Exhibitors
Sunflower Street Gardens
The Sunflower Street gardens, sponsored by The Sun and organised by The Sun's gardening correspondent Peter Seabrook, are built in the Great Pavilion.
This is the last year Sunflower Street will appear at Chelsea.
The gardens are being built by:
Association Of British Conifer Growers in association with Creative Corners: On Reflection
Capel Manor College: Garden of Night
Geoffrey & Kas Whiten in association with Whetman Pinks Ltd: The Perfumed Garden
Longacres Landscape: Yin & Yang in Balance
Pershore College: Gem's Jubilee Garden
Scotsdale Garden Centre: A Touch of Classic
Squire’s Garden Centres: Steptoe’s Front Garden
New plants
This year the eight model front gardens preview the largest number and widest range of plant novelities ever staged at any Chelsea Flower Show. At least 50 new cultivars and species are being showcased and a number are unique breakthroughs in plant breeding.
We have never had fragrance in tuberous-rooted begonias before, but this year will see the introduction of several different colours with strong rose-like perfume. Equally unique is the fragrant black hyacinth 'Midnight Mystique' which will be seen in Britain for the first time.
Other novelties will include nine exciting new Dianthus in three different types from the famous Whetman Nurseries (Dawlish, Devon), bringing improved garden performance and very strong perfume. Three remarkable leaf colourings on ornamental sweet potato, Ipomoea Sweet Charlotte, show great promise for containers, summer bedding and ground cover.
The new golden-leaved birch and shrimp-pink to copper Acer are great introductions for modern gardens. Spellbound Series marks the first of the trailing Impatiens which have been bred for hanging baskets and Petunia 'Pearly Queen' is a very strong-growing and free-flowering plant in the new Hedgiflora series.
The list includes:
Acer pseudoplatanus cultivar
Alternanthera 'Purple Knight'
Bacopa Cabana Trailing White
Betula 'Pershore Gold' - silver birch with golden leaves
Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Golden Jubilee'
Coleus Kong - four different foliage colours
Coreopsis grandiflora 'Rising Sun'
Delphinium 'Guardian Blue' and 'Guardian White'
Dianthus Amazon ‘Rose Magic’
Dianthus Dynasty - in four colours
Dianthus ‘Whetman’
Dianthus ‘Lady-in-Red’, ‘Lily the Pink’ and ‘Lady Madonna’ - garden cut flower
Dianthus ‘Mystic Star’, ‘Shooting Star’ and ‘Pop Star’
Dianthus Scent First Series ‘Candy Floss’, ‘Raspberry Sundae’ and ‘Tickled Pink’ - for pots and patios
Gaura lindheimeri 'Geyser White'
Helenium 'Chelsey'
Hyacinthus 'Midnight Mystique'
Impatiens Spellbound - in seven colours
Ipomoea Sweet Charlotte - in three different leaf colours
Pelargonium 'Bullseye' - deep scarlet zonal
Petunia 'Pearly Queen'
Petunia Tiny Tunia - pink and red
Plectranthus 'Silver Shield'
Salvia 'Oceana Blue'
Strawberry ‘Roman’ - pink flowers