LatestBlooms Highlighted by RHS: Explore the Most Vibrant and Buzzworthy Flora this Year
Get the lowdown on the considerable contenders for the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year! These 18 plants dazzle with a 'new or improved feature,' making them fresh additions to widely available flora. Plant enthusiasts exhibiting in the Great Pavilion can submit these new plants for the competition. A panel of RHS and industry experts selects the shortlist, never exceeding 20 plants. Winners will be announced at the show, and the ultimate victor will be selected by RHS Expert Groups on May 20, 2025.
The spirited lineup contains an eye-catching orange salvia, dueling hostas, a long-blooming fuchsia, striking miscanthus, a charming weeping cherry, and a hemerocallis that flowers for up to 7 days. The judges consider factors such as novelty, innovation, garden performance, and the potential appeal for UK gardeners before making their decisions.
The shortlist for RHS Plant of the Year 2025 includes:
- Salvia TROPICOLOUR SUNRISE ('Tropog021') (Tropicolour Series) – A zesty salvia with coppery yellow calyces and orange-red petals contrasting against deep green leaves with striking purple undersides.
- Hosta 'Party Streamers' – A dramatic departure from conventional heart-shaped leaves with vivid gold leaves that are long, narrow, and ruffled-edged.
- Hosta 'Silly String' – Another captivating new hosta variety. Fans of this variety rave about its distinctive features, though finer details aren't extensively covered in sources.
- Clematis ELPIS (Evigsy154) – A captivating, ruby-red clematis boasting vibrant and robust foliage (a rare trait in red cultivars), abundant blooms, and a striking display from late April until June.
- Agapanthus praecox subsp orientalis ZAMBEZI ('Kek5006') – Boasting broad dark green leaves streaked with creamy yellow and yellow green edges, this Agapanthus is a show-stopper.
- Salvia 'Peach Melba' – Adorned with large, pink and peach flowers that attract pollinators for six months, this salvia thrives in smaller gardens, borders, and containers.
- Rhododendron molle subsp japonicum PINK STAR ('Mapo 2') – Admire this robust Rhododendron with star-shaped, deep reddish-pink flowers and extraordinary 20-30 petals, sure to captivate in gardens through the colder seasons.
- Hemerocallis SEE YOU TOMORROW ('Huheo1') – Unlike most Hemerocallis, the flowers on this unique day lily last up to 7 days, providing an enduring bloom.
- Deutzia PRETTISTARS PINK CLOUD ('Botex 015') – Ideal for ground cover, borders, or containers, this compact Deutzia offers a shapely ball-like growth and plentiful pink flowers.
- Philadelphus PETITE PERFUME PINK ('P1') – Winning the award in 2025, this unique Philadelphus is the first truly pink-flowered option. Its deep pink buds unfurl to reveal a blend of pink-white flowers infused with a captivating fragrance.
- Geranium x oxonianum GOLD NUGGET ('Hillier') – A compact Geranium with striking golden leaves patterned with red markings, creating an intriguing contrast when pink flowers emerge.
- Streptocarpus 'Betty' – A user-friendly houseplant with vast, sky-blue flowers enhanced by deep purple accents, flowering year-round with minimal effort.
- Prunus CRYSTAL FALLS – The first weeping, winter-flowering ornamental cherry suitable for all garden sizes and even containers, making it a versatile choice for any space.
- Hydrangea FAIRYTRAIL WHITE ('Wnhydfbvywmh') (Fairytrail Series) – With ground-covering, mