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8 star plants of RHS Sandringham 2026

Discover plants that stood out at the first ever RHS Sandringham Flower Show, and inspiring floral ideas to take home

The plants at a glance:

Rosa Tottering-by-Gently
Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’
Dahlia merckii – Merck’s dahlia
Vitex agnus-castus – chaste tree
Parrotia persica, cloud-pruned – Persian ironwood
Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha – chocolate cosmos
Myrtus communis – common myrtle
Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’ – foam flower

1. Rosa Tottering-by-Gently

Found in a gorgeous trio with Geranium Rozanne and Asplenium ferns in dappled shade on The RHS Royal Legacy Garden, this buttery yellow David Austin shrub rose stands out for its masses of delicate single blooms. Offering accessible pollen and nectar in the open flowers, it’s an ideal choice to benefit pollinators. While individual flowers may not last as long as in cultivars with double blooms, the high turnover of flowers means there are always plenty more waiting in the wings.

Position: full sun or partial shade
Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
Flowering period: June–October
Hardiness: fully hardy

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2. Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’

It’s impossible to pass by The RHS Royal Legacy Garden without your eye being drawn to the fabulous, fully floriferous hydrangea domes flowing beneath the trees and anchoring the perennial planting. Best grown in higher-rainfall areas of the UK, in part or dappled shade, this showstopping summer shrub is a stalwart classic that – despite being recently joined by new competition in the field – definitely still has it.

Position: partial shade
Soil: moist but well-drained
Flowering period: July–September
Hardiness: fully hardy

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Buy this plant

3. Dahlia merckii – Merck’s dahlia

In contrast to the more commonly grown, highly bred hybrid dahlias, this delicate species dahlia – which grows wild in Mexico – brings something of its own to the table in the form of exquisite single blooms, airily borne on reddish stems clad in fine foliage. In The RHS Pollywiggle Garden, it’s paired beautifully with matching Veronicastrum virginicum ‘Lavendelturm’ and pale lilac-pink achillea. Think dahlias can be blousy? This is the dahlia for you.

Position: full sun
Soil: moist but well-drained
Flowering period: June–October
Hardiness: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1C)

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4. Vitex agnus-castus – chaste tree

Sounding like a Roman emperor and looking from a distance like a buddleia, this underused shrub is the perfect union of drought-tolerance and pollinator provision. Nestled next to a dark-leafed Physocarpus for a striking contrast, it hums with bumblebees on the RNIB Talking Books Garden. Being native to the Mediterranean and Middle East to India, it’s a resilient shrub that triumphs in hot summers to reach peak flowering around September. It’s perfect for bringing late season colour and nectar to your garden.

Position: full sun
Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
Flowering period: August–October
Hardiness: hardy through most of the UK (–10 to –5C)

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Buy this plant

5. Cloud-pruned Parrotia persica – Persian ironwood

Persian ironwood is a resilient tree that delivers breathtaking autumn colour, with leaves that turn brilliant yellow, then orange and finally blaze fiery red before falling. Though it’s already an attractively shaped tree if left mostly to its own devices – forming a spreading, often multi-stemmed specimen with further interest created by peeling grey-and-fawn bark and tiny red flowers in winter – Deepdale Trees have taken this tree’s potential to the next level by creating a cloud-pruned version for The RHS Royal Legacy Garden.

Cleverly circumventing the ironwood’s usual greed for space, this rare cloud-pruned form puts Parrotia fairly and squarely on the menu for small gardens in need of a drought-tolerant tree that delivers colour, structure and multiple seasons of interest.

Position: full sun or part shade
Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
Flowering period: January–February
Hardiness: fully hardy

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Buy this plant (not yet cloud-pruned!)

6. Cosmos atrosanguineus Chocamocha – chocolate cosmos

Dark, small-flowered cosmos – cultivars of Cosmos atrosanguineus – were on trend at RHS Sandringham, with their sumptuous, veltvety bronze blooms appearing in Norfolk Coast: A Long Border for Climate Resilience, The RHS Royal Legacy Garden and even in upcycled container features.

Looking striking, smelling of chocolate and living for longer than the Cosmos bipinnatus cultivars commonly grown as annuals, dark varieties such as ‘Chocamocha’ are definitely worth a place in your garden or pot display. Provided you can overwinter it (will need a greenhouse or conservatory in mild areas), this compact tender perennial cosmos will bring colour to your outdoor space year after year. Try combining it with other hot colours for a dazzling look.

Position: full sun
Soil: moist but well-drained
Flowering period: June–September
Hardiness: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1C)

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Buy this plant

7. Myrtus communis – common myrtle

Festooned through summer with fragrant, fluffy cream flowers that are followed by round purple-black berries, myrtle is the ideal evergreen shrub for a sheltered, sunny spot in a free-draining soil. It will especially appreciate a spot near a south-facing or west-facing wall. This Mediterranean shrub is an asset to the garden all year round, with small, pointed, glossy deep green leaves that give off a fragrant aroma when crushed and provide a handsome backdrop for other flowering plants. In the Butterfly Sanctuary Garden for example, its deep green foliage provides a striking backdrop for Digitalis × valinii ‘Falcon Fire’.

Position: full sun
Soil: moist but well-drained
Flowering period: June–September
Hardiness: hardy through most of the UK (–10 to –5C) – but avoid soil that sits wet in winter

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Buy this plant

8. Tiarella ‘Pink Skyrocket’ – foam flower

A lot of garden design is about attention to detail, and this is a detail many visitors to RHS Sandringham won’t even notice. The Mindful Chef’s Gathering garden demonstrates how to constructively and artistically utilise that awkward, shady gap behind your shed.

Birch log piles provide habitat for invertebrates, amphibians, hedgehogs and more, while this delicate Tiarella – a stalwart shade-loving perennial offering both flower and foliage interest – nestles among the logs to perfect the look, its pink-tinged white blooms picking out warm hues in the birch bark. You can try this at home with any logs you might generate through pruning in the garden.