Carla

My sister and I want to go to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, May 2002. How difficult is it to get tickets? Should we join the Royal Horticultural Society to improve our chances? Would love to hear from people who have been. We are both avid gardeners.

janis

You can apply for tix to the public days later this year. Probably a 75-80% chance you'll be successful. But do join the RHS - then you are guaranteed tickets to member-only days. And they have so many good mailings, offers and affiliations that the membership is worth it even if you don't go to the show (but it IS magnificent)

Carol

Join the RHS! My mother and I did this a few years ago. We went the first day it was open to members and it was great (I don't even garden!) Plan to spend the ENTIRE day! You can take a picnic. On our visit it was warm for London and by the later days of the the show some of the flowers were wilting!

hmh

A friend and I went to the Chelsea Flower Show in 2000. We went on the first open day--bought our tickets over the Net from First Call in February--they sent them to us directly. You can get info by searching for Chelsea Flower Show, or Royal Horticultural Society. If we were to go again, we would probably join the RHS as the crowds are not as large on those days. We also took some day trips to "famous" gardens--through Gentle Journeys, which can be found on the Net. Went to Sissinghurst, to a private garden on one day and into the Cotswolds on another. Evan Evans Co also runs trips, some in conjunction with Gentle Journeys. The day-trips were spendy, but less of a hassle than renting a car and doing it ourselves. (Have driven in the British Isles many times, so it wasn't that we were reluctant to drive there.) On our day there , it rained, but that did not deter the crowds, it was packed.

Mike

I would suggest an afternoon only ticket - go for a good lunch first (the best in London is just down the road), then arrive at the show ground at 3 pm. Aim to stay until throwing out time. Crowds thin in the last hour, so you can get to see a little more. To reinforce hmh, it is REALLY crowded. <BR> <BR>All ticket prices are cheaper if you are a member of the RHS. If you do join the RHS, you will gain the right to free admission to a number of gardens in the UK. For instance, the RHS site at Wisley is pleasant and free to members. Another reason for joining ...