Chelsea Flower show

We were thinking of going to the Chelsea flower show next year. Has anyone ever been to this event before. Tickets are pretty pricey but it's a once in a lifetime event. Maybe i'll join the RHS and get a discount on the tickets

 

Hi JohnD, I used to go as a visitor and then as an exhibitor. For a one-off experience it's pretty impressive if you can avoid the days and times when it's most crowded. There didn't seem to be all that much difference between the RHS members days and the 'public' days.
The big disappointment for me was the lack of plant sales and the OTT show gardens which over the years had less and less relevance to real gardening.
If you want to see realistic, stunning displays of plants and pick up some wonderful bargains, then the NEC Birmingham and Hampton Court Palace shows are better.

 

Thanks very much Noisette. I will look into those events

 

Do you go back to the UK regularly JohnD? You probably wouldn't get the full benefit from RHS membership otherwise. The RHS monthly magazine used to be very, very good but as the subscription rates kept going up, I found that it just wasn't economical to continue my membership.

 

Thanks all for the feedback. It's definitely given me something to think about Hi Noisette, i very rarely get back to the UK, however in the near future we would like to visit more of the country.

 

In that case, a year's subscription would be worth the call If you should get a chance to go up to Norfolk, The Old Vicarage at East Ruston near Happisburgh has to be one of the best open gardens in all Britain! It's under the RHS umbrella now, I think.

 

tickets are on sale now for members only

 

If you haven't been before, then I would say that you should definitely go and judge for yourself. Its a wonderful day out and an experience you will never forget. I have have had some amazing conversations with people I never thought I would meet, Sue from Crug was such a nice lady, we chatted for a good half hour.

However, that said, I don't disagree with any posters. I now go every couple of years as it can be very samey otherwise.

This year was the most disappointing so far, i felt like i had seen them all before. And the plant combinations on some gardens really irritated me, shady boggy plants mixed with full sun and sharp drainage. Looked good but just wouldnt work in a real garden. I saw one of my favourite plants used in the wrong place so often. I dont know if the designer didn't know or just didn't care.

I still enjoy it ad a day out though.

 

they normally get marked down when getting judged I hope they didn't have gold