designed by Charlie Hawkes
There are still some tickets left to buy on the Ticket Factory's website, at limited prices and on different days.BUY CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW TICKETS
For the last 109 years, since 1913, the Chelsea Flower Show has been held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. The hospital is home to the Chelsea Pensioners who are retired soldiers from the British Army. Over 300 veterans live there today who have served in Korea, the Falkland Islands, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and World War II.
The building itself is a Grade I and II listed site and was given to the Chelsea Pensions by Charles II and Sir Christopher Wren. There are 66 acres of land attached to the hospital which include the Ranelagh Gardens and the South Grounds, where the Chelsea Flower Show is held.
The address is: London Gate, Royal Hospital Road, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, SW3 4SR
It is advisable to check government travel advice, and traffic updates via the Transport For London website, before you travel to the Chelsea Flower Show. Located in the centre of London, there are a number of ways to get to the venue.
By bus: Bus numbers 11, 137, 211, 360, 170, 44 and 452 stop close to the showground. Bus numbers 19, 22, 319 and C1 stop at Sloane Square which is a 10 to 20 minute walk away.
By train: Sloane Square is the closest tube station to the Chelsea Flower Show and is a 10 to 20 minute walk. There, you can access the District and Circle lines. The closest mainline train station is London Victoria. From here, you can get the tube (13 mins), a bus (20 mins) or walk (20 mins).
By car: Public parking is available in Battersea Park (outside the congestion zone and a 20 min walk from the showground) but it must be pre-booked with your Chelsea tickets. There is also a park & ride service. For sat navs, the RHS recommend using the postcode SW11 4BY.
Did you miss the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021? Take a look at the show highlights below to inspire your next garden redesign...
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