Exhibitors
Great Pavilion
Many nurseries use Chelsea Flower Show as the opportunity to launch and showcase new species and cultivars of plants. The following plants are new and are being launched at Chelsea. The nursery's stand number is given in brackets.
Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants (G11)
New for 2005 is Gaura lindheimeri 'Chiffon', which has beautiful soft pink flowers with pink veins on elegant long stems; these flowers look like dancing ballerinas in the breeze. This plant varies in form to many of the other new releases in that it is quite tall but holds up well and is also self-cleaning - the old and dying blooms fall off rather than staying attached to the stems.
Steven Bailey, the specialist alstroemeria grower retired in 2004 and Hardy’s were approached to show his alstroemeria as fully grown plant specimens in a garden setting, rather than as cut flowers. New for 2005 are Alstroemeria ‘Elvira’ and Alstroemeria ‘Bonanza’.
Harkness Roses (F13)
Hillier Nurseries (D17)
New plants include the Heuchera Sweet Delights Collection: ‘Crème Brulee’, ‘Key Lime Pie’, ‘Licorice’; and Lavandula stoechas ‘Pretty Polly’.
Hippopottering Nursery (A6)
Hippopottering Nursery has bought a new Japanese maple to Chelsea this year. Acer palmatum ‘Taylor’ has dainty pink leaves flecked with green and this cultivar actually stays pink all season and grows to 1.2-1.5m (4-5 ft). This elegant plant will make the perfect specimen for a shady courtyard.
To view a video of the plant click here
H W Hyde & Son (D12)
The nursery will be featuring 'Sensation' (never exhibited in the UK), 'Purple King' and 'Bright' (exclusive and never exhibited), 'Sea Fortune' and 'Black Diamond'.
Jekka's Herb Farm (G7)
Jekka's is launching four Salad Herb Leaf seed mixtures that are ideal for growing in small gardens and containers. The mixtures are: Tuscan Salad Herb Mix, Provencal Salad Herb Mix, Eastern Salad Herb Mix and Jekka's Choice Salad Herb Mix.
Knoll Gardens (E15)
Knoll Gardens and Specialist Nursery is showing Briza media 'Russells' for the first time at Chelsea. This green and white variegated quaking grass is a sport of the native plant with a compact, free-flowering habit.
Carex praegracilis is a Californian ornamental grass with lovely bright green leaves. Not seen previously in the UK this highly adaptable grass is well-established in its native California where it is often used as a lawn substitute.
Matthewman Sweet Peas (H2)
The nursery has a new navy blue sweet pea called 'Dark Passion'.
McBeans Ltd (E21)
The stand has new Phalaenopsis & Miltonia orchids.
Millais Nurseries (E2)
Plants on the exhibit include rare species of rhododendrons from the Himalayas, and new hybrids not seen at Chelsea before, including those raised by the late Ted Millais and Hans Hachmann from Germany. New plants include: ‘Coral Mist’ - bi-coloured flowers that have a cream coloured throat with pink edging, in large trusses from mid to late May; ‘Kabarett’ - frilled, wide open, lilac flowers, paler in the centre, with a prominent wine-red blotch; 'Pridenjoy' - an impeccable truss of soft orangey-yellow which glows above dark green glossy foliage in May; plus ‘Crosswater Belle’, 'Pfanenange', 'Porzellan' and 'Schneeperle'.
To view a video of Rhododendron ‘Crosswater Belle’ click here