Panamas at the ready! Celebrities descend on the Chelsea Flower Show as London's horticultural extravaganza prepares to welcome Kate and William together for the first time

  • The Chelsea Flower Show runs from the 24th to the 28th May at the Royal Hospital Grounds in West London
  • Monday is traditionally reserved for celebrities and royal visitors; with the Queen, Prince Philip, Kate and William all planning to attend the horticultural extravaganza later today  
  • Famous faces arriving this morning included Judi Dench, Mary Portas and Jerry Hall and husband Rupert Murdoch 
  • Highlights of this year's gardens include the 5000 Poppies Project, which features 300,000 crocheted poppies in the hospital grounds, and a colourful Covent Garden Flower Market tribute to the Queen's 90th birthday

For high society, it is the highlight of the summer calendar, and this year's Chelsea Flower Show doesn't look like disappointing the host of celebrities and royals who are attending the prestigious event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are making their first appearance together later today on Royal Hospital Road, arriving to admire the Princess Charlotte chrysanthemum, which is named after their daughter.

As the gates opened at Chelsea's Royal Hospital this morning though, it was celebrities who were first out of the floral blocks. Some 160,000 visitors will pour through the SW3 gates this week, with actress Naomie Harris, Mary Berry, Judi Dench Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch this morning leading the way.

Scroll down for video 

Bond girl Naomie Harris was visually in sync with the blooms at the Bunchoose Nurseries this morning as she posed wearing a tailored white suit with shorts

Bond girl Naomie Harris was visually in sync with the blooms at the Bunchoose Nurseries this morning as she posed wearing a tailored white suit with shorts

The actress smiled as she perused the blooms on display at a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show

Harris, aka Miss Moneypenny, appeared wearing stylish beaded flats, smiling as she perused the blooms on display at a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show

Golden couple Jerry Hall and a panama-wearing Rupert Murdoch arrived on press day at Royal Hospital Road, with Jerry paying tribute to the poppy garden which is one of the show-stealers at this year's event with her pretty red and white dress 

Golden couple Jerry Hall and a panama-wearing Rupert Murdoch arrived on press day at Royal Hospital Road, with Jerry paying tribute to the poppy garden which is one of the show-stealers at this year's event with her pretty red and white dress 

Smiling in the sunshine: The couple, who married in London earlier this year, looked very happy in each other's company

Smiling in the sunshine: The couple, who married in London earlier this year, looked very happy in each other's company

Co-ordinating couples! Alan Titchmarsh and wife Alice opted for lime green and stripes
Mary Portas and wife Melanie Reid looked fresh out of Woodstock in their bright floral designs

Co-ordinating couples! Alan Titchmarsh and wife Alice opted for lime green and stripes as they attend the famous horticultural show while Mary Portas and wife Melanie Rickey looked fresh out of Woodstock in their bright floral designs

A definite hippy vibe seemed to be influencing the SW3 crowd on press day with Mary Portas opting for Wonka-style sunglasses and Kirsty Allsop donning a navy, orange and cream frock

Brendan Cole and his wife Zoe at the Chelsea Flower Show this morning
A casually-dressed Ben Fogle and wife Marina

See and be seen: Amongst the show gardens on press day were plenty of stars including dancing Brendan Cole and his wife Zoe and, left, a casually-dressed Ben Fogle and wife Marina

Harris looked particularly glamorous, wearing a tailored cream short suit which perfectly matched the blooms she was posing alongside.

Also spotted getting a first glimpse at the show gardens ahead of mere mortals were Judi Dench, a smitten-looking Jerry Hall and Rupert Murdoch, Mary Portas and wife Melanie Rickey and show stalwart Alan Titchmarsh, looking dashing in a lime green tie that matched his wife Alice's outfit.  

Great British Bake Off hostess and Royal Horticultural Society ambassador Mary Berry, 81, is having a pale yellow rose named after her and arrived looking suitably regal in a pale turquoise jacket and navy dress. 

The Mary Berry rose comes from the TV cook's favourite grower, Harkness Roses in Hertfordshire. 

She said: 'It is very exciting. I have always liked Harkness roses and the idea that every rose they grow is British. 'The Mary Berry rose has very green foliage and the most beautiful scent. That is very important for me in a good cut flower.'

Other celebrities attending Chelsea's gala opening to unveil new roses include actress Rosamund Pike and TV gardener Rachel de Thame and also expected to wander amongst the roses are Imelda Staunton, Michael Caine, Vivienne Westwood, Geri Halliwell and Piers Morgan. 

Press day is very much about the royals though and organisers are anticipating the Queen and Prince Philip's arrival late this afternoon.  

William and Kate, for the first time appearing as a couple at the event, will accompany the Queen to Chelsea for the first time along with Prince Harry, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Princess Charlotte chrysanthemum is baby pink with green tips and has been produced by Dutch company Deliflor, the world's biggest breeder of the blooms.  

