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You are > Home > Visit the Chelsea Flower Show 2006
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25 January 2006
Visit the Chelsea Flower Show 2006
By Charlie Wilkins
IN MAY of each year, the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea come alive with the sights and smells of the finest collection of flowers (and gardens) in the world. Nothing compares to the show gardens, each one created with attention to detail by some of the world’s leading garden designers, Irish men and women included! Their ideas provide visitors with lasting memories and endless inspiration whatever their budget.
For those with small gardens and enthusiasm to burn, a visit to see the smaller courtyard, chic and city gardens will inspire for they exude ideas that can fill any sized plot, whilst the larger, formal gardens will have you breathless with their style, planting arrangements, and magnificence.
Some of these will have cost in excess of €50,000 to stage, more again will have cost double and treble this amount.
Inside the Great Pavilion you will literally see thousands of fabulous flowers (and vegetables) grown to exacting standards and presented in a way which you could never have imagined.
Within the confines of this, the largest temporary covered structure in existence, you will also see new plants that have never been seen before. All the great specialist plant growers of Europe will attend, displaying the best of what’s available, and it will be possible to purchase stock there and then for delivery to your home after the show.
Outside in the open, not far from the show gardens, you can inspect a vast array of horticultural sundries, floral art demonstrations, and the lifelong learning exhibits which all together make visiting the Chelsea Flower Show a very special occasion.
Yes, this is without doubt, the greatest flower show in the world.
If you intend to make your own way to this great floral extravaganza then the following tips will be of immense value.
The show opens for one week on Monday, May 22nd and is strictly confined to royalty and members of the press.
On the Tuesday and Wednesday, entry is restricted to members of the RHS, leaving Thursday and Friday and Saturday (the show is now open on Saturdays) for the public. All-day tickets (8a.m. to 8p.m.) cost €36 sterling and afternoon rates for Thursday and Friday (3.30p.m. to 8p.m.) are €21.50 sterling.
All tickets must be pre-booked in advance-no tickets will be available to purchase on the gates. Overseas visitors who are not members of the RHS can book tickets by telephoning the U.K. on 00 44 870 906 3781. A booking fee of €2 will apply to all overseas non members, so effectively the cost of an all-day ticket becomes €38 sterling (these are all based on 2005 prices).
Beware buying tickets online.
The RHS is aware of some websites selling tickets at hugely inflated prices. These sites have nothing to do with the RHS and they cannot be held accountable for their actions or when people buy tickets from them.
When you enter the hospital show-grounds be aware that there is no re-admission once you leave.
Please note also that the event is mainly on open grounds and subject to varying weather and ground conditions. You are strongly advised to wear comfortable walking shoes and to dress according to the forecast.
Finally, there are a few other notable conditions attached to entry. These include; No dogs excepting guide dogs or hearing dogs. Sorry, no children under 5 and babes in arms are not admitted.
Attendants cannot be provided but one companion is admitted free of charge per wheelchair user, visually impaired visitor, or other person whose disability necessitated a carer. Groups are welcome but there are no discounts. Full travel and show information is sent with tickets.
A number of travel companies around the country run escorted tours to the Chelsea Flower Show with flights from Cork, Dublin and Shannon. These normally fill early in the year so January bookings are recommended.
Interested in Gardening?
IF YOU’RE interested in gardening and anxious to meet new friends, see private gardens that you would not otherwise see, listen to instructive lectures, exchange plants, or simply be entertained for two hours once a month, then why not join a garden club this January?. For around €25 per annum you can enjoy the benefits of a club and go on to improve your knowledge and interest in this most wonderful of hobbies. Most clubs meet monthly in local schools, community halls or even GAA halls countrywide.
Make some enquiries in your area and do join when you find out the details.
From experience I can say that along with getting an evenings entertainment, you’ll get a chance to meet new friends, enjoy tea or coffee before starting for home, take part in a raffle and buy bargain plants from a sales table.
Also available to club members are summer visits to gardens not normally open to the public and of course, discount at specified garden centres. Come along as a visitor if you prefer and see the format the meeting takes and the kind of people who are the members. If you think it’s worth joining, go ahead, but if it seems it is not for you, then no harm done and no expense lost.
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