This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London will commemorate the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who rarely missed a visit to the show during her 70-year reign, while also welcoming the coronation of King Charles III.

RHS Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration © Dave Green

A tranquil garden filled with some of the Royal Family’s favourite plants, a life-size topiary display of Queen Elizabeth II’s pony ‘Emma’ and a display of roses celebrating the coronation are among royal tributes at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is the UK’s largest gardening charity and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – often described as the world’s greatest gardening event – takes place each year in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, where it has been held since 1913. This year, RHS Chelsea runs from 22 to 27 May.

The St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots Garden 2022 © RHS / Neil Hepworth

Enclosed by hedging to create a space for contemplation, ‘A Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration’ designed by Dave Green, features a plant palette of light pinks and whites such as rose ‘Olivia Austin’ and silver birch to reflect the late monarch’s tastes. Blues, purples and pinks such as magnolia ‘Heaven Scent’, clematis ‘The Duchess of Cornwall’, lupins and geraniums, represent the King’s preferences according to Sandringham’s Head Gardener, Jack Lingfield.

RHS Garden of Royal Reflection and Celebration © Dave Green

Drifts of Camassia, reminiscent of the meadows in front of Highgrove House, will also feature in the RHS Garden, along with a bronze statue of the King and several woodland trees. Plants are being provided by some of the UK’s top specialist plant growers, including Raymond Evison, Hare Spring Cottage Plants, and David Austin, who Queen Elizabeth II knew personally from her visits to RHS Chelsea.

In the Great Pavilion, Agrumi Topiary Art have created a topiary display depicting ‘Emma’, the fell pony who stood to attention along the drive of Windsor castle to pay her respects as the Queen’s cortege passed on the day of the funeral.

Harkness Roses are creating a display inspired by the British flag to acknowledge the King’s Coronation, and Ottershaw Cacti are launching the new Aeonium ‘Coronation’, a fleshy-leafed succulent.

Morris & Co. Show Garden 2022 designed by Ruth Willmott © RHS / Neil Hepworth

Helena Pettit, RHS Director of Shows and Gardens, said: “Whilst there will be joyful celebration around the King’s Coronation at RHS Chelsea this year, the absence of our late Queen on the afternoon before we open will be profoundly felt by many. Her annual visit would lift the whole showground, so I hope our royal tributes will help keep those happy memories alive.”

Other themes at the show include edible plants, a popular choice for designers this year, and there is a clear shift towards drought-resistant plants. More than half the perennials in the Show Garden category, for example, are heat resilient, such as the milky, thick-stemmed Euphorbia and the tall grass Stipa.

Naturalistic planting returns as a horticultural theme, with nettles, red campion, daisies and bindweed featuring in the Royal Entomological Society Garden and thistles and brambles in the Fauna & Flora Garden.

The Fauna & Flora Garden © Jilayne Rickards

The Newt in Somerset, a working country estate in the English county of Somerset, will bring the 'Beezantium', an exhibit in the form of a scaled-up hive, offering a fascinating insight into the life of a bee and the role it plays in flourishing ecosystems.

Janet Redler, Managing Director of Janet Redler Travel, said: “This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show looks set to be as fabulous as ever and its royal focus will not only commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, who was so fond of the show, but will celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. It is sure to be a memorable event!”

If your or your group would like to enjoy a Garden Tour of Britain or Ireland, including visits to some of the country’s favourite flower shows, such as RHS Chelsea, please do contact our friendly team today.