About the show

May 22–26, 2012

Whatever you love about gardening, there’s something for you at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

‘Fresh’ is a brand new area that includes modern, inventive gardens with new design ideas, along with tradestands offering ingenious new products.

In the Great Pavilion, RHS Environment features vertical allotments and clever solutions to problem areas. New food courts and restaurants allow you to relax in style, and 14 evocative show gardens are planned, ranging from ‘New English’ design to trendsetting topiary gardens.

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Fascinating facts...

From Gardens of Tomorrow to smuggled gnomes, here's a peek into the show's unique history.
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Fresh Gardens

Fresh Gardens is a new show garden category that challenges designers to produce something inventive and refreshing.

A brief history of the show

Key facts

It takes 25 days to put the entire show up
Number of exhibitors at first Chelsea - 244
Current exhibitors' total - 550
Hillier Nurseries holds the record for the greatest number of Chelsea Golds - 66 and counting...

The Chelsea Flower Show has been held in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars. It used to be Britain’s largest flower show (it has now been overtaken by Hampton Court), but is still the most prestigious. It is the flower show most associated with the royal family, who attend the opening day every year.