We all know that feeling—that spark of excitement when you discover something new and brilliant for your garden. Whether it's falling for a plant you've never seen before or rediscovering an old favourite like an iris, Chelsea has a magical way of reigniting our love for plants. The buzz is real—you can sense it around a striking geum or a perfectly displayed pelargonium. The show is a true feast for plant lovers, packed with ideas to take home and grow.
Here are our top plant and product finds from this year's show:
Rodgersia pinata 'superba'
Spotted in Harry Holding's 'No Adult's Allowed garden' it lends so well with creating layers, height and shade and just loved the foaming pink blooms - a big favourite for our London garden that likes cool damp shady spots.
The exotic-looking foliage of the rodgersia gives gardens a pre-historic feeling with its large green leaves while also adding incredible architecture with its height.
Papaver dubium lecoqii var. albiflorum
When it comes to plant lovers, there is no one we trust more than Derry Watkins of Special Plants Nursery, based near Chippenham. A crazily long name, for such a cupid pink little petal poppy like this. It's also known as Beth's Poppy (after Beth Chatto) at Great Dixter.
Quite a handy annual for the garden, providing light splashes of pink and once naturalised in the garden they will self sow for seasons to come.
Big Foxglove Fans
We first got the foxglove bug back when we saw Zoe Claymore's Renters Retreat at Hampton Court Palace, but this year RHS Chelsea Flower show, the foxglove or digitalis really took centre stage to feel striking, suprising or completly natural and magical. Both in Ula Maria's Forest for Bathing Garden and Tom Stuart-Smith's National Garden Scheme Garden the foxgloves are effortlessly woven into the woodland surroundings and whilst across the show you can see them being used for a pop of colour or a palette calm pastel blooms.
Iris Benton Diedre and Irises in General...
What drew me most to this iris—especially after reading more about it—is its reputation for being reliably vigorous. That’s a big win in any new garden space that’s crying out for colour and life. This particular variety is one of the famous Sir Cedric Morris Irises, originally introduced in 1945 by the artist and plantsman himself. With its ivory standards and falls richly etched in deep rose, it’s a showstopper that brings both history and beauty into the border.
There is honestly so much variety and plants to chose from and this is really just a small snapshot of plants at the show, if you have the chance it's well worth a visit and you can also check out all of the plant lists from the different gardens at www.rhs.org.uk