May in the Malvern Hills is always a spectacular scene, and the plants on show at this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Festival have enjoyed basking in the sunshine. Some of them have stood out above others, for colour, stature or reliability. Here are just a few of them.
This pretty little variety of Iris germanica on the Garden of the Wind has pearlescent pink petals that, thanks to its shorter stature, sit daintily amongst silver foliage plants such as Artemisia and harmonising flowers such as thyme. Other irises can be seen across the showground in shades of blue, purple and white, bringing jewel-like colours to the May border.
Looking for a hosta that will outwit the slugs? Hosta ‘T. Rex’ fits the bill, with its large green leaves on stems reaching up to 75cm tall; a plant that’s easy to imagine in a prehistoric setting. The dizzying stems must prove a challenge for even the fittest of molluscs. Seen here on the Maindee Unlimited: Greening Maindee Gateway Garden.
A new variety brought to the show by Dibleys this year, ‘Victoria’ is named after Paul Dibley’s partner. Its vivid purple flowers stand out against the vibrant green, and very long, leaves. Gareth Dibley’s top tips for growing these South African beauties are to grow them in good light but out of the midday sun, and not to overwater them.
Two stalwarts of the show, and a dependable pair at this time of year, are Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ and Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’. Seen in many gardens at the show, they make a striking planting combination and are easy to look after, providing flowers for many weeks. A tip from Nick Wade at Gardeners Delight Nursery is to keep Deadheading is the removal of flowers from plants when they have faded or died. It is done to keep plants looking attractive and encourage re-flowering.
G & K Carnations are showing a stunning new carnation that is currently named ‘Saona’. While visiting one of the RHS Shows, a friend of singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega told G & K Carnations that Suzanne, who’s based in California, always has carnations in her dressing room when on tour, and loves them. Carnation grower Keith suggested she might like to have a carnation named after her, and she was delighted. Since Suzanne’s upcoming album is called ‘Caramel’, it’s hoped that this soft, cappuccino-toned flower – perfectly encapsulating 2025’s Pantone Colour of the Year – will either be named ‘Suzanne Vega’ or ‘Caramel’. Watch this space!
A great tree for small gardens, acers are everywhere across the showground at RHS Malvern. May is their time to shine, when the freshly unfurled leaves shine bright in the spring sunshine and create movement and dappled shade in a garden. Many of the show gardens featured stunning samples of this popular tree, including on The Rain Garden, and on the Garden of the Wind, there was even a tree drawing a picture!
