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It’s been called a national treasure, a cultural institution, even the ‘greatest flower show on earth’: the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is back on the map this May and it feels like order has been restored. As British as Crufts or Wimbledon, never underestimate the ability of this massive display of roots, shoots and blooms to say something about our world.
By the 1930s, Chelsea award–winning horticulturalist George Whitelegg had turned rock gardens into a must–have. Visitors flocked to see piled–up boulders filled with resilient plants, a fashion that persisted well into the 1950s and that reflected the austere feel of a world at war with itself. Then along came the push to make a garden into an “outdoor room.” Soil gave way to acres of decking. But by the millennium, Chelsea was bursting with perennials, displayed ‘au naturel.’ This year’s theme, not surprisingly, reflects a respect for the wild.
Parts of Chelsea still recall a grand version of the village horticultural show – thank goodness. These are traditions to be treasured, alongside the growing architectural and design input.
Basically, there’s nothing quite like a garden to soothe the troubled brow. Forget mindfulness, grab a few pots of jewel–like Primula Auricula (primrose) to get yourself into the zone. This is what the Chelsea flower show is here to remind us of. That to spend a day among all those plants and the people who care for them is the British equivalent of the Japanese love of “forest bathing.”
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This year the focus is on native species and wildlife. It’s all about renewal and even a sense of stewardship. The gardens competing for the top prize this year include the Brewin Dolphin Garden, designed to illustrate how an old 1900s industrial brownfield site can be turned into a pleasing, sustainable space. Even poor and polluted soil can be improved by plants, this garden tells us, and there’s a focus on nectar banks and shelter for bees and insects, plus low maintenance gardening (designer Paul Harvey–Brookes).
Then there’s the RNLI garden that celebrates both the Georgian origins and the modern advances of a 200 year old, much loved charity (from Chris Beardshaw Morris & Co, designer Ruth Willmott).
Not to mention the Rewinding Britain Landscape (designer Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt) where visitors will see how ‘eco engineers’ like beavers can reverse habitat loss and increase biodiversity.
Alongside these thought provoking show gardens there are three categories that are bound to entertain and interest:
First, the entries in the Sanctuary Garden category include designs from The Body Shop, the Boodles Travel Collection and The Stitcher’s Garden.
Next there is a Balcony Gardens category, to prove that you don’t need a big space to display beautiful plants: Jason Williams (aka Cloud Gardener UK) grows wildflowers and edible blooms from his Manchester high–rise balcony.
Last, there’s a House Plant Studio for indoor plant enthusiasts, and a Container Garden section too. You don’t even need a garden to be a gardener.
Add to all this the Great Pavilion with its many exhibitors, from trade stands to nurseries and city councils, plus the plant of the year competition, and it’s a stunner of a show. But the enjoyment doesn’t have to end there. Book a stay in a central London hotel and you can explore even more fun things to do in London. The perfect city break.
London Gate,
Royal Hospital Road
Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW3
(nearest tube: Sloane Square Station)
(Design for the RNLI Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022. It reflects the mari time charity’s 200 year old history.)
While you’re in London, why not visit…
Ongoing
66 Royal Hospital Road, SW3
A four acre site bordering the Thames, this restful, historic space was established in 1673 by London’s apothecaries to grow medicinal plants. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in the UK and it has the largest fruiting olive tree in Britain, thanks to the shelter of its high brick walls which act as a heat trap. It nurtures a living collection of 4,000 edible, useful, medicinal and historic plants. You can buy tickets online, or just walk up on the day. Its 100 year old glasshouses are currently being restored. Its pond rockery is Grade II listed, and thought to be the oldest rockery in Europe.
May 21st to 29th
Chelsea Fringe 2022
Nine days of gardening and arts enthusiasm, but it’s not restricted to Chelsea. Included this year are the Red Cross Garden, Southwark and Waterloo Millennium Green. Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) who manage these two gardens, is hosting and running the festival.
