Standing proud amid the razzle-dazzle of spectacular show gardens, the Great Pavilion represents the beating heart of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where the top nurseries in the UK and from further afield come to exhibit their pristine plants to millions of awestruck visitors and TV viewers at home.
Chelsea has also just been named the world’s fifth most popular ‘must see’ experience by travel company Kuoni, so it’s no wonder that every plant nursery worth its salt aspires to be there. However, regular visitors to the show may have noticed that some of their favourite nurseries have disappeared from the Pavilion in recent years.
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Helen Boem, RHS shows floral development manager, confirms that numbers this year are lower than a decade ago. “In 2014, we had 97 separate nurseries, but that has gradually fallen to 76 exhibits this year, and there are several reasons for that,” she says. “Some nursery owners have retired, while a few stopped trading during the pandemic and haven’t returned. We also recognise that it’s expensive for a small nursery to come to Chelsea. As well as the cost of plants and the owners’ time, there’s accommodation and transport, while heating and lighting bills for greenhouses have gone through the roof. Some nursery owners also tell us that they simply can’t afford to leave their business unattended for two weeks, if they have no other cover.”
To provide assistance, the RHS offers all nurseries at Chelsea a small recompense payment and a travel allowance. “They also have free sales space, which they have to pay for at other RHS shows, and we’ve increased the size of the sales units, so they can sell more plants to help cover their costs,” explains Helen.
"Despite the time and money involved, the draw of Chelsea encourages many nurseries and plant companies to apply for a stand."
Despite the fall in nursery numbers, Helen and her team work hard every year to ensure that the Great Pavilion fulfils its promise. “The Discovery Zone (where visitors can learn about plant science), All About Plants gardens and the Floristry Competition, are just some of the other features visitors can enjoy.” She also reaches out to nurseries, especially small independents, who would be a good fit, either because they offer a plant group that is missing or under-represented in the Pavilion, or they have something new to offer. “We get a lot of direct enquiries from nurseries, too, and after passing our quality checks, we may then ask them to try out another RHS show first to test the water, before coming to Chelsea,” she adds.
Help at hand The RHS mentoring scheme is another way the charity is helping newbie exhibitors get the most from the show. Rob and Rosy Hardy, owners of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, have been mentoring for many years and, with 24 Chelsea Gold medals under their belts, their advice is invaluable. Rob says: “Rosy is mentoring Emma Tipping, who is creating a display around the Monument focusing on how nurseries grow edibles, and I’m working with Chelsea first-timers Tissington Nursery; Jonathan Sheppard, who has the National Plant Collection of Cosmos; and Strete Gate Camellias. While Rosy is the plant expert, I can offer more practical tips, such as getting your timing right.
Those new to the show often underestimate how long it takes to get plants into the Pavilion and unload them. “You should also aim to finish on Saturday night, so you have Sunday to titivate your display before judging – herbaceous plants grow towards the light, so they need 24 hours to settle, allowing you to see which way they’re going to face. With 170,000 potential customers at the show, I also encourage exhibitors to say hello to everyone and, if you can, chat to the celebrities on press day to get yourself some free publicity.”
Overcoming the obstacles Despite the time and money involved, the draw of Chelsea encourages many nurseries and plant companies to apply for a stand. This year, seed company start-up She Grows Veg, founded by Instagrammer Lucy Hutchings and marketeer Kate Cotterill, jumped at the chance to showcase their heirloom, open-pollinated seeds. “Although we’ve only just launched the company, we see Chelsea as a massive brand-awareness campaign,” explains Kate. “We were lucky to get selected, but I think we were chosen because our ethos aligns with the RHS’s and our customer base is largely under 45, a demographic we know the charity is keen to attract.”
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The duo are being mentored by Chelsea stalwart Jon Wheatley, who is also growing plants for the display, and they’re drafting in acclaimed florist Hazel Gardiner to create framed, immersive displays, reminiscent of Renaissance paintings. “We’re marrying floristry with produce in a totally new way, and we’ll be encouraging visitors to don one of our veggie crowns and post an image of themselves sitting in a large picture frame covered with edibles,” says Lucy. “The chef Raymond Blanc will also be on the stand making soup with our ingredients on press day, which is a bit of a coup.”
The company has been selected to contribute to Emma Tipping’s Monument display, too, for which they and three other companies (Kent Wildflower Seeds, Caley Brothers Mushrooms and Kitchen Garden Plant Centre) have been awarded a grant from sponsor UBS Financial Services. Recognising the difficulties small nurseries have in bringing their plants to Chelsea, last year the RHS approved for the first time a group exhibit by Plant Fairs Roadshow.
They are returning this year with displays from seven nurseries, including Special Plants, run by Derry Watkins, who hasn’t exhibited at Chelsea since 1999. “My dramatic exhibit back then, called ‘What’s Black and White and Red Only Occasionally?’, received an amazing response, and the publicity put the nursery on the map, but the vast amount of work involved put me off returning until now,” she says. “The Plant Fairs Roadshow exhibit is a great idea because we’re each sharing the time managing the stand and my display is much smaller and more manageable.”
Reliable returns
For many visitors, the magic in the Pavilion is delivered each year by major players such as David Austin Roses, Blackmore & Langdon’s delphiniums and begonias, and Raymond Evison Clematis. So, why do these companies keep coming back?
Andy Jeanes, international sales marketing manager for Raymond Evison Clematis, explains: “As a global supplier and breeder, it’s important for us to showcase our existing varieties and new forms at the premier horticultural show in the world. We also find the feedback from visitors a great source of market research and we can impart our knowledge, too, so they get the best from our clematis.”
The allure of Chelsea also tempts smaller nurseries back. Family-owned Lincolnshire Pond Plants came for the first time last year and took home a Gold medal, which co-owner Dawn Fisher says has prompted their return. “This year, we’re including a bridge, allowing people to walk over the water to get up close to the plants,” she says. “But, as an aquatic plant nursery, we have the additional cost of a larger water bill, both to fill the pond and to drain it after the show. However, Chelsea last year was amazing and helped us secure some deals with landscapers and garden centres, as well as private customers, so it was definitely worth it.”
Future plans
Helen Boem says the future of the Great Pavilion is secure, and the All About Plants show gardens have given it a boost. “They are designed to celebrate unusual and specialist plants and encourage links with exhibitors. The visitors also like them because they can see the plants at close range and in a garden setting,” she explains. Innovations for the future in the Pavilion include more sustainable growing techniques and a focus on plant conservation, while nurseries wishing to showcase plants that are out of season in May can create an educational display, perhaps revealing the history of a species or cultivation tips, instead of always having to be plant-packed stands in flower.
Other exhibits to watch out for
- Before you even get to the showground, there will be a bevy of beautiful flowers to enjoy as the streets come to life for Chelsea in Bloom.
- London’s largest free flower festival runs from 20-26 May on the theme Floral Feasts.
- The trade stands can be just as eye-catching as the show gardens. Hartley Botanic will be constructing the largest ever glasshouse at the show, while Alitex will create an enchanting walled kitchen garden. Sculptor David Harber is celebrating 30 years and has teamed up with outdoor specialists Gaze Burvill for a scheme designed by Jamie Langlands. Also celebrating 30 years in 2024, Sarah Raven will be bringing a little piece of Perch Hill’s cutting garden to her stand for the show this year.
- Show sponsor The Newt in Somerset will be creating a Roman-inspired garden based on the estate’s own recreated Roman villa and garden: a colonnaded courtyard based on the design and planting popular during the 1st century CE.
- Don’t forget to visit the always interesting Houseplant Studios and check out the floristry displays in the Pavilion.