We had a great time at the final day of RHS Chelsea yesterday! Loved the colour and the ‘real gardens for real people’ vibe. Gone was the weighty ‘message-heavy’ proliferation of stinging nettles; in were tinkling streams and heart-stopping colour and texture combinations.
Obviously we three had our own opinions on the particular highlights and lowlights of 2025’s extravaganza…
Amongst so many fabulous show gardens this year it had to be the fantastic selection of roses in The Glasshouse Garden that won my heart, in contrast the Red Cross Garden – its stark concrete pillars were reminiscent of a ‘60s designed multi-storey car park – not especially evoking its ‘Here for Humanity’ message.
The most remarkable pavilion display was definitely the stupendous She Grows Veg ‘Grow a Rainbow’ exhibit of heritage vegetables.
I’ve now got the hang of a successful day at RHS Chelsea with my two sisters – get there early, locate all toilet options and do any important visits to show gardens before the largely liquid lunch, which can blur their judgement of what is appropriate behaviour.
For me this year’s Chelsea was a paean to the human spirit of kindness to others, exemplified by the Glasshouse Garden , and our invitation to ‘go behind the scenes’ (thankfully 12.30, just pre-lunch 😅) was the highlight of the day. The thought and attention to detail to get every aspect of this exceptional garden as its subjects, women prisoners retraining in horticulture, would have wanted, was inspirational. (see our feature pic with project founder, Kali Hamerton-Stove.)
How can a day turn out well when you discover as early as 7am your picnic wine is still at home in the fridge and not in your rucksack? It takes resilience to overcome but inspiration was all around us. The story behind the truly beautiful Down’s Syndrome Scotland garden was humbling. ‘If you’re lucky enough to have someone with Down’s Syndrome in your family, you’ll get a hug every day and the world needs more of that,’ its designer told the crowd, and how right he was.
TheGrowbags natural inclination to hug people (who were generally too polite to struggle) was in overdrive and given they tended to be mainly men, it is maybe another reason our husbands refuse to attend RHS Chelsea with us.
For me – this year’s Chelsea felt energised, progressive and commercially successful. But remember The3Growbags can reduce any quality event to comedy. Our attempt to rise up from the ground ‘a trois’ to appear in the window of Monty Don’s garden, was only achievable on the third attempt due to our arthritic knees – a vision described as ‘hysterical’ by one onlooker we met later in the loos.
And so to our own Chelsea awards:
Plant I most wanted to take home:
Laura – The King’s Rose from the David Austin stand – a dead ringer for Rosa mundi (dating back to the Middle Ages) but disease resistant and repeat flowering – genius!
Elaine – The one that took my heart was the dreamily translucent Tranquilité clematis on Raymond Evison’s stand. Not many clematis will grow happily in a shadier spot, but this one will. I’ve got just the secluded spot, and I just knew one of them was yearning for a new home.
Caroline – Sorry to lower the tone as usual but I loved Nicotiana ‘tinkerbell’ on The Glasshouse show garden. In my view, the garden’s gold medal might have been due to this plant alone!
Our What da? moment
Laura – During my tour of the retail stands, I spotted a canine, tented palace – aka a dog bed. At £595 I made a mental note not to share pictures of it with Isla, Myrtle or Jay when I got home. Who are these dog owners?
Elaine – My candidate leapt out when I caught sight of the Saatchi Gallery Garden with its huge yetis of pink baler twine. My thrilled gogglement was enhanced by the exotic outfits of two ladies who seemed perfectly matched with it.
Caroline – ‘If it’s won a gold medal, they’re pushing it’, I thought, when I saw this. In fact it was the ‘before’ photo for the beneficial effects of Typha (Cattails) on ponds.
Best overheard comment
Laura: On the Fettercairn Distillery’s balcony stand – ‘Is that a dead sheep in the corner?’
Elaine: On getting a rear view of BBC Gardener’s World presenter Adam Frost in the corner of a show stand, ‘Oh no, is he having a pee?’
Caroline: Amid a multitude of messages on the importance of pollinators and soil health, I overheard: ‘My one takeway from today is, we need to put a plastic membrane down.’
Well that was it. The bell rang at 4pm, we bought far more plants than we could comfortably carry home and it was all over, leaving us to find a suitable bin for our rubbish, given a very Chelsea Flower Show problem with the nearest one.
We’d love to hear your take on this year’s RHS Chelsea – let us know in the comments section below.
