RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013 (Photos)

The Chelsea Flower Show run by the Royal Horticultural Society celebrates its 100th birthday this year.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. It is the most famous flower show in the United Kingdom, and perhaps in the world, attracting visitors from all continents.
Highlights to the Chelsea Flower Show include the avant-garde show gardens designed by leading names with Floral Marquee at the centrepiece. The Show also features smaller gardens such as the Artisan and Urban Gardens.

The Chelsea Flower Show receives a lot of publicity. It is attended by 157,000 visitors each year (a number limited by the capacity of the 11-acre (45,000 m2) ground), and all tickets must be purchased in advance. From 2005 the show was increased from four days to five, with the first two days only open to RHS members. The show is extensively covered on television by the BBC. An official DVD of the show is produced on behalf of the RHS by Twofour. Several members of the British Royal Family attend a preview of the show, as part of the royal patronage of the RHS. The area of land devoted to show gardens increased steadily between 1970 and 2000 and the show has become an important venue for watching trends. New plants are often launched at the show and the popularity of older varieties revived under the focus of the horticultural world. It is the garden design equivalent of a catwalk at a fashion show.

A gardener prepares a display of daffodils at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

A gardener prepares a Auricula Stella North flower at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

A gardener prepares a Bonzi tree at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

A gardener places a flower on his display at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

A gardener puts the finishing touches to the Birmingham Library garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.

A gardener works at the Chelsea Flower Show.

A gardener prepares a Satsuki azalea Bonzi tree dating back to 1965 at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

A gardener puts the finishing touches to a water fountain depicting calla flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.

(AFP Photos)