RHS Reviews 259

I’m not entirely sure what I got charged a lot of money for & pricey parking on top!? Not many garden designs to look at, it was mainly a large, expensive garden centre. There weren’t enough eateries, long queues. I shan’t bother going again.
Upside, the weather was pleasant and so was the atmosphere.

Appalling ticketing system that took far too much time to use, install, find tickets. I hope that the app works on the day as there is no option to download tickets elsewhere or print off. Really poor experience.

I've spent 2 days trying to buy tickets to Wentworth Woodhouse Show using AXS (an outsourced ticket agent). It was so much easier when I purchased Chelsea Flower Show tickets in 2019 and 2022 and Chatsworth Show tickets.
The event is very close to my home and the best opportunity I will ever get to attend an RHS show without a long journey to get there.
Had to create an AXS account and had lots of problems navigating the process. It was all very confusing. I have paid £90 for 3 tickets - not convinced I'll get in on the day! One minute I can see the tickets on the app, next time I look they have disappeared.
PLEASE can we have a system which allows us to print a QR code on paper or download to our phones.
It has created totally unnecessary stress - I would imagine lots of loyal RHS members are not particularly tech savvy based on the demographic and it may have put a lot of people off going to the show.

The AXS ticket-buying experience for the Hampton Court Flower Show is truly awful - took me 40 minutes to buy one ticket, had to download new app full of clickbait, QR download only, no option to print paper tickets. Give the RHS customer age profile (no offence - me included!) Lord knows how much grief this has caused. Please change your ticket provider, RHS

Horrible ticketing system. Tried three times over two days to buy tickets and car parking. Hangs, then tells me that there’s an issue. Never had this problem in prior years. Am now at a loss. Maybe for the first time in years I can’t attend - purely due to an inability to buy tickets online!!

Never had better quality plants delivered by post. I have used 3 other major supplies this year and without exception their plants have been shockingly poor. Some didn’t survive 24 hours !

Very frustrating! Just spent nearly 2 hours trying to book members tickets for Hampton Court. Never had problems in past years but the current ticketing system is time-consuming and requires setting up an account on another app.

RHS Bridgewater is a smashing visit. Pity that some miserly RHS accountant has penny pinched by reducing their clotted cream to 28gms from the usual 35-40 gms per serving. At £5 per scone, the least one expects is enough jam and clotted cream. Poor show RHS. Don’t let petty greed spoil a pleasant experience. Still, a lovely day out and fantastic grounds.

I never buy plants online. However, I recently (late May) purchased several plants from RHS online (pricing from 7.19 pounds to 23.99 pounds) as I had confidence in their plants' quality. However, when I got the deliveries, around 33% of the plants had huge die backs. There was one plant that had many brown leaves including the main stem which had already turned brown and had lots of white insects. Their plant expert said that these were due to seasonal die backs (though according to the plants' details, their flowering season is summer, and it is currently summer). Finally, they agreed to refund around 7% of the total payment which completely did not reflect the actual quality of the plants.

When I asked if they could review the case again, their reply was the amount refunded is based on their plant experts' professional judgment and expertise, and they confidently guaranteed the accuracy of their assessment. Hence, I needed to accept whatever they said.

From my experience, their plants are really over-priced, and does not reflect their poor quality. Yet, as a customer, I was forced to accept whatever they said as I am not a plant expert. If it is planned to buy RHS plants online, it is needed to re-think seriously.

I have been an RHS member for years now.
This year my membership was up for renewal and I received the offer letter for a discount.
Unfortunately due to unexpected family illness I never renewed in the time frame.
A couple of days after the expiry date I decided to visit Hyde Hall with my husband and granddaughter and presumed I could renew whilst I was there.
Alas this was not to be!!!
You would think it would have been so simple but they wouldn’t let me renew with the offer 25% and they were recruiting new members for 30% discount on that day.
I was told I would have to pay the full price or entrance fee or wait 3 months and apply again.
As disappointing as it was having travelled there for a nice afternoon I refused.
I don’t understand this organisation.
I’m sure if I were a celebrity it would have been a different story. (Chelsea comes to mind)
They preach about needing money to continue their good work but wouldn’t accommodate a simple oversight of a 2 day time lapse for a discount.
I have decided not to renew anymore.
I know my little bit makes no difference in the grand scheme but there you go.

I'm so sad! I've just spent about an hour and a half being messed about trying to give the RHS website money for tickets to Wentworth Woodhouse show in July. Absolutely hopeless. Eventually found a phone number to book. Worked reasonably well but by the time they'd popped all the add ons on it was like booking with Ryanair.

