Show information
Show facts
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2006
23 - 27 May 2006
Public tickets: 0870 906 3781
RHS member tickets: 0870 906 3780
Buy tickets online
Chelsea - the world’s greatest flower show
- The show is held annually for five days in May
- It has been held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea since 1913
- This will be the 84th show to be held at this site
- Originally known as the Great Spring Show, it was first held in Kensington in 1862
The exhibitors
There are around 600 exhibitors in total. The show will feature around 50 gardens and more than 100 floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion.
International exhibitors come from countries as far away as the USA, Barbados, Sri Lanka, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Australia, Jamaica, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Hong Kong, India and Zimbabwe.
Some exhibitors such as Nottcutts, Kelways and McBean’s Orchids have exhibited at the show since its early days. Hillier Nurseries set a new Guinness World Record at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2005 for winning its 60th consecutive RHS Gold Medal at the show.
Among the top garden designers creating show gardens this year are Jinny Blom, Chris Beardshaw, Andy Sturgeon, Cleve West, Tom Stuart-Smith and Stephen Woodhams.
Exhibits are judged by specialist RHS judging panels before the show opens, and are awarded Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver and Bronze Medals.
Organisation
- RHS staff, exhibitors and contractors start planning for the show 18 months in advance
- Work is already underway for the Show in 2007!
- It takes 800 people three and a half weeks to build the show
- Construction of the show includes 5km of piping, 185 toilets and enough tents to cover six football pitches
- The Great Pavilion covers nearly 12,000 sq m
- Around 250 new plants have been launched at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show over the past four years.
- 7,000 sq m of turf is re-laid after the show
- The showground covers 11 acres
The visitors
- 157,000 visitors will attend the show. This is a capped figure and represents full capacity of the showground.
- The RHS currently has more than 370,000 members and the Tuesday and Wednesday are reserved for RHS members.
- Non-members can purchase tickets for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
- Members of the Royal Family make a private visit to the show on the Preview Day (Monday).
Catering
During show week 8,000 bottles of champagne, 20,000 glasses of Pimms, 110,000 cups of tea and coffee, 25,000 bottles of water and 35,000 rounds of sandwiches are sold.
Sodexho Prestige is the official caterer of the Chelsea Flower Show.
Full details about the catering facilities
Charity Gala Preview
The proceeds from this year’s Charity Gala Preview will go to the Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts who are currently working in partnership on the ‘Wild About Gardens’ project. ‘Wild About Gardens’ is an important charitable initiative, which aims to increase understanding of local wildlife, celebrate what garden owners are already doing to support wildlife and build on research into the wildlife potential of domestic gardens.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is one of the ways in which the RHS, as a charity, generates revenue to support its charitable activities. Each ticket purchased helps to fund the many activities undertaken by the RHS to promote horticulture and help gardeners. These activities include undertaking scientific research into issues affecting gardeners, holding plant trials and education events and activities.