33 beautiful pictures of The Chelsea Flower Show 2023

Held in the affluent London borough since 1912, the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Garden Show is a highlight of the springtime social calendar – and makes for a quintessentially British outing.

Alongside ruling and future monarchs (we spotted Kate Middleton this year), celebrities are often spotted mingling – this year we saw Dame Judy Dench, Mary Berry, Joanna Lumley, Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes. As they sipped the show’s signature Babylonstoren rosé, a new vintage of which was launched to mark press day, dishes designed by Michelin-recognised chefs were circulated for snacking on.

At the heart of the event is a passion for spectacular horticulture. Leading garden designers and florists lead the pack, stunning viewers whether they be in physical attendance or getting a glimpse of the action courtesy of the BBC’s in-depth coverage.

Highlights of the 2023 show include the show gardens, which are known for their theatrical displays and design. Elsewhere, sanctuary gardens embrace the ever-growing trend of wellness and mental health. We loved Darren Hawkes' Samaritans Listening Garden, which won a Silver Gilt this year – the garden installation charts the journey of a phone call with a Samaritans volunteer, from isolation and despair to hope and connection, through the use of salvaged concrete pieces representing obstacles and beautiful green thorny plants as metaphors for pain and growth.

Another favourite was an installation by Horatio's Garden, a charity which creates accessible gardens for NHS spinal injuries centres. The space is a restorative haven, with everything placed lower down for ease of wheelchair users. There are tactile stones, sensory water features, and an organic garden pod.

Somerset's iconic hotel The Newt is celebrating its second year as the official sponsor of the flower show, and this year they are bringing an immersive Beezantium display to Chelsea, an interactive installation informing guests on how important bees are to our globals ecosystem.

Scientific innovations are also celebrated – this year sees the first ever Royal Entomological Society Garden at the flower show. An outdoor laboratory designed to show how valuable insects are to humankind and to the natural world, the giant orb monitors and identifies the insects that visit so scientists can study them. After the show, the garden will be relocated to a permanent location at IQL Stratford in East London to help entomologists continue insect research.

Keep scrolling for our roundup of the best blooms and flowers of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023