Garden view
Chelsea is a fun day out for flower-greedy visitors. But, says Helen Billiald, be prepared
Anyone for blisters and sunburn? Helen Billiald shares her preparations for Chelsea
Gird your loins: RHS Chelsea Flower Show is on the horizon! It’s time to lay out your very best summer party clothes and imagine yourself wafting around show gardens with a glass of Pimms in hand, wearing a tilted trilby to keep off the gentle summer sun. Now give yourself a shake, pack the party clothes away, and remind yourself what a real visit to Chelsea entails. Rookie visitors can be forgiven for not knowing how to survive Chelsea with a minimum of sunburn and blisters; seasoned visitors like me find it all too easy to forget – so here’s a re-cap. Chelsea happens in May. English May, which means it may be pouring with rain, or so cold you need three layers plus a coat, or so hot you succumb to heatstroke because you haven’t seen the sun since last June. Watch the weather forecast as though your life depended on it, then dress accordingly. Slather on the sunscreen anyway, just in case a miracle happens. Now, when was the last time you set off for a 12-hour hike? Were you wearing party shoes? No. Choose your most comfortable footwear and line up some specialist blister plasters just in case. It’s a challenge to see everything Chelsea has to offer in one day and, like a spaniel bouncing through the long grass, you’re forever weaving across the site. Oh look… The Great Pavilion! Seeds for sale! A 20-foot gilded giraffe! Even the show gardens need viewing multiple times from multiple angles if you’re going to do them justice. Wear a pedometer if you have one: we could run a reader competition to find out which Chelsea visitor has taken the most steps. First prize? A pack of Compeed. On that note, if you want to get the most from the show, arrive at the start of your time slot and watch any TV coverage beforehand. There’s bag security before you go in, so do yourself a favour and declutter your handbag back at home. It’ll make you lighter and more streamlined, and will save the embarrassment of exposing long-forgotten treasures – a bit like the time pre-flight security found a penknife in my coat pocket. Awkward. Into your now empty bag (you did check those side pockets didn’t you?) place a small notebook and multiple pens. There will be plants you want and people who can tell you what they are, and if you only have one pen you’ll lose it. Slip in a cotton bag to carry the show garden brochures on offer – the planting lists are invaluable. Now add a phone and/or camera and a portable charger. You’re never going to take 12 hours of photos and have enough battery left to tell your loved one you’ve just missed the train, so pack a nifty pocket-sized charger. You might want to take a picnic to keep your own batteries fully charged too. You can buy all sorts of food there – from artisan burgers to lobster thermidor – with prices that’ll make you wince. If you want a guaranteed meal sitting down under cover, pre-book a table rather than losing time in queues. And don’t forget your reusable water bottle. Finally, grab a sharp-elbowed friend with whom you can navigate the crowds, buy yourself that stupidly-priced Pimms and have a ball… in your most sensible shoes, of course.
“The show gardens need multiple viewing from multiple angles”