Regal inspiration: A Chelsea Pensioner looks through the 'Behind Every Great Florist' design at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which pays tribute to the Queen's image and was produced by the New Covent Garden Flower Market

Regal inspiration: A Chelsea Pensioner looks through the 'Behind Every Great Florist' design at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which pays tribute to the Queen's image and was produced by the New Covent Garden Flower Market

No flowers for Kelly! Designer Kelly Hoppen eschewed the chance to dress in floral-inspired clothes, opting for leopard print instead. Meanwhile, Jenny Bond did get the memo and plumped for a pretty blue dress with vintage flower detail and a frilled hem

Striking: BBC news anchor Sophie Raworth reported on the annual horticultural extravaganza in an ankle-length coral sleeveless dress

Striking: BBC news anchor Sophie Raworth reported on the annual horticultural extravaganza in an ankle-length coral sleeveless dress

While the show gardens will be vying for the top prize, it's another, more poignant floral expression that is grabbing the early headlines. 

The 5,000 Poppies project, designed by Phillip Johnson, contains 300,000 hand-crocheted poppies and honours all servicemen and women who have fought across all wars in the last 100 years.

The design, laid out on the lawns, features a simple central geometric installation and is complemented by more than 25,000 actual stemmed poppies. 

A new English shrub rose, Roald Dahl, marking 100 years since the author's birth, is being launched by his widow Felicity Dahl. And Dad's Army actor Ian Lavender, who played Private Pike, is, appropriately, having a lavender named after him. 

The Roald Dahl rose from Wolverhampton's David Austin Roses is peach in a nod to the author's best-selling children's book James and the Giant Peach, published in 1961.

Felicity Dahl, 77, declared herself 'thrilled' as she inhaled the rose's tea scent, saying: 'I could eat it.'

She said her husband would have loved the tribute, saying: 'He was humble. I can hear him saying 'Don't be silly Liccy, of course they're not going to name a rose after me. And then 'Do you think they will?''

Hats off to another year: Some show-goers including Sue Holderness let their headwear do the talking
Wearing his heart on his head: visitor Michael Conway had designed a show-garden on his hat

Hats off to another year: Some show-goers including Sue Holderness, left, and visitor Michael Conway, right, let their headwear do the talking

Poignant: Designer Phillip Johnson's breathtaking  exhibit, the 5000 Poppies Project, offers a more solemn take on the traditional creativity

Poignant: Designer Phillip Johnson's breathtaking exhibit, the 5000 Poppies Project, offers a more solemn take on the traditional creativity

A sea of red: The Chelsea pensioners pose in front of one of the event's most talked about gardens, the 5000 Poppies Project, which contains 300,000 hand-crocheted poppies and honours all servicemen and women who have fought across all wars in the last 100 years

A sea of red: The Chelsea pensioners pose in front of one of the event's most talked about gardens, the 5000 Poppies Project, which contains 300,000 hand-crocheted poppies and honours all servicemen and women who have fought across all wars in the last 100 years

A pensioner raises a hand to wave while dressed in the trademark red uniform: the poppy garden covers nearly 2,000sq m (21,000sq ft)

A pensioner raises a hand to wave while dressed in the trademark red uniform: the poppy garden covers nearly 2,000sq m (21,000sq ft)

David Austin Jnr said: 'To name an English rose for one of the most eminent literary figures of our time is a great privilege. This, combined with Roald Dahl's love of gardening, makes a perfect fit'.

Downderry Nursery in Tonbridge, Kent, is celebrating its 25th anniversary by launching a lavender named after Ian Lavender.

Owner Simon Charlesworth said: 'We are applying for the trade mark 'Ian Lavender'. There could not be a celebrity with a more appropriate name for us.'

Barnardo's ambassador Rosamund Pike is launching the apricot and pink 'Sweet Syrie' rose, also from Harkness, at the show to mark the charity's 150th anniversary.

It is named after charity pioneer Dr Thomas Barnardo's little known wife Sara Louise Elmslie, nicknamed Syrie, who rescued 8,000 girls from a life of begging and prostitution in the Victorian East End.

Pike said: 'This new rose is fragile, hopeful and looking for an enduring place in the world, much like many of the children Barnardo's helps. I wish the Harkness 'Sweet Syrie' rose the best possible start in life.

'For 150 years, Barnardo's has been there to support the UK's most vulnerable children and help them thrive.

'Sara 'Syrie' Barnardo played a vital role in making sure its work reached girls as well as boys.'

Barnardo's chief executive Javed Khan said: 'Syrie and Thomas' philanthropic work sowed seeds that grew into the charity Barnardo's is today.

'This beautiful, strong rose is a fitting tribute to her tireless work, helping children off the streets of London to a sweeter future.'

TV gardener Rachel de Thame will present the first blooms of a new 'Sandringham' rose to Sandringham head gardener Martin Woods.