Red Cross Garden
50 Redcross Way SE1
Award winning garden near tourist hotspot Borough Market, designed in 1887.
Waterloo Millennium Green
Community space close by Waterloo station and the Southbank Centre.
Also events planned for Crossbones Graveyard, Southwark (see link)
May 25th
Tate Modern Community Garden Open Day
Park Street, SE1
One day only. Next to Tate Modern (Eastern side, look for metal gate in ivy–covered wall). Part of Chelsea Fringe 2022, this is another BOST gem of a garden, rarely seen by the public. Meet BOST parks manager, Joe on the day, 10am–5pm.
May 21st to 29th
Pop Up Chelsea Fringe Sensory Garden
Located in St Martin-in-the-Fields Courtyard, Trafalgar Square, this is a free sensory garden. A central framework will be filled with foliage and purple plants. There will also be a zen garden, hammocks and a bubble machine for visitors. Northbank London is providing this temporary oasis behind one of the busiest traffic intersections in London.
May 10th, June 23rd, July 14th
Charterhouse Open Gardens
Charterhouse Square, Barbican EC1
Not just a historic building in Farringdon (dating back to 1371), The Charterhouse has seven acres of rarely seen private gardens that will go on show to the public on three separate evenings in May, June and July this year. Tickets cost £10, food and drink can be bought at the venue. Open from 5.30-8.30pm.
Aster
150 Victoria St, SW1E
Modern French brasserie in the heart of London’s Victoria. The elegant first floor restaurant provides a European Grand Cafe menu, while the deli downstairs celebrates Summer by reinventing itself as a gin and dessert parlour.
Granger & Co Chelsea
237-239 Pavilion Road, SW1
Friendly and stylish is the verdict on this Australian all-day dining restaurant. Sloane Square gets the sunshine treatment. Indoor and outdoor dining too.
The Rail House Cafe
8 Sir Simon Milton Square SW1
Modern cafe bar in the Nova Victoria restaurant quarter. Healthy choices and weekend indulgences on the menu, including truffled portobello & sweet potato wellington, or port-braised short rib and blackened miso cod.
The Culpeper
40 Commercial Street E1
This renowned rooftop bar within a city gastro pub has been renamed the Piculpeper. Given that this is Chelsea Flower Show season, how could we not mention it? (Think Culpepper’s Complete Herbal). This establishment now offers herb laden cocktails and a menu of sharp, pickle–themed dishes.
The Wellington and Rochester Hotels
71 and 69 Vincent Square, Westminster, SW1
Vincent Square covers 13 tree–lined acres, and as such it must be among the largest green spaces in London. It certainly provides one of the capital’s many green lungs, and a retreat from busy streets. The Wellington and Rochester Hotels both benefit from this secluded address, whilst being close to Victoria tube station. The hotels are also near a vibrant tourist and business hub in Victoria, as well as Tate Britain, Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park. Elegant and affordable four star accommodation in central London.
For travel to RHS Chelsea Flower Show: Victoria to Sloane Square tube, 2 mins. District Line.
June 1st to September 18th
Superbloom at the Tower of London
There are many historic pocket gardens to explore near the world heritage site that is the Tower of London, and this year the Tower itself boasts Superbloom, when its famous moat will be transformed into accessible fields of wildflowers. Stay in nearby Tower Suites, opposite the Tower of London, with its boutique apartments and sweeping views of iconic landmarks. Tower Suites also provides its own guided tour of this historic area.
Welcome to Roman London Revealed
Get a glimpse of everyday Roman life with a guided tour of the Billingsgate Roman House and Baths. Protected archaeological remains from the original Londinium on display. Book in advance.
This is just a snapshot of the events in London on offer this May. We know you’ll be spoiled for choice, and it’s going to be a memorable Summer in the city. Don’t miss it.
Contact us at
hello@centrallondonalliance.com