At RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show the Floral Marquee is awash with botanical delights, each manicured and staged to perfection. You can see and admire a plant family in all its glory, glean tips from the growers and the best bit is you can buy them and take them home too.
Whether you are a fan of cacti and carnivorous wonders, or prefer dahlias, lilies and ferns, there is literally something for everyone. Here are five new beauties that you can see at the show or buy online.
Tiarella ‘Emerald Ellie’
For a great groundcover plant with plenty of presence and vitality, this new Tiarella from Plantagogo ticks all the boxes. It has emerald green fingers that splay out from an inky black asterisk that marks each leaf. Fluffy white starry flowers adorn the plants in spring and in summer.
Grows to around 40cm tall.
Alcea ‘Halo Blush’
This single flowered hollyhock is one of the new reliable series of Halo’ hollyhocks from The Botanic Nursery. ‘Halo Blush’ is a soft pink with a raspberry pink centre. You can grow it from seed and it will flower the same year of sowing, and the open single flowers are popular with bees. Perennial.
Grows to around 2ft (60cm).
Salvia ‘Ruby Star’
This shrubby salvia from Hopleys Plants was launched at the show. Its stunning clear red flowers are like dancing red riding hood capes among the fresh green foliage. Each one has a white eye and the plants flower prolifically all summer. Plant it in the sun, into well-drained soil. Hardy in most areas.
Grows to around 2 ½ ft (75cm).
Allium ‘Magic’
If you want to grow something stunning and really reliable and easy, plant some alliums in your garden. This new variety from Jacques Amand is a real winner. The flowers take the form atop strong green stems. It’s a cross between Allium schubertii and Allium atropurpureum and is a strong, rewarding choice for early summer flowers.
Lilium ‘Top Specs’
With flowers the size of plates and a strong, rich scent, this new lily from H W Hyde is a beauty. Rich white flowers with yellow veining and red speckles offset the burnt orange stamens. It’s an oriental lily and prefers an acidic soil. The stems are a bit shorter for this lily so it’s a good choice for windy gardens. Once planted your lilies will flower in the summer, die back for the winter and grow again next spring in a continuous cycle. Not a bad investment of your time, effort and money.
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