Must-have plants from the Floral Marquee

Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants put on an eye-catching display of the groups of plants they specialise in - herbaceous perennials and annuals. There was dainty verbena 'Bampton' and mauve-flowered ginger Roscoea auriculata 'Floriade'. Combinations were impressive too, such as egg-yolk yellow Echinacea 'Leilani' next to white but yellow-eyed Leucanthemum x superbum 'Christine Hagemann'. Also outstanding were two dazzling new crocosmias; yellow, orange-eyed 'Firestars Hotspot' and orange and red 'Firestars Scorchio'.

Salvia specialist Dyson's Nurseries had a stand that featured many different salvias, from bedding and culinary selections to perennial kinds, both hardy and tender; many of them great for sunny, quite dry conditions. New Salvia microphylla 'So Cool Pale Blue' featured and is a compact, soft blue-mauve flowered plant, great for adding a cool tone to borders, while bedding type selections were represented by S. splendens 'Go-Go Purple' in dark blackcurrant. Taller, tender 'Wendy's Wish' added a touch of vibrant magenta to the centre of the stand.

Agapanthus are superb plants in hot dry conditions and Hoyland Plant Centre specialises in these summer flowering perennials, along with a selection of similar related plants. Standing out on its display were rich blue 'Flower of Love', taller 'Moonlight Star', its soft blue flowers each with a contrasting dark blue, star-shaped centre, as well as white 'Arctic Star' and blue and white 'Twister'. Complementing these were a selection of nerines and Tulbaghia (society garlic) in contrasting hues.

Surreal Succulents displayed an exciting range of plants, perfect for a hot dry summer and ideal for containers. Highlights on the contemporary display, which included a tiered wall planter, were variegated Aeonium 'Sunburst' with dazzling heads of colourful leaves, dark leaved Echeveria 'Black Prince' and E. agavoides 'Ebony', its pointed leaves tipped with purple.

Hart Canna are long-time exhibitors at the show and this year featured a superb array of selections in flower. Cannas make great plants for injecting a tropical touch into beds and borders or for providing an air of the exotic in container displays. Impressive on the stand were 'Ambassadour' with lovely cream, pink-tinged flowers, 'Herman' with slender, rich red leaves and scarlet blooms, and dazzling 'Orange Punch' - perfectly named for its fiery flowers.

The Botanic Nursery provided a brilliant pastel-hued display this year, blending the spires of numerous hollyhock selections with wands of foxgloves and cleomes to mouth-watering effect. Highlights included Alcea rosea 'Halo Apricot' with its dark centred flowers, 'Halo Candy' in pink and delicate A. kurdica 'Sunshine', its large blooms of primrose yellow, rising up amid wands of Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach' and purple spider flower Cleome 'Violet Queen'.