Chelsea Flower Show 2020 Goes Virtual

Overseen by a white-blooming cherry tree, a garden in the Great Pavilion of the Chelsea Flower Show 2019 is planted informally with a rainbow of lupine and a mix of heuchera and other herbaceous perennials.

London’s famous Chelsea Flower Show has been hosted by the Royal Horticulture Society on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea since 1913. While the 2020 show has been cancelled as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Virtual Chelsea brings the show to your home May 18-23. Explore private gardens and award-winning nurseries, and discover the newest trends and tips from top garden designers, florists, and RHS Advisors. Learn more about Virtual Chelsea at rhs.org.uk.

Margot Shaw, FLOWER editor-in-chief, with a Chelsea Pensioner

In the meantime, join Flower magazine as we revisit our 2019 trip to the world’s greatest flower show. We enjoyed discovering new varieties of blooms and other plants, perusing the lush installation gardens, and meeting the Chelsea Pensioners—the iconic members of the UK’s veteran community who reside at the 326-year-old Royal Hospital Chelsea, where the flower show is held. Almost as celebrated as the actual Chelsea Flower Show are the bloom-festooned shops around Chelsea and Knightsbridge.

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Chelsea Flower Show 2019 in Photos

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One of the beds in the Great Pavilion features the exotic and exquisite Himalayan blue poppy.

The late David Austin was honored with this visual representation detailing highlights of his life in roses.

A sea of David Austin Roses

Lush peony blooms are always a favorite.

A new peony variety, 'All That Jazz', makes its debut. (Photo by Madeleine Elmer, Fleur de Vie)

A well-hatted visitor provides scale for a soaring tower of allium. (Photo by Madeleine Elmer, Fleur de Vie)

The Savills and David Harber garden features a green wall, mature trees such as this hedge maple, and Gladwyn iris. Get the story behind this garden and sculptor David Harber.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge teamed with landscape architecture firm Davies White to create the Back to Nature Garden. The tree house was modeled after a bird’s nest.

Children at play in the Duchess of Cambridge's Back to Nature Garden.

Nasturtium ‘Empress of India’ grows beside a raised bed of assorted herbs.

‘Orange Wellington’ and ‘Cocktail Crush’ tomatoes

A bed of South African blooms features several varieties of protea.

Hostas, large and small

Along with many other local shops, Club Monaco, on Monmouth Street in the Seven Dials district of Covent Garden, puts on an elaborate floral display for the occasion.

Floral couture reigns at Covent Garden during Fleurs de Villes, an event timed around the Chelsea Flower Show. Shown here, a mannequin sponsored by Brocket Hall is dressed in blooms by The Covent Garden Academy of Flowers. (Photo by Madeleine Elmer, Fleur de Vie)

Photography by Gavin Kingcome

More London Favorites

• Falling in Leaf: Sculptor David Harber’s Garden at Chelsea Flower Show
• Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: The landmark London emporium’s long-term relationship with flowers
• British Royalty’s Go-To Designer Shane Connolly