Royal Horticultural Society: Where to see the 'big four' RHS flower and garden shows in 2024

The first of England’s ‘big four’ flower and garden shows is set to kick off this week, a celebration of all things leafy and floral.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) main flower shows - Malvern Spring, Chelsea, Hampton Court, and Tatton Park - are some of the biggest and most highly-acclaimed gardening events in the world. Offering shopping, spectacular garden showcases, and an increasingly environmentally-oriented outlook, the 2024 shows are sure to be spectacular as always.

But some of the events are set for a shake-up going forwards, with the garden charity announcing plans to make the “biggest changes in a generation”. This will see some of the popular shows moving around the country from next year, after decades based in the same idyllic spots.

Here is our guide to how you can check out the ‘big four’ RHS flower shows this year, and what we know so far about what they have in store:

RHS Malvern Spring

The RHS Malvern Spring festival in Worcestershire will be the first to kick off this season, running from this Thursday to Sunday (9 to 12 May) - from 9am to 6pm each day.

Based at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern and framed by the picturesque Malvern Hills, the RHS says Malvern Spring Festival starts the show season as it means to continue - with style, elegance , and flowers. But it will also include plenty of tips for green-thumbed festivalgoers to try at home, “the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming gardening season”.

Key things to check out include this year’s featured garden ‘The Secret Escape’, designed by Jamie Langlands. The RHS describe it as “a unique and enchanting hidden grove nestled within the heart of the Festival”. A clandestine oasis offering a perfect blend of natural beauty and up-cycled marvels, you can find this beauty tucked away down a Disco Polytunnel.

You should also make sure to wander the Floral Marquee, which this year is the size of 28 tennis courts. It will play host to 55 carefully selected, “exemplary” exhibitors with stunning displays of spring bulbs, tactile foliage, and all manner of unusual flowers, all vying for a coveted RHS medal.

You can pre-book your tickets online here.

RHS Chelsea

The crème de la crème of garden shows worldwide, the prestigious Chelsea flower show in London will run from 21 to 25 May this year. As usual, it promises amazing garden designs, gorgeous floral displays and exclusive shopping - as well as a special evening event on the Friday.

Held on the Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds, as it has been for more than a century, the RHS says the “greatest flower show on Earth” represents the pinnacle of horticultural excellence. From house plant studios, to spectacular showground installations, to a special ‘no adults allowed’ garden designed by students from Sulivan Primary School, the 2024 event really will have “something for everyone, no matter what kind of gardener you are”.

All show and sanctuary gardens featured at the event will be undergoing a ‘green audit’ this year, to reduce its carbon footprint and the show’s environmental impact. This has seen top designers make some key changes to their gardens this year to reduce waste and improve their sustainability, so you should keep an eye out for tips you can implement at home.

Chelsea is going to be one of the only major flower shows that will stay as it is from 2025. You can get your tickets online here.

RHS Hampton Court

Eco-friendly is also the name of the game at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2024, with threatened plant conservation competitions, and exhibits more important than ever during the climate and cost-of-living crises.

This year marks the event’s 30th anniversary, so it’s sure to be spectacular. As usual, it will be held in Richmond upon Thames (Southeast London) on the Hampton Court Palace grounds, from 2 to 7 July - although some of these days are RHS members-only.

There are some really cool exhibitions here this year, including a completely peat free garden - with the environmentally-destructive gardening staple under increasing scrutiny lately. It will feature more than 2,000 different annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees sourced from peat-free suppliers, to showcase what can be achieved using sustainable alternatives.

This year will also feature a ‘money saving garden’, by Instagram sensation Anya Lautenbach - who will share her tips on growing more plants without spending a fortune. This exhibit will be packed full of practical ideas, an abundance of plants, and many reused and recycled materials.

It’s worth noting that going forward, RHS Hampton Court will see some big changes. There will be a new show taking place in its stead in 2026 in the historic grounds of the Badminton Estate, in Gloucestershire, which will return to Hampton Court Palace in 2027.

You can buy your tickets online here.

RHS Tatton Park

The last big show of the season, the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show will run from 17 to 21 July on the titular estate in Knutsford, Cheshire. Like its predecessor, there will be some big changes from next year - namely that it will only be held at Tatton Park every three years.

The 2025 RHS show will happen at Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire, for the first time ever - one of the grandest stately homes in the country. The 2026 RHS Show will take place at Sandringham, home to the private house and gardens of His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

But this year’s show is not to be missed, and will be a celebration of all things summer. As well as plentiful shopping options and luxurious floral displays, it will also be a family-friendly even - with plenty of events for kids to get stuck into too.

You can get your tickets online here.