New plants for 2011

New plants at the 2011 RHS shows 

Words: Graham Rice

New plants are always a big part of the excitement at major shows like Chelsea and Hampton Court - this year there were more than 100 at Chelsea alone. So here’s my pick of the brand new plants that we expect to be seen for the first time – weather permitting. Remember to return for my updates from Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, and coverage of the RHS Plant of the Year award. 

Acer palmatum ‘Marlo’
Deeply lobed leaves are dark green-centred and conspicuously pink-edged, becoming more intense in spring and autumn. 5x5ft/1.5x1.5m.
Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres

Atrichum androgynum
A rare Chelsea introduction - a new moss. Common in New Zealand, its bright green colour makes good ground cover in damp shade but protect from drying wind. Churchtown Nurseries

Begonia ‘Gryphon’
Exotic-looking, seed-raised foliage for summer containers, sun or shade. Plants are tough and take drought.14-16x16-18in/ 35-40x40-45cm Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey

Begonia 'Savannah Pink Parfait'
For the house or conservatory, its rosy pink heart is bordered with silver and a pink edge. Email Rhodes & Rockcliffe for more information.

Begonia ‘My Best Friend’
A sumptous tropical indoor begonia, the wide silvery heart networked in red veins. From a New Orleans collection destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Email Rhodes & Rockcliffefor more information.

Clematis Abilene™ ('Evipo027')
The latest from Raymond Evison, flowers develop a deep pink stripe through petal centrse as they mature. Very short in growth, ideal in a patio container. Raymond J. Evison Ltd  or Thorncroft Clematis.

Clematis ‘Celebration’Golden foliage and white double or semi double flowers in June, single flowers later. Promoted and discussed on my RHS New Plants blog. Thorncroft Clematis

Clematis ‘Perida’
Reddish purple blooms 3.5-4.5in/9-11cm across with six overlapping petals, and anthers in the same shade. Relatively short, so ideal in containers and flowering from June to September. Thorncroft Clematis

Clematis Queen Mother (‘Zoqum’)
Small, but prolific and prettily formed bell-shaped flowers are pale mauve-pink. Flowers from June to September; 4-6ft/1.2-1.8m. Thorncroft Clematis

 Convallaria majalis 'Gold leaf’
The bright foliage of this fragrant, yellow-leaved lily-of-the-valley lights up shady corners in a way the green-leaved forms never do. Avon Bulbs

Dahlia 'Bulldog'
A lemon yellow single-flowered dahlia from the National Dahlia Collection, with a little lilac shading set against deep green foliage.

Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. holciformis ‘Marin’
This new dwarf form makes unusually neat and compact clumps with distinctive, rounded flower heads. Knoll Gardens

Exochorda ‘Niagara’
The first dwarf exochorda with a prolific flurry of white spring flowers on a neat and well branched but elegant bush. Ideal for sunny borders and permanent containers. Hillier Nurseries and Garden Centres

Gerbera 'Garvinea Rachel'
One of fourteen winter hardy gerberas, ‘Garvinia Rachel’ is vivid orange scarlet. Holds bright daisies on individual stems over lush green rosettes. Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey - Cut Flowers 

Hakonechloa macra 'Samurai'
A new variegated form of this invaluable container and border plant with the same fountain-like habit of earlier varieties. Knoll Gardens

xHeucherella 'Freefolk Stars'
Hardy's first heucherella. Its bright yellow flowers have delicate reddish speckling along the main veins. Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants

xHeucherella 'Brass Lantern'
From the world’s most prolific creator of new perennials, Dan Heims,  the brassy gold foliage is glossy in summer and deeper in autumn and winter. Plantagogo

Hosta ‘Hands Up’
The narrow, mostly upright, wavy-edged leaves are trimmed in bright yellow and are unusually thick and slug reisistant. A sport of the narrow, creamy edged ‘Praying Hands’. Bowden Hostas

Iris 'Louisa's Song'
Large, frilly, fragrant, strongly ruffled, and unusually weather-resistant early season flowers. Claire Austin Hardy Plants

Iris ‘Rio Rojo’
An unusually colour-fast, prolific, and well ruffled early red iris in rich claret. A step forward in red tall bearded irises; 37in/93cm. Claire Austin Hardy Plants

Lewisia ‘Little Mango’
A dwarf, fully-hardy lewisia from Germany with orange-tinted yellow flowers in spring and in autumn. Tolerant of wet feet. 6in/15cm. D’Arcy & Everest

Lilium ‘Bebop’
Oriental lily with very large sugar pink blooms, each declicately speckled in red towards the white centre; 40in/1m. Harts Nursery

Lilium ‘Vancouver’
Vivid pale fuchsia pink, each petal with a richer darker fuchsia stripe with dark spots on either side; 43in/1.1m. Harts Nursery 

Paeonia ‘Moonstone’
Sweetly scented, double flowers open blush pink and then pale to pure white. Good for cutting as well as grown in borders. 3ft/90cm. Kelways

Petunia x hybrida ‘Fanfare White’
Prolific pure white petunia that never gets straggly, never goes bare in the centre, and stays neat all season. Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey - Cut Flowers

Primula x anisodoxa ‘Kevock Surprise’
Candelabra primula hybrid, propagated by division and not seed, the strong bold foliage sets off clusters of rich rosy flowers with yellow centres. Kevock Garden Plants

Rhododendron ‘Rabatz’
Bright fiery red flowers with contrasting creamy anthers. A hybrid of the Chinese R.griersonianum raised by the late Hans Hachmann, the world’s foremost rhododendron breeder. Millais Nursery

Rosa Keira (‘Ausboxer’)
Available as cut blooms only, a beautiful blend of blush pink and cream, often with warm peachy highlights. Matures to scented, cupped rosettes of more than100 petals. David Austin Roses

Rosa ‘The Churchill Rose’
Very healthy, lightly scented, free-flowering shrub rose. Grow as a specimen or a small climber. The first rose to mark the Churchill name; 4x3ft/1.2mx90cm. Peter Beales Roses

Rosa The Lakeland Rose (‘Harspiral’)
Climber with a wild rose look, the fragrant, single pink flowers flush in early summer and again in autumn; 61/2ftx40in/2x1m. Harkness Roses

Rosa Wollerton Old Hall (‘Ausblanket’)
One of the most fragrant of all English Roses, round deep butter yellow flowers fade to soft cream. Relatively thorn free. David Austin Roses

 Rosa York Minster (‘Harquest’)
Tough, long-flowering, tolerant Floribunda of blushed white buds opening to amber-tinted, white flowers. 40x30in/ 1mx80cm. Harkness Roses

Sarracenia ‘Constance Healy’
Beautifully patterned pitchers, intricately patterned in deep red. A hybrid of Sarracenia x catesbaei and S. x moorei. Hewitt-Cooper Carnivorous Plants

Sesleria ‘Greenlee’
Evergreen grass with blue-green foliage of S. caerulea with pale purple flowers of S. autumnalis in spring and summer. Knoll Gardens

Streptocarpus ‘Sioned’
Clear white background with a cream zone in each lobe is overlaid with magenta pink veining on the lower part of the flower. Flowers for about ten monhs. Dibleys

Sweet pea ‘Clementine Kiss’
The first true orange Spencer sweet pea without a hint of apricot and with a good fragrance. It took breeder Dave Matthewman seven years to perfect. 6ft/1.8m. Matthewman Sweet Peas

Sweet pea ‘William and Catherine’
Very pretty salmon pink Spencer sweet pea first selected in 2003 and perfected over the years. Well-scented.
Eagle Sweet Peas