Chelsea Flower Show 2017: Tickets, times, highlights and travel info

The world’s most famous flower show returns from today, May 23, for five floral days of horticultural goodness.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is now in full bloom, running until this Saturday, May 27, with an expected 165,000 attendees making their way to the Royal Chelsea Hospital, where the event has blossomed since its first incarnation in 1913.

Open 8am – 8pm until Friday, and then 8am – 5.30pm on Saturday, a glimpse of many of the gardens and displays will be broadcast live on BBC One and Two throughout the week, though, of course, nothing beats seeing it all in the flesh – sorry, leaf.

Tickets

Unsurprisingly, tickets tend to be sold out well in advance, and this year is no exception.

A quick look on the official site reveals all public tickets, which start at £100 for a full day, are all sold out. However, the show does accept returns and occasionally tickets come up for resale: it’s worth checking back on rhschelsea.seetickets.com for any that may be available: tickets are divided into all day entry, entry from 3.30pm and entry from 5.30pm.

Elsewhere, tickets can be bought from viagogo.co.uk, though beware the rising prices: we found one afternoon ticket, usually priced £41, going for £190.

Getting there

The site is easy enough to get to, with Sloane Square station (Circle and District lines) the closest tube stop, around 10 mins on foot away, but it’s also only a 15-20 minute walk from Victoria station (Circle, District and Victoria lines and National Rail services). There is no disruption planned on these lines during the show.

For buses, take the 11, 137, 211, 360, 170, 44 or 452, which all stop close by the Hospital. Alternatively, the 19, 22, 319 and C1 stop at Sloane Square. Though it’s advisable not to drive, parking can be pre-booked for Battersea Park, with a shuttle running throughout the day, at £6 return or £4 one way.

Highlights

1. Welcome To Yorkshire

Inspired by the gorgeous Yorkshire coastline, this garden from Tracy Foster features an 11 tonne cliff, a 4 tonne sandstone abbey ruins and pieces from Harrogate artist Julie Cope. The beach itself is stunning, with eight tonnes of sand from Scarborough, pebbles and boulders from Flamborough and even its very own sea.

2. Giant animals… giant animals everywhere

Chelsea gardeners are savvy enough to know animals are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and they’re everywhere. The Silk Road garden (see below) has giant pandas – well, people dressed up as them – while elsewhere, there are giant teddies, giraffes and rhinos. Keep an eye out.

3. BBC Radio 2’s Feel Good Gardens

These five gardens, named for Radio 2 presenters, all demonstrate how plants can invigorate the senses. Chris Evans (taste), Jo Whiley (smell), Anneka Rice (sight), Jeremy Vine (touch) and Zoe Ball (hearing) are all represented. Be sure to see the Anneka Rice garden, a vivid explosion of colour.

4. Historical Botanical Gardens: Pure Grenada

Grenada is a technicolour island: it is brilliant and glowing, where fruit blushes and beaches shimmer. The air is a potion of smells, of spice and cocoa and sea salt. It’s unsurprising, then, that during the 19 years the island been entering a garden at the Flower Show, they’ve won 13 gold medals, including one this year. Head over to Cathy John’s garden for a taste of the island… and expect to find yourself booking up for a trip to the Carribean shortly afterwards.

5. Silk Road Garden Chengdu China

This gorgeous space is inspired by, as you might expect, the famous 4,000 mile long Silk Road trade route of Sichuan, and encapsulates its various faces: the vast mountain ranges, the great breadth of plants and wildlife, the sprawling plains and splashing rivers. They've even included pandas. Interestingly, once Chelsea is over, the garden is designed to be sent over and recreated in China.

For more information, visit rhs.org.uk