Twenty exciting and diverse new plants made the finals and were judged on a variety of criteria. These are some of our favourites.
WINNER Prunus ‘Starlight’®
This stunning winter and spring flowering cherry won the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2024. At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that this new ornamental cherry is a magnolia. Its stems are clothed with hundreds of elegant and attractive pure white star shaped flowers. The unusual flowers open in abundance from late March into April, making this a lovely spring blossom tree for the garden. They are also resistant to frost damage. Introduced by Frank P Matthews and exhibited by Green JJam Nurseries.
Cosmos atrosanguineus CHERRY CHOCOLATE (‘Vg001’)
This new form of the hugely popular chocolate cosmos is a total delight. With huge cherry pink flowers and a chocolate fragrance, it’s the plant of fairytales. Cosmos CHERRY CHOCOLATE brings a unique colour breakthrough for our borders and offers good hardiness. It’s vibrant cherry-coloured flowers, have a delicious chocolate scent with striking and contrasting yellow pollen. It’s a pollinator magnet and non-stop from end May to the first frost. This plant was awarded second place in the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2024. Bred by Valin Genetics, exhibited by Stonebarn Landscapes & Gardeners Question Time and supplied by Pinnacle Plants International.
Agave ‘Praying Hands’
There was something for every gardening style in the finalists for the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2024. The Agave ‘Praying Hands’ is a fresh new look within the Mangave family, with its upright elegant teardrop shape. It’s a great plant for balconies, patios, and containers and will love a sunny spot in your garden. Its colourful and striking foliage and shape makes it the perfect pot specimen or it could be mixed together with other succulents. It’s stunning. The plant is hardy to -5C and extremely sun and drought tolerant. Agave ‘Praying Hands’ was awarded Third place in the competition. Bred by Hans Hansen, Walters Gardens, USA, exhibited by Stonebarn & Gardeners Question Time and supplied by Thompson & Morgan.
Clematis ‘Guernsey Flute’ (‘Evigsy153’)
What a stunning clematis. And it’s the perfect choice for pots and containers because it stays compact. Plant it into a patio pot with a mini obelisk and enjoy the fabulous floral display. It’s large star-shaped flowers are pure white with red anthers. It flowers from May into July and also repeat flowers into September so you really get great impact from just one plant. It can also be grown mid-border to add drama to your planting. Bred and exhibited by Raymond Evison Clematis Ltd.
Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis METEOR (‘Hillmah”)
For a lovely new garden shrub this new Mahonia has lots to offer. It’s a truly outstanding garden plant, with rich, deep green leaves and a dense globose habit. It has beautiful, deep red foliage in spring that mature to dark green. Then from August to November it has a flush of bold yellow flower spikes, like meteors, that bloom and then form blue black berries. This plant truly has great year-round interest. Its compact habit makes it suitable for a wide variety of spaces, including pots and containers. it’s trouble free and easy to grow. Hardy to -10 and below and thrives in sun or light to full shade. Grows well in most soils. Introduced by Hillier Nurseries and exhibited by Sparsholt College https://www.sparsholt.ac.uk/.