A second successful show was staged the following May, but in August, war was declared. 1915 and 1916 saw low-key shows, but no more followed for the remainder of the war. When Chelsea resumed in May 1919, the gardening landscape had changed beyond all recognition. Yet the aristos still turned up on the first day to tour the show with their head gardeners. The Hon Vicary Gibbs, or rather his gardener Edwin Beckett, continued to sweep the board with his mammoth vegetables right up until 1930.<\/p>

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Garden theatre<\/h3>
In 1929 came the first hint of how the Chelsea Flower Show<\/a> would develop, with a dazzlingly theatrical triptych of gardens from California<\/a>, representing a redwood grove, Death Valley and the Mojave Desert. In fact, many aspects of present-day Chelsea were already familiar in the 1930s.<\/p>
Judges deliberated and royalty admired before the show opened to the public. Overcrowding was already a problem, leading to timed tickets and reduced-price evening admission. Even the moans were similar \u2013 in 1931 the Daily Express<\/em> was already calling for Chelsea gardens to be more down-to-earth.<\/p>
$\"\"$ May 1950: Crowds looking at the rock gardens during a private view at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. – \u00a9 Photo by Monty Meth\/Topical Press Agency\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
When World War II broke out, the Flower Show was cancelled for the duration, but an austerity Chelsea was staged, with tremendous effort, in 1947. The Coronation in 1951 was celebrated, as in 1937, with an extravaganza of plants from around the Commonwealth. By the 1960s, rock gardens had fallen from fashion, and the nurserymen who had dominated the show were about to give way to a new elite, garden designers.<\/p>
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Two women wearing large, floppy brimmed, straw hats have a chat during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in 1963. – \u00a9 Photo by Cleland Rimmer\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
In the years that have followed, Chelsea has continued to hold a mirror up to our gardening preoccupations. The 1960s espoused gardening for the masses. The first garden for the disabled appeared in 1967; wildlife gardens became increasingly popular from the late 1980s; the 1990s were all about lifestyle and design.<\/p>
In recent years, Chelsea has taken up ecological and social concerns \u2013 banning limestone, peat and rainforest timber, and encouraging children, prisoners and community gardeners to show their skills. In recent years, olive and oak trees have been banned thanks to plant disease concerns. And mental health and wellbeing have taken centre stage.<\/p>
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The late Queen Elizabeth II and William, Prince of Wales, then the Duke of Cambridge are given a tour by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, then Duchess of Cambridge, of her RHS Back to Nature Garden, which she designed with landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White of Davies White Landscape Architects at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019. RHS \/ Luke MacGregor<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Royals<\/a>, rather than just visiting the show, have become actively involved \u2013 Prince Harry collaborated with Jinny Blom on the Garden for Lesotho in 2013, while the Duchess of Cambridge worked with the RHS on their Back to Nature garden in 2019.<\/p>
Chelsea has always been strong on nostalgia. But every few years comes a garden that breaks the mould \u2013 Christopher Bradley-Hole\u2019s minimalist Latin Garden in 1997, or the haunting DMZ Forbidden Garden in 2012, that proved that even show gardens can have seriousness and meaning.<\/p>
In 2020 the show went virtual during the pandemic and 2021\u2019s September show, with a focus on autumn plants, was a welcome diversion from the norm. In 2022, the show went back to its usual May slot, with a new sponsor, The Newt in Somerset.<\/a><\/p>
Since 2021, sponsorship of the show gardens has been revitalised by Project Giving Back<\/a>. The vision of two RHS life members who have chosen to remain anonymous, the project initially pledged to fund up to 42 gardens at\u00a0 RHS Chelsea<\/a>\u00a0over three years from 2022 to 2024. In 2023, PGB announced it would\u00a0 extend its support for RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens<\/a>\u00a0until 2026. It is a requirement that all of the gardens be relocated to permanent locations after the show, creating a lasting legacy for the charities and their beneficiaries. <\/p>
Towards a sustainable future<\/h2>
$\"A$
A Rewilding Britain Landscape, designed by Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022. – \u00a9 RHS Neil Hepworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>
The RHS recently launched its Sustainability Strategy, which saw the organisation shifting from a gardening charity to one with more of an environmental focus, and this is increasingly being reflected at Chelsea. <\/p>
For the first time in 2024, not only will all eight show gardens and seven sanctuary gardens have gone through a preliminary Green Garden Audit to improve their carbon footprint, they will all have some sort of relocation plan in place. Next year, for the first time, an Environmental Innovation Award will be presented to one exemplary garden, and all cement-based concrete will be banned from the showground. From 2026 onwards, no peat<\/a> will be allowed for show grown plants.<\/p>
Native plants and weeds<\/h3>
$\"The$
The Centrepoint Garden, designed by Cleve West and sponsored by Centrepoint and Project Giving Back – \u00a9 RHS \/ Sarah Cuttle<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Native plants that benefit wildlife<\/a> now often take centre stage in the show gardens, with blossoming hedgerows, native trees including hawthorn, hazel, crab apple<\/a>, hornbeam and sweet chestnut, wildflowers<\/a> like cow parsley and poppies, and swathes of wildflower meadows<\/a>. In 2022, Lulu Urquhart and Adam Hunt won Best in Show with their A Rewilded Britain garden, which used native British plants to create a naturally rewilded landscape<\/a> following the reintroduction of beavers in south-west England.<\/p>
Opinion: The Chelsea flower show is embracing the shaggy<\/a><\/p>
Weeds<\/a> are also now feature at the show. In 2023, Cleve West’s Centrepoint garden<\/a> featured dandelions, nettles, green alkanet, cleavers, wood avens, buttercups and daisies. <\/p>
All change in the Great Pavilion<\/h2>
The Great Pavilion represents the beating heart of Chelsea, where top nurseries exhibit. Nursery numbers have fallen for a variety of reasons, but there is still plenty to see \u2013 this is where the smaller All About Plants<\/a> gardens, a category first introduced in 2022, can be found. The gardens focus on plants, with minimal hardlandscaping, and champion \u2018the positive power of plants to improve lives and livelihoods\u2019. There is also the Discovery Zone, where visitors can learn about plant science, a Floristry Competition and more.<\/p>
House plants<\/a> are now also a firm fixture at the show, too. The Houseplant Studios<\/a> were introduced in 2021, a response to the extraordinary growth popularity of houseplants as lockdown. Unlike the show gardens, these garden buildings can be stepped into and explored, and showcase a wide range of plants. <\/p>
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.rhs.org.uk\/chelsea<\/a><\/p>
Sign up to our Chelsea newsletter to stay up to speed with the upcoming Chelsea Flower Show.<\/a><\/i><\/h3> <\/body><\/html>\n
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