Scaling new heights: An athletic-looking figure stands atop a rock in one of the garden's exhibits
Jeepers, don't fall! The athlete caught the eye of plenty of early attendees, precariously balancing on a lofty piece of rock 

Scaling new heights: An athletic-looking figure stands atop a rock in one of the garden's exhibits

A nod to Rio? This exhibit features a botanically inspired Usain Bolt performing his trademark pose

A nod to Rio? This exhibit features a botanically inspired Usain Bolt performing his trademark pose

Monty Don, who will once again take the presenting helm for the BBC this year, looked happy and relaxed ahead of a very busy four days

Monty Don, who will once again take the presenting helm for the BBC this year, looked happy and relaxed ahead of a very busy four days

A very regal bloom: Chelsea West London PC Hayley Gower, from Fulham, with The Princess Charlotte Chrysanthemum

A very regal bloom: Chelsea West London PC Hayley Gower, from Fulham, with The Princess Charlotte Chrysanthemum

Geometrics feature heavily in this very modern garden where greenery takes centre stage

Geometrics feature heavily in this very modern garden where greenery takes centre stage

The deep pink rose was chosen by the Duchess of Cornwall when she was given a choice of three new seedlings by Peter Beales Roses in Norfolk at the 2014 Sandringham Flower Show.

The intensely perfumed rose was later given the name Sandringham after the Queen's country retreat in Norfolk.

The Queen is set to see three stunning floral tributes at the show celebrating her 90th birthday year. The RHS has created a 21ft floral arch of 10,000 pastel blooms. New Covent Garden Flower Market presents a spectacular three metre high portrait in the shape of the Queen's head featuring 10,000 colourful flowers.

And the Queen will also admire an 'immersive tunnel' featuring over 5,000 fresh rose blooms. 

A bright orange umbrella-inspired sculpture has already caught plenty of show-goers' attention

A bright orange umbrella-inspired sculpture has already caught plenty of show-goers' attention

A fine crop...but not so easy on the eye! This potato display shows the different crop varieties of the humble spud

A fine crop...but not so easy on the eye! This potato display shows the different crop varieties of the humble spud

Chelsea...believe it or not! Floating benches? See-through hot houses? Roll up for a very surreal 2016 crop of flower show wonders 

It is Britain's undisputed horticultural highlight, famous down the years for its dazzling displays of plants and flowers.

But besides the immaculate show gardens – with pristine blooms, polished greenery, sparkling terraces and stunning water features – the Chelsea Flower Show is also a shop window for a host of bizarre and rather expensive garden goods.

No, it's not the Orient Express stopped in some exotic eastern oasis – this first-class Art Deco railway carriage is the largest installation ever seen at the show. The elegant newly painted Belmond British Pullman celebrates the great explorers of the past who travelled the world hunting for exotic plants for British gardens. The 60ft, 40-ton carriage was forced on a 90-mile circuitous route to get to Chelsea from Battersea due to weight restrictions on bridges over the Thames

No, it's not the Orient Express stopped in some exotic eastern oasis – this first-class Art Deco railway carriage is the largest installation ever seen at the show. The elegant newly painted Belmond British Pullman celebrates the great explorers of the past who travelled the world hunting for exotic plants for British gardens. The 60ft, 40-ton carriage was forced on a 90-mile circuitous route to get to Chelsea from Battersea due to weight restrictions on bridges over the Thames

Don't even breathe on it: This weird creation is a sculpture put together by Adrian Gray, pioneer of the gravity-defying art of stone balancing. It will make your garden rock...but don't go near it in the wind

Visitors will be tempted by everything from luxury outdoor kitchens to garden cinemas and salt water pools.

If all you've ever wanted for your garden is a floating bench, an 'invisible' greenhouse or upside-down flowerpots – Chelsea is the place for you.

This year's show is due to be opened by the Queen at a gala tomorrow evening. There is particular excitement because the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be at the event. They are expected to view a new flower that has been named after their one-year-old daughter and which is a contender in the prestigious Flower of the Year competition.

The pink, green-tipped Princess Charlotte chrysanthemum was developed by Dutch firm, Deliflor, the world's largest chrysanthemum breeder.

It is already on general sale for £8 at Waitrose with 50p going to East Anglia's Children's Hospices, whose patron is the Duchess.

Please be seated – even if at first glance these garden chairs give the illusion that they wouldn't support you for very long. The Floating Bench, top picture, appears to be missing a few bits, but its crafty design ensures it is a sturdy spot to relax. The solid oak Yakisugi Swing Seat, above, could be hanging in mid-air but is actually suspended on barely-there cables, so you'll soon be having a swinging time. There's a special design for Chelsea that seats four and will set you back £5,255.

Please be seated – even if at first glance these garden chairs give the illusion that they wouldn't support you for very long. The Floating Bench, top picture, appears to be missing a few bits, but its crafty design ensures it is a sturdy spot to relax. The solid oak Yakisugi Swing Seat, above, could be hanging in mid-air but is actually suspended on barely-there cables, so you'll soon be having a swinging time. There's a special design for Chelsea that seats four and will set you back £5,255.

First seamless greenhouse by Pure Greenhouse. No corners for creepy-crawlies and so see-through may need hazard warnings to avoid bumps. From £1,999 for 6ft x 2.6ft to £2,599 for 6ft x 6ft

It could be the latest lighting but it's ceiling gardening. These Sky planters by Bosske open up an upside down world for plants. No messy soil or leaves on floor, the plant is locked by a disc and mesh and costs £15

Prince George was given his own bloom at Chelsea two years ago, a daffodil called Georgie Boy.

The Chelsea Flower Show opens to RHS members on Tuesday and Wednesday and to the general public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now