Floral highlights
A First Class addition to the glamour of the Great Pavilion was a beautifully restored railway carriage with pristine gardens
This year the RHS welcomed Bowdens to its central monument site in the Great Pavilion. The Devon-based multi-RHS Gold medal-winning nursery took over the largest space at the show with a 550 sq m (6,000sq ft) planted-up train station.
Adding drama to the exhibit was a 1920s Belmond British Pullman carriage, complete with liveried stewards, linen and crockery. The train stood in the middle of a time-travel journey with plant collectors from around the world, ranging from neat hostas to rare jungle ferns.
Treasures from the Great Pavilion
The Great Pavilion marquee was large enough to park 500 London buses, and this year showcased displays from more than 100 exhibitors of the world’s best nurseries, growers, florists, scientific and educational institutions.
Video tour
Take a tour of the marquee with us and watch our Floral fanfare video:
Plant supreme
.jpg)
Plant trends each year are always in evidence and the plants themselves also battle for first place, in the affections of the RHS judges, for Plant of the Year.
Plants are shortlisted from a range of new introductions from nurseries and breeders, to 20 finalists.
2016's winner was the beautiful new Clematis chiisanensis 'Amber'.
Voyage of discovery
A tour of the Discovery Zone, as always, challenged the brain cells and invited you learn more about horticulture and the environment. There were plant selections to show you how to create a low allergy garden, and ideas on how to keep healthy by gardening, which is central to the RHS Vision of Health Happiness and Horticulture.
Floral passion
Competitions were held for the Chelsea Florist of the Year, Young Chelsea Florist and RHS Floristry Colleges. Always a popular section of the show, this year's exhibits gave visitors some outstanding demonstrations of what can be achieved by talented, young and established florists, offering inspiration for those wishing to pursue this form of decorative horticulture.
See all the awards from the show.
