Country Life's tips on how to get the most out of this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Despite all the excitement over the famous faces, it is the plants that are the real stars of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which opens next week (May 19–23). If our gardens are anything to go by, then this year promises to deliver an awe-inspiring display of perfect flowers and brilliant foliage. Whether you are a seasoned visitor or will be heading to the Royal Hospital grounds for the first time, here are Country Life’s tips to ensure you get the best out of the show—and don’t forget to visit our stand (PW215).

1. Don’t go with the flow. In all the hustle and bustle of actually getting to the showground (and, once inside, encountering the often overwhelming rush of humanity), it’s easy to forget what you came to see. Some will have a check list of gardens and nurseries drawn up and tick them off one by one. Others take a cartographic approach, first heading up Main Avenue to look at the big show gardens, from there looping round the back to the smaller gardens and finally working their way through the Great Pavilion. Both systems work, but it pays always to head to where the crowds are thinnest and, if you can, be there for the last couple of hours in the day when things quieten down.
2. Pre-arrange a meeting spot. Even with mobile phones, it’s surprisingly easy not to hear the ring or to miss an urgent message. The picnic tables by the coffee stalls in Ranelagh Gardens are usually a good bet and offer some shade, too.
3. Allow plenty of time for the Great Pavilion. This is the heart of the show, where you’ll find new and rare plants immaculately grown and displayed. There’s always so much to see and never enough time.
4. Take notes. Have a notebook and pen or mobile phone to hand for jotting down favourite things in the Great Pavilion. The individual plant displays are particularly useful in comparing like for like: tulips and daffodils, roses, sweet peas, delphiniums and peonies, to mention but a few. This way, you’ll be ready to put in orders with specialist suppliers for that never-before-seen specimen before it sells out.
5. Examine plant groupings. If there is one thing you should keep in mind as you look at the show gardens, it is how their creators combine plants. In the quiet understorey of a bold design are the clever pairings of colour and shape and contrasting or complementary silhouettes and forms. This is what mere mortals most struggle to get right, but if you look carefully and photograph those plant groups you like, you can reproduce them at home — always bearing in mind your own garden’s soil and situation.
6. Check the forecast and wear comfortable shoes. Boring, but important.
7. Last, but not least: don’t worry if you don’t see everything — it is almost impossible to do so. Simply make a glorious day of it and come home with a head brimful of beautiful flowers and ideas for your own garden.

This feature first appeared in the May 13, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.