We’ve also made a short video of our day out at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
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19 replies on “Our take on RHS Chelsea 2025”
Oh, Caroline’s overheard, I’ve got the giggles for the day! I’ve got neighbours who might of agreed with the comment but for them it’s bark everywhere, and I mean everywhere, no green or colour left except a small patch of grass still struggling to breath🤣🤣
Mary I’m so pleased our post gave you a giggle – it’s just the best therapy, isn’t it? Yes I agree, for lots of people nature seems to be the enemy but Chelsea does remind us they’re in the minority. Your neighbours may yet have a change of heart – especially since Im sure your garden over the fence looks fabulous! Thank you for very much for commenting, very best wishes, Caroline
I have been glued to the BBC every evening this week. Now I have read your fabulous account of this year‘s visit, I almost feel I have been to Chelsea myself. My usual mantra is “you can never have enough roses“ so despite the pricetag, I really must buy David Austin‘s the Kings Rose. Still one last appointment with the BBC today, glass in hand and no sore feet or creaky knees.
Linda, a rose lover with a glass in your hand, you are unwittingly 100% eligible to be a Growbag! You are so right to enjoy it from the comfort of your sofa – apart from the aching feet and creaking knees there is the ‘plane tree’ pollen to contend with – a proper sneeze-fest by the end of the afternoon! A wonderful show though. Thank you so much for your comment, kindest wishes, Caroline
Loved the arthritic knees pic and description! 🤣 Thanks for the brilliant round up of Chelsea again.
Aww Charlie – you’re so encouraging, thank you! XX
How I wish I could have been there, especially with you three. I love a good laugh. I’m watching the show on player as I missed the first one, due to (dare I say it) falling asleep fairly near the beginning. My only excuse is having had a very difficult drive home to Shropshire from visiting my son in Cornwall. The only thing I had the energy left for, as I hobbled in from the car, was checking my own precious garden to see what had grown in my absence.
You three are so funny. Thank you for a very funny blog.
“Flute bin” indeed! 🤣
Susan, thank you so much – it’s a great compliment to hear you enjoyed the post. Yes I wont tell you what a bottle of champers costs at the show – the Pimms is bad enough 🤣. Different lives obviously! Very best wishes, Caroline
How I wish I could have been there, especially with you three. I love a good laugh. I’m watching the show on player as I missed the first one, due to (dare I say it) falling asleep fairly near the beginning. My only excuse is having had a very difficult drive home to Shropshire from visiting my son in Cornwall. The only thing I had the energy left for, as I hobbled in from the car, was checking my own precious garden to see what had grown in my absence.
You’re a woman after my own heart Lesley, checking the plants before doing anything else when you arrive home after a few days away! We always have such a laugh at Chelsea – it’s such a mad show that you can’t help but join in with excess and fun of it all. Best wishes Laura
Thank you friends. I just love your sense of humour! Best quote I ever came away from Chelsea with was from a lady admiring some wonderful sundials – she said ‘O, they are so lovely…but do they really work?’ Well, they have survived the test of time!!
That’s a great overheard comment Rosemary – it would definitely have been given an award if one of us had heard it!
So glad you enjoy our efforts to entertain as well as hopefully enthuse more people to enjoy the wonderful world of horticulture. Best wishes Laura
What a super report. Your blogs are a highlight of the week.
Thank you so much Sue – it’s comments like this that keep us blogging! We love doing it and it’s wonderful to hear that you enjoy reading it. Best wishes Laura
Really enjoyed reading your take on RHS Chelsea 2025—especially the contrast between the exuberance of The Glasshouse Garden and the more austere Red Cross Garden. It’s interesting how design intent can sometimes get lost in execution, especially in such a visually rich environment. The ‘real gardens for real people’ theme felt like a refreshing return to joy and accessibility in garden design.
Hi, thank you for your comment. We’re glad you enjoyed our report on the show. Yes, we did feel that it was the best it’s been for a number of years – it felt exciting and somehow ‘happier’!
Loved your report and video…not able to go this year due to new knee, unlike my last year’s 6 hour shift on the NGS garden so your production ( partially!) made up for my non attendance! Fabulous fun!
Glad you enjoyed it, Irene! We really did have a great day. Sorry that you couldn’t make it this year, but it’ll make it all the sweeter when you are prancing around next year’s show like a young gazelle. Thank you for your fab support, from Elaine (and the other two)