Bloom or bust?

to a dwarf mulberry bush called ‘ Charlotte Russe’. It was introduced to the market this spring by Suttons and the first batch sold out within a week.

It’s the perfect size for small gardens and patios as it only reaches a height of 1.5m.

It’s a self-pollinating plant that produces berries from June to September on plants that are only one year old – most mulberry plants take around eight years to mature.

I also like the runner-up – Salvia ‘Crystal Blue’. Salvias are great plants for the herbaceous border as they are low maintenance and long flowering.

This new variety from Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants is unusual for its light skyblue colour – a pastel which will blend well with other gentle hued cottage garden plants.

Thompson and Morgan came in third place with a delightful orange hibiscus. ‘Petit Orange’ is a compact variety, perfect for the patio, but remember it is tender and will need to come in before the first frost.

And no visit to Chelsea is complete without a trip to the rose stands. Peter Beales Classic Roses have introduced a new shrub ‘Margaret Greville’ which has delightful tight buds of deep coral pink that open to semidouble coral and salmon pink blooms.

It’s tolerant to poorer soil and can be grown successfully as a hedge, reaching 4ft in height and is very free flowering. On David Austin’s stand, the new rose is Vanessa Bell, a beautiful free-flowering shrub rose with delicate yellow blooms with a green tea fragrance.

I missed exhibiting at Chelsea this year because I couldn’t endure the RHS mandarins for the second year in a row – and perhaps the sobering number of entries on show will encourage a rethink.