The Royal Horticultural Society Cancels Upcoming RHS Shows & Garden Events

The Royal Horticultural Society has issued the following statement cancelling upcoming RHS Shows & Garden Events following latest Government COVID- 19 Advice.

Following the Government update on 16 March 2020 and ongoing situation with COVID-19, all RHS Shows, Garden events and school visits will be cancelled with immediate effect until 30 June 2020. RHS Gardens remain open, with a number of increased precautionary measures in place.

This is a worldwide unprecedented and challenging time for so many people and of course the health and safety of our members, visitors, exhibitors and staff remains our number one priority.

With the Government no longer supporting mass gathering events due to the impact on emergency services and heightened actions to encourage social distancing, the following RHS Shows will regrettably no longer take place in 2020:

RHS London Spring Launch & Orchid Show, 7-8 April
RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show, 17-18 April
RHS Flower Show Cardiff, 17-19 April
RHS Malvern Spring Festival, 7–10 May
RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 19–23 May
RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, 11–14 June
RHS Garden Harlow Carr Flower Show, 26-28 June (we will investigate if RHS Harlow Carr Flower Show can be moved into July)

We will be in touch with everyone who has purchased a ticket to any of the cancelled RHS Shows offering them a full refund. We are therefore asking that ticket holders please refrain from contacting us immediately, except in an emergency, so that we can continue to handle this situation as swiftly as possible.

We will be contacting everyone involved in the Shows about the cancellation of these events.

One of the many reasons why we cannot postpone any of these large events to later in the year is that most of the thousands of plants grown for these Shows are chosen because they are at their best in spring. This is the first time the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has been cancelled since the Second World War.

We know this will be very sad and disappointing news for all involved with our shows, as well as for our members and visitors who have purchased tickets and enjoy our shows every year.

Our four RHS Gardens – RHS Garden Wisley, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, RHS Garden Harlow Carr and RHS Garden Rosemoor –remain open. However, all Garden events and school visits will be cancelled with immediate effect until 30 June. If Government guidance changes, we will of course react immediately.

RHS Libraries at Vincent Square, RHS Garden Wisley and RHS Garden Harlow Carr will all close from tomorrow, 18 March.

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following advice and guidelines set by Government.

We hope as they are later in the year, that the following RHS Shows may continue, but we will continue to follow Government advice and will update you immediately if this changes. The option of a full refund would once again apply should this happen.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, 6-12 July
RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, 22–26 July
RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show, 5 – 9 August
RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show, 14 – 16 August
RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show, 8– 13 September

Sue Biggs, RHS Director General, says: “In these unprecedented challenging times we have carefully followed Government advice and made difficult, responsible decisions with the health and safety of people at the foremost of our minds.

“Our RHS Shows are vitally important platforms for the horticultural industry, and we are especially aware of the impact of cancelling these events on everyone involved. We will be doing all we can to help growers and nurseries to sell the plants they will have grown for the cancelled Shows.

“As with everyone, we have no crystal ball, but for the time being we are planning our Summer Flower Shows and our Gardens remain open, as they are large outside spaces where people can escape in open space and benefit from some tranquillity and beauty, surrounded by nature – all things that are much needed during these unsettling times.

“Things of course may change, but whatever decisions we make, safety will be utmost in our mind and we will, like the rest of the world, be monitoring the situation closely.”