Floral Marquee
A number of new and exciting plants were launched at the show.
Jean Vernon reports on some that took her fancy.
New palm
Ainsworth Displays from Waterlooville in Hampshire, staged a display including four hardy palms. Chamaerops humilis ‘Stella’ is a very exciting addition to this genus. ‘Stella’ has a compact nature with a very woolly underside to the leaves and an attractive and regular habit. This is the only plant known to be in the UK. Chamaerops is raised from seed and requires separate male and female plants. This specimen is male.
New house leek for Wales
Sempervivum ‘Jamie’s Pride’ is a new cultivar raised from seed by Gordon's Nursery. It has an attractive habit and a wonderful variation of colour with dark and light pink rosettes that change colour as they mature. This gives a mottleed effect. It's the first cultivar this nursery has raised from seed itself and is named after the owners’ son.
Plants in their prime
Several new or recently introduced auriculas were displayed by Hillview Hardy Plants. Pretty blush-yellow border cultivar, Primula auricula ‘Chamois’, was one of the new arrivals. Primula auricula ‘Edith Major’ is a new mauve double cultivar and Primula auricula 'George Swinford’s Leathercoat’, is a new border auricula with pink flowers and silver-grey foliage.
Peach of a plant
Look out for a range of new heucheras from Plantagogo.com. Cardiff sees the first of these cultivars in Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' a new cultivar for 2008. It has huge strawberry-peach coloured leaves with silver overlay in spring. In autumn and winter the foliage intensifies in colour to rose-purple with a frosted vein. It has attractive cream flowers and makes a fabulous front of border plant. Further new cultivars will be on show at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July.
Return of an old favourite
Pennard Plants has reintroduced an old favourite to its plant list. Polygala myrtifolia ‘September Bush’ flowers reliably all through the year with fabulous mauve, pea flowers with dramatically fluffy, protruding stamens. It has small attractive myrtle-like green leaves and is hardy to -8C. A good choice for coastal planting. Needs full sun and slightly moist soil. Grows to about 90cm (3ft) in height.
Bonsai bonanza
Mendip Bonsai showed a pint-sized Californian redwood. This 40-year-old tree stands at less than 60cm (2ft) tall, a fraction of the 30m (100ft) it would have reached in the wild. John Trott of Mendip Bonsai showed numerous bonsai specimens, but this is the first time this giant bonsai has been exhibited at an RHS show. It was grown from nursery stock and is a wonderfil example of a formal, upright tree.