New plants at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show

THERE’S always a buzz of excitement around new plants at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show - and this year is no exception, with a host of new offerings being unveiled. So take a look at some of the new blooms and see if they could suit your garden style.

COSMOS ATROSANGUINEUS ‘CHERRY CHOCOLATE’

If you love chocolate scent and plenty of deep rich colour, this tuberous half-hardy perennial, right, with eyecatching deep pink flowers could be for you. In trials it delivered a huge number of successive blooms from the end of May to the first frost, and as it grows to 60cm x 45cm, it’s ideal for patio pots and garden borders and is a magnet for pollinating insects.

ROSA ‘WITH COURAGE’

Launching exclusively to support the 200th anniversary of lifesaving charity the RNLI, this modern classic floribunda which has taken six years of field trials to come to market produces an abundance of copperyorange double flowers set against midgreen glossy foliage.

ROSE ‘LITTLE SID’

A new patio rose named after fouryear-old Sid Wallace, the autistic son of television presenter Gregg Wallace, aims to increase autism acceptance and raise vital funds to support autistic children and young people across the nation.

Flowerheads burst into life on this short, bushy specimen from spring with light red petals, which deepen to ruby at the centre, against dark, glossy foliage. As a repeat flowering rose, it will bloom continuously through to the first frosts. Some £5 from every rose sold is being donated to the charity Ambitious about Autism.

MAHONIA EURYBRACTEATA SUBSP. GANPINENSIS ‘METEOR’

This beautiful upright, evergreen, compact shrub which forms a tidy, rounded bush with dark green leaves provides year-round interest, as the new leaves are deep red in spring, followed by a flush of yellow flowers from August to November. The compact habit makes it suitable for a wide variety of spaces, trouble free and easy to grow.

BEGONIA ‘STELLAR STORM’

Fancy a new houseplant? Multiaward-winning houseplant nursery Dibleys should get heads turning with this large, spiral leaved begonia with exceptionally cut up, spikey-edged foliage. Bands of burgundy, red and silver repeat from the outer edge to the leaf’s heart. Bold and vibrant, this plant has everything.

A new style of colourful-leaved begonia. Similar in style to Begonia Rex but with several different species introduced into the breeding line

(at Dibleys) to create a tougher and a more resilient plant that is less affected by changes in humidity and temperature.

With its striking burgundy, red and silver striped foliage, Begonia ‘Stellar Storm’ adds a touch of drama to any space. Its large, spiral-shaped leaves boast unique spiked edges, making it a distinctive addition to any collection.

CLEMATIS ‘GUERNSEY FLUTE’ AND CLEMATIS ‘LINDSAY’

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Guernsey Clematis Nursery in association with Raymond Evison Clematis, comes a gorgeous pair - a white and a blue. ‘Guernsey Flute’ has large star-shaped pure white flowers 12-14cm across, with brown/red anthers, formed from May through July and repeat flowering into September.

‘Lindsay’ has large deep purple/ blue star-shaped flowers which clothe the plant from base to tip in May, June and July and repeat-flowering in September.

HYDRANGEA MACROPHYLLA ‘YULIKA’

This robust garden hydrangea with beautiful double pink lace-cap blooms flowers on new and old wood, so will always reward you with flowers every year, which are white and red when in full bloom.

Easy to prune in spring, it’s also very winter hardy (to -15C).