After the exclusive opening for the King and Queen and celebrities on Monday, followed by two days for RHS members, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show welcomes the general public from Thursday until Saturday. This flower show, with over a century of history in the grounds of the Royal Hospital in London, has become a renowned event, attracting participation from many UK nurseries, breeders, landscapers, and florists. It is even listed fifth on Kuoni's 2024 list of world's unmissable travel experiences, and up to 168,000 visitors are expected each year.
The King in the Great Pavilion admiring the Raymond Evison Clematis stand
Visit King and Queen
On Monday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, an annual visit which Their Majesties have enjoyed for many years. The royal coupe visited several gardens, stands, and plants people exhibiting at the show, like the stand of Raymond Evison Clematis, David Austin Roses, Harkness Roses, and of The Farewell Flowers Directory.
David Austin Roses unveiled the unveiled 'The King's Rose', in support of the King's Foundation and Harkness Roses showed their Rosa 'Catherine's Rose, a new variety honouring the Princess of Wales. At the Highgrove Shop stand, the King met David Beckham, ambassador for The King's Foundation. In The Great Pavilion, the Queen explored the first-ever funeral floristry exhibit in the show's 112-year history, designed by The Farewell Flowers Directory.
See below the 34-second video on The Majesties visit and Click here to read the complete article on their visit.
Eager to learn which royals have visited the show in past years? See the Instagram post below.
Awards
And there is when there is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, you also say awards and medals.
RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2025
This annual award celebrates outstanding plants with a new or improved feature, setting them apart from those already on the market. Floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion, which is at the heart of the RHS Chelsea showgroudn, were invited to submit new plants to the competition ahead of the Show. Entries were carefully considered by a shortlisting panel of RHS and industry experts, who whittled down the number of contenders to less than 20. These shortlisted plants then went on to be displayed at the Show where, on Press Day, members of our RHS Expert Groups viewed them and elected a winner.
The judges' decision was based on three criteria: novelty and innovation, garden performance, and likely appeal for UK gardeners. The final vote is informed by the entry information submitted ahead of the Show, and the 'wow' factor of the plants on display.
Winner: Philadelphus Petite Perfume Pink ('P1')
Philadelphus Petite Perfume Pink ('P1')
Joint second place: Hosta 'Silly String' (Breeder: Hans Hansen (Walter's Gardens). Exhibitor: Sienna Hosta. Supplier: Fairweather's Nursery), and Salvia Tropicolour Sunrise ('Tropog021') (Tropicolour Series)
Hosta 'Silly String' and Salvia Tropicolour Sunrise
Click here for more information on the winners and the 2025 finalists.
These and all the shortlisted plants can be seen on the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year display in the Great Pavilion.
And when talking about the Great Pavilion, it used to be one giant marquee, listed as the world's biggest tent in the Guiness Book of Records. Since the mid-90s it has been a combination of three structures joined together to create 12,570m² of exhibition space and even covers the 13m high Monument. The Pavilion holds over 500 exhibitors from around the world. It houses the All About Plants gardens and the Monument installation, the Discovery Zone as well as all the floral exhibitors. Here are some of the other highlights from this year inside the Great Pavilion.
RHS Chelsea Sustainable Excellence Awards 2025
Other awards presented were the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Excellence Awards 2025, given exclusively to Show exhibitors. These awards recognize businesses and products that are pioneering planet-friendly practices and exemplifying the highest standards of sustainability.
Winner of Sustainable Business of the Year 2025 : POTR
Winner of Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2025: Sneeboer Trading: Garden Scoop
Winner of Sustainable Lifestyle Product of the Year 2025: MONC: MONC Eyewear
Click here to learn more about the winners and the 2025 finalists.
And more medals and awards
During the show, many medals were handed out too. To many to list in this article, but click to see all medal and award winners.
Judging
Ever wondered how the judges choose the medal-winning gardens at RHS Shows? From how judges make their decisions to what happens during show week, explore the inner workings of the RHS Shows Judging panel and find out in the video below and in this article what it takes to win those highly regarded medals.
Exhibitors
On May 14, the trade exhibitors began setting up their stands and getting ready for the show. Eager to see all exhibitors? Click here. And what about the installations? Click here to see all installations.
RHS Letters installation – "a kaleidoscopic composition that bring together some 5,000 flowers, including a number of unusual varieties of Protea and Heliconia. Their bright and harmonious tones colliding create an enchanting ombré effect."
Chelsea - hot topic in the UK news
In addition to the numerous news articles available on the RHS Chelsea website, extensive coverage of the show, the stands, and much more can be found across British media.
The BBC, for example, featured an article on Surreal Succulents, a nursery from Cornwall, which has just won its fifth consecutive gold medal. The nursery has achieved gold at each of the last five shows, including the RHS Plant of the Year award in 2022. In the article, boss Daniel Michael discusses the preparations and challenges involved in getting ready for the show.
Also articles with a critical note have been published, like the one in the Daily Mail, saying that the RHS Chelsea is overrun by influencers and reality stars.
For more information:
RHS
www.rhs.org.uk