10 standout plants of RHS Hampton 2025
Meet the floral stars of the show and discover inspiring plant ideas to take home from this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
The plants at a glance
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Eremurus ‘Charleston’ – foxtail lily ‘Charleston’
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Romneya coulteri – Californian tree poppy
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Aeonium ‘Midnight Palm’ – tree houseleek ‘Midnight Palm’
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Leonotis leonurus – lion’s tail
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Geranium ‘Azure Rush’ – cranesbill ‘Azure Rush’
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Trachelospermum asiaticum ‘Pink Showers’ – star jasmine ‘Pink Showers’
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Lagerstroemia indica – crape myrtle
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Prunus serrula – Tibetan cherry
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Lilium ‘Lasting Love’ – Oriental lily ‘Lasting Love’
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Fagus sylvatica (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Purpurea Pendula’ – weeping purple beech
Eremurus ‘Charleston’
“The structure of the flower form was central in creating a key focal point,” Tom explains. “It holds the border together and the flower form is unique at this time of year. The individual flowers don’t last very long, but I like the transition because it gives a richness of colour as you move up the stem.”
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: June to July
- Hardiness: hardy in the UK
- How to grow Eremurus
Romneya coulteri
“Romneya coulteri is a showstopper – it’s an incredible plant. The flowers look just like fried eggs,” says Cressy.
The huge blooms, with golden, pollen-laden stamens bursting from the centre, are shown off by feathery grey foliage in this elegant, tall and hardy tree poppy, which boasts an impressively long blooming season if kept watered.
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June to October
- Hardiness: hardy in most of the UK even in severe winters
- Find out more
Aeonium ‘Midnight Palm’
“Everyone asks us how they can make their aeonium bushy, rather than just one tall, straight stem,” says Jo Jackson of Ottershaw. “The answer is that you need one that has been bred to have a naturally branching habit. This is a true branching form that will naturally do so without any pruning. It’s unusual to have such a well-branching dark-leafed variety.”
The RHS is currently running an Aeonium trial, for which Ottershaw Cacti supplied plants.
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: may flower in May in warm climates
- Hardiness: tender; needs to be kept frost-free
Leonotis leonurus
Co-designer Alison Shadwell-Williams explains: “This plant is not only loved by hummingbirds over in the US; it’s great for bringing late summer and autumn colour to your garden. It doesn’t usually flower as early as July, so we had this one brought into flower early to show everyone how amazing this plant can be.”
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: August to October
- Hardiness: tender; needs to be kept frost-free
- Find out more
Geranium ‘Azure Rush’
“Plants such as Nepeta and Geranium form a mass for hedgehogs to nestle under. My mum’s garden had a resident hedgehog who would always nap under the geraniums after its evening feed, so in this garden aiming to show many of the easy ways gardeners can support hedgehogs, I had to include a geranium. I was going to use Geranium Rozanne, but I wanted something more unusual, so I opted for this lower-growing form.”
- Position: full sun or part shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June to October
- Hardiness: extremely hardy
- Find out more
Trachelospermum asiaticum ‘Pink Showers’
“I love the more dispersed, branching flowers – it gives a more airy and open feel,” Melissa says. “The way it holds the flowers away from the foliage is really quite striking. The scent is spicier, almost clove-like, and the colouring is really delicate and beautiful. A blend of apricot and blush pink fades to white towards the centre, with a golden eye.”
- Position: full sun or part shade
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: June to August
- Hardiness: hardy through most of the UK
- Find out more
Lagerstroemia indica
“It is really hard to find a multi-stem Lagerstroemia in shrub form,” says Tom. “It’s a Mediterranean tree that’s great for hot climates, so fits perfectly with the drought-tolerant, sun-loving concept of this border. Though not entirely hardy, a sheltered, sunny spot in an urban area of the South of England will suit it well.”
Tim Upson, RHS Director of Gardens and Horticulture, adds: “This is a tree that has very much come through in the last ten years in the UK. There used to be just a couple of hallowed specimens growing outdoors, flowering every five years or so whenever it was hot enough. With climate change, they’re appearing in more and more gardens and flowering is becoming more and more frequent.”
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: July to September
- Hardiness: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK
- Find out more
Prunus serrula
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: April to May
- Hardiness: hardy in the UK and northern Europe
- Find out more
Lilium ‘Lasting Love’
“With climate change it’s really hard to know what will be ready at the right time, so I was growing 120 lilies at home in pots on my patio. I’d never grown lilies before. I fed them with half-diluted
“It was really rewarding. They’re great plants to grow – you can do it on a patio; you don’t need lots of space.”
- Position: full sun or part shade
- Soil: moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June to August
- Hardiness: hardy in the UK and northern Europe
Fagus sylvatica (Atropurpurea Group) ‘Purpurea Pendula’
“Climate change research by Kew has shown that beeches are likely to be endangered in the UK by the end of the century,” explains designer Kitti Kovacs. “I chose a weeping form to highlight their plight and represent the fact that we may not have them any more by the end of the century.”
- Position: full sun or part shade
- Soil: moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June to September
- Hardiness: hardy in the UK and northern Europe
- Find out more
