Some of my plant highlights of Hampton Court Flower show, some new, some old but all stunning plants in their own right
The show gardens and brilliant displays in the marques do certainly catch your eyes but they wouldn’t any good if the wrong plants were chosen, so let’s have a little look at some of the plants that caught my eye both around the gardens and in the marques. Some a new to me and caught my eye that way, others old friends that it was great to see them being so used around the different gardens. There were so many great plants, it was difficult to keep it to 15 but never less I managed too. I hope you enjoy my 15 as much as I did and I can’t wait for next years show to see what they are offering. Allium ‘Forelock’ (left) this was a new one for me, I loved the way some of the tiny flowers form a Mohican hair cut on top of the flowers. It make a large plant up to 5ft tall, with the flowers bending over like a Shepards crook before they open and then straighten up just as they do. Needs a dry sunny spot in the garden ideally.Sphaeralcea ‘Hopleys Lavender’ (right) not seen this form of this semi hardy member of the mallow family before and I loved the soft pink flowers. The shrub grows up to 90cm tall and 90cm wide and is hardy down to -5c. Does like a nice sunny spot. Looks a great looking shrubFagus sylvicatica ‘Rolf Marquardt’ OMG! I have a soft spot for Beeches after building up a small collection in a former job. This beauty took my breathe away and I want it, appently makes a small tree, hoping to find out it’s ok in pots!Achillea ‘Emily May’ again a new form for me, love the bright red flowers on this member of the daisy family, not seen an achillea as red as this before. It flowers from June-September in a sunny dry spot, does need a little bit of spend bloom removal to keep it floweringGladiolus hybrid ‘Flevo Cool’ (left) is one of those plants that just take your breath away either because you love the mix of colours or because you hate it. Personally I love it and can’t wait to order some for next summer to add somewhere to my rather cramped borders (always room for one more!) grows to about 60cm in height and work well as a cut flower plant as well in the garden.Cosmos sulphurus ‘Pamela’s Pick’ (right)cosmos are one of my favourite garden plants for filling little spaces around the garden, normally seen in pinks, whites, reds, purples etc. Not seen a yellow one until the show, beautiful colour mixed with great looking foliage, certainly one I will be trying from seed soon! Gets to about 90cm in height and flowers all summer longPotentilla x hopwoodiana (left) this great ground cover plant. This herbaceous form of Potentilla again flowers all summer long with this beautiful soft salmon pink flowers. It’s easy to grow and loves to be in some sun at the front of a border and works very well with pale or white roses. Just remove the older stems that have finished flowering to encourage moreCrocosmia ‘Paul’s best yellow’ crocosmia’s are a plant that I love and hate at the same time, they are beautiful flowers and such striking foliage until it all started falling over. This one however is such a clear bright yellow that I will let it off! Makes a plant about 90cm in height and needs a nice damp sunny spot to get the very best from it, sadly my own garden is too dry for it.Saxifraga fortunei ‘Crystal Pink’ wow! What a foliage plant! It’s like an artist has got a green leave and then gone to town with white and pink paints all over the leaves and the effect is purely stunning. It’s certainly another plant I have added to my list! It does like a light shady or fully shady spot in dryish soil and will grow better in a pot. Does flower in September October but no way as nice as the foliage!Pelegonium ‘Pink Aurore’ (right) I do love pellies and I wish I had somewhere to over winter them, I don’t sadly at the moment and I am missing out on great plants like Pink Aurore, this unique type of pelegonium is ideal for use in containers being a good bushy plant that flowers all summer long with these bright pink flowers over a grey scented foliage. Wonderful display from Fibex nursery!Digitalis parviforia ‘Milk Chocolate’ (left) these longer lived foxgloves are becoming more popular now and it’s easy to see why, they have a quite unique flower flower that’s bourne from July to October and is so loved by bees! They will also live for up to 5 years if you are lucky and again will take a shady dryish spot. Not being to tall at 60cm, they mix brilliantly with other plantings.Erigeron glaucus ‘Sea Breeze’ (right) another tough tough plant that will take almost everything you throw at it, including really dry sunny spots, in cracks of rocks even in very exposed seaside spots. This low growing plant has evergree leaves that are pretty atractive after they have their June to August flowering system.Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ a plant that was used in so many gardens around the show ground and rightly so, it is a beautiful plant that loves full sun and moist bit of soil to get the best from it. Flowers from June to september but does need a little bit of spent bloom removal to get the best from, it may need a little staking in some years but can also respond well to the Chelsea chop. Can suffer a little from MildewMulberry ‘Charlotte Russe’ I love mulberries! I used live in a gatehouse with 6 planted at the end of the drive, spent many happy years eating the sweet fruit. So pleased they is a smaller one ideal for a container and fruits even longer, from May to September. Wonderful! Was plant of the year at Chelsea this year, can’t wait to get one growing at home!Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldschleier’ is one of so many grasses seen around the gardens over the week and rightly so, they indeed add so much to a garden both in their looks and also the movement from them. Deschampsia was one of the more popular grasses spread around so many gardens, its light golden brown stems will last until January/February if you are lucky and loves a nice sunny free draining soil and will grow to about a metre in heightJust a beautiful display of Lavenders from Downderry Nursery, too many to choose a favourite so here they are!This display of ferns from Fibrex was amazing. Ferns have too long been over looked and it would be wonderful to see some more ferneries appearing!