I’ve occasionally visit the Chelsea Flower Show, and while the gardens and displays truly are stunning – incredibly varied and beautifully done – I must admit the overall experience was a bit of a mixed bag.

First off, it was heaving. I expected it to be busy, but this was next level. There were so many people that it became really difficult to actually get close enough to enjoy some of the displays. You find yourself shuffling along in a crowd rather than taking it all in at your own pace.

Seating was almost non-existent – we wandered around for ages trying to find somewhere to rest our feet. In the end, we had to perch awkwardly on a low wall, which wasn’t ideal.

Food-wise, the queues were massive and the prices eye-watering for what you got. It felt like a bit of a money-spinner, to be honest. Would definitely recommend bringing your own snacks if you can.

Navigating the grounds was also a bit of a challenge. With the sheer number of people and limited space in some areas, it felt more like crowd control than a peaceful day out.

That said, the creativity and craftsmanship on show in the gardens are undeniably impressive. If you’re passionate about horticulture, you’ll find plenty to admire – just be prepared for a bit of a battle to see it all.

All in all, it’s worth doing once for the spectacle, but be ready for crowds, queues, and limited creature comforts.

I am a passionate gardener and I hoped to book for the Chelsea flower show.Emagine my horror when I saw the prices,
It seems to me the directors of this charity are obviously clueless about the needs of the public.
To go in for the day is £165 or £50 after 5.30 pm .
Sadly im not alone in my distaste .
It’s outrageous and disgusting . In fact it’s so bad that they offer no help . No support ,no concessionary discounts and show no interest in the local community or those with disabilities,the unemployed or pensioners.
Shame on the RHS .

Oh dear, I wish I'd read the reviews first!
Received 2 dwarf buddleia plants, one tiny the other diseased and misshapen, and when I complained was told I had to return them - at MY expense - to get a refund - AND not a word of apology.
Will never buy from them again.
Have now been to local garden centre and bought a replacement for the diseased one - in great condition and a bit cheaper (plus no postage charges).

Was not able to get to Wisley with all the disruption at Junction 10 but they refused to extend my membership saying “other people managed to get here”
Unhelpful member of staff.

Do not buy from them! Tiny plants vastly over priced - one is only 2cm wide - I spent £180 on absolutely teeny plants - very unimpressed - will not return!

Are the calls from 01425 number a scam?

If not and they are a legitimate service, they are doing a good effort of appearing like one. Had previous calls relating to gift aid on my membership and this time asking me if I wanted to renew with a discount (my membership was already renewed). The operator seemed confused and hung up abruptly. Their number will be blocked from now on. RHS - if you read this, please take action.

RHS Wisley
It is disappointing to spend the day in wonderful surroundings and then to be served appalling food. I love good food, and I’m more than happy to pay a premium price for well prepared food. This is NOT what they serve up at RHS Wisley. We ordered 3 cups of coffee, 1 tea, 1portion of Victoria sponge cake, a scone and a small piece of shortbread. The price was £27.50! The scone alone was £5.50 and it was inedible, stale and dry. The Victoria sponge was hard, dense and definitely not fresh. The lukewarm tea was watery and didn’t taste like tea. The coffees were fine. Later, we wanted a snack, so we decided to try a different RHS café. The story was similar, here we opted for 2 salads and 2 “Pizzas”, along with 2 teas. The price was £23.00! The so-called pizzas were NOT pizzas. They were about the size of a small side plate, consisting of a pizza base, covered with melted cheese, nothing else. Not a hint of tomato or any other pizza ingredient. Again the tea was watery, without any taste, the salads were equally deficient. They consisted of a small bowl containing 3 sad looking spinach leaves, even less rocket leaves and 3 or 4 rough cut large slices of cucumber. Charging exorbitant prices for poor quality food to a captive audience is probably not a good policy in the long term. The RHS Wisley food outlets may find that if they served quality food at a fair price, that they might be able to contribute more to the RHS funds than they do now. People would come back for more. I doubt if many people do so right now. It is surprising that such a prestigious organization as RHS allow their reputation to be tarnished in this way. The worst snack food I have ever had. I will take a picnic next time.

They fail to deliver and will not refund instead they completely ignore my instructions and try to send me the damaged goods again. Their customer service is appalling.I would not recommend this company as they won’t refund if there is a problem.

You have to book using AXS app. Very clunky app, won't accept Apple auto fill or password. In the end it timed out. So I won't be going.
Having no other way to book than using this US app which is designed for pop concerts is discriminatory and self defeating. Sorry RHS - you have lost a customer.