• 15 May, 2020
• Author: Rossgardentours

Virtual Chelsea Starts Next Week

Chelsea Flower Show is the world’s greatest flower show and this year it’s going digital. For six days, world-leading designers, plant experts and gardening personalities will inspire us virtually with tours of their own gardens, sharing design tips, planting advice, showing favourite plant combinations and giving us all the latest garden trends.

Ross Tours have not missed a Chelsea show since 2003. We absolutely love this annual gardening pilgrimage. Like all Chelsea fans, we were so disappointed at this year’s cancellation and thrilled to see the RHS’ innovative response in creating Virtual Chelsea. We’re excited Chelsea’s iconic garden traditions are continuing in this new digital way and can’t wait for next week’s events to begin!

The RHS has created a packed virtual timetable. Here’s a few highlights to look out for: Daily videos from well-known gardening presenters and experts | Interactive lunchtime Q&A sessions with RHS Advisors and special guests | Behind-the-scenes tours from award-winning nurseries.

A few Chelsea facts!

The Great Marquee, which was first put up in 1951, was named in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest tent (3½ acres). In 2000 a new pavilion replaced the marquee and it was cut up and used to make 7,000 bags, aprons and jackets.

Of the firms that exhibited at the first Show in 1913, three can still be seen at the Show: McBean’s Orchids, Blackmore & Langdon and Kelways Plants.

Gnomes are a no no. They were officially banned from the flower show until 2013 when a display of 150 gnomes was gathered to greet the Queen. These characters had been painted and styled by a number of celebrities including Sir Elton John, Marry Berry and Joanna Lumley. The ban has been brought back into force, but garden designers are known to try and sneak them in undetected every year.

Staff serve up 32,145 pints of Pimms for the show week catering, as well as: 9,051 glasses of Fortnum & Mason champagne, 11,192 portions of fish and chips, a combined total of 42,328 hot drinks and 600+ seafood platters.

(facts from sthlive.com, housebeautiful.com, rhs.org.uk)

We can’t wait to get back to Chelsea next year … why don’t you join Ross Tour Leader Colin Barlow and come along!

See Chelsea and all our 2021 tours on Ross Garden Tours

To request information on any of our tours, please email travel@rosstours.com 

• Virtual Chelsea Starts Next Week

  

  20 – 31 MAY 2024

  

  • 12 Days
  • Early bird expires soon

  From

  $10,995

  View Tour