It's that time of year again. It's May in England. For five days out of this month every year, in Chelsea, London the Royal Horticultural Society hosts the most prestigious garden event, probably in history. The event has been held at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea since 1913, but it was first held in Kensington in 1862.
There are around 600 exhibitors, including 22 show gardens, 22 small gardens, 100 floral exhibitors, and about 300 garden product exhibitors. Exhibitors come from all over the world, from Sri Lanka to Holland, from Germany to Jamaica. There are a myriad of awards to be won, the most coveted being the Gold medal. The awards were announced this morning and the exhibit is open through Saturday. According to the website, 157,000 visitors will come through the show. Monday is Preview Day, in which the Royal Family has a private tour. Tuesday and Wednesday are reserved for the RHS members, while Thursday through Saturday is open to the public.
RHS staff, exhibitors, and contractors begin planning 18 months in advance, so plans for the 2009 show are already in the works. It takes 800 people 3 1/2 weeks to build the show. Construction includes 5km of piping, 185 toilets, enough canvases to cover 6 football pitches, and the showground covers 11 acres. The Great Pavilion covers 12,000 sq m and 17,000 sq m is relaid following the show. Around 250 new plants have been introduced at the show over the past four years. According to the caterers, 49000 glasses of Pimm's, 5000 bottles of champagne, 54000 cups of tea and coffee, and 28000 sandwiches will be consumed during show week.
The predominant color in the gardens this year is, well...green. :) Check out the BBC website to see all the pictures and videos surrounding this wonderful week.