A MONTH IN THE LIFE OF…
Director-general of the Royal Horticultural Society, Sue Biggs is gearing up for her busiest season. It all starts with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
RHS boss Sue Biggs
May is focused on Chelsea and is pure lunacy.
I live in Cobham, Surrey, but I stay in a London hotel leading up to the event so I’m close by. I love the build-up most of all. I’m on site at the Royal Hospital Chelsea every day, standing in the mud in steel toe-cap boots and a high-vis jacket. It’s so tense and exciting.
During show week, I arrive there at 6am.
I love visiting the Great Pavilion when it’s empty. The smell of the roses, peonies and pansies hits you as you walk in. I begin each day with a fundraising breakfast, although I stick to a cup of tea. The day ends with a gala dinner for donors, which finishes at about 10.30pm.
I average at least 15,000 steps per day during Chelsea.
I’m constantly walking around the 11-acre showground, meeting designers and nursery men and women. When it’s not show season, things are slightly more relaxed, and I divide my time between our headquarters in central London and RHS Wisley in Surrey.
It takes 18 months to organise the event.
Every exhibitor goes through a selection process and must submit a detailed construction plan. The finalists are chosen by our panel of expert designers, landscapers and nursery people. We have to do this early so the successful applicants can get growing.
This year, I’m most excited about the houseplant studios.
They will replicate rooms in the home and inspire visitors interested in indoor gardening. My 24-year-old assistant gave me the idea. She doesn’t have a garden but still loves plants. It made me think we need to do more for her generation.
Jo Thompson and Zoe Ball have designed a Garden for Friendship.
It will reflect a street and celebrate the way gardening brings people together. An RHS survey revealed half of us have experienced loneliness, so there’s never been a more apt time for it. If I’m in my front garden, I always end up chatting to neighbours. I hope this encourages others to do the same.
I have the honour of walking the Queen around Chelsea.
The first time was completely nerve-wracking – particularly the curtsy because I have no sense of balance and was worried I was going to topple onto her. She’s very interested in horticulture and is so knowledgeable. Thankfully, it’s no longer so daunting.
The price of a Chelsea ticket is less than going to a football match,
so I don’t accept the argument that the show is elitist. But I do agree that lack of diversity in the horticultural world is an issue. This is why we’re focusing our efforts on outreach in secondary schools to give children a taste of a career in horticulture. We want the RHS to be more accessible to everyone.
We welcome 170,000 visitors to Chelsea every year.
Many are RHS members, but plenty just love the event. After Chelsea, there’s the RHS Chatsworth and Hampton Court Palace flower shows in June and July, so it’s a busy season.
After the show, I adore getting back to my own cottage garden.
I’ll have a glass of wine and wander around with my cocker spaniel Maddy, seeing what’s come into flower. In May, I’ll admire the fat rosebuds and wisteria, before flopping down in the sunshine and reflecting on the day.
I was an RHS member for 18 years before I landed this job ten years ago.
My husband at the time showed me an advert for the vacancy in The Sunday Times. I said, “I’m not a qualified horticulturalist – I’d never get it,” and chucked it in the bin. I used to be on the board of a FTSE 100 company, but it’s more satisfying working on projects to improve people’s lives and the environment.
THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW runs from 19-23 May. For tickets, visit rhs.org.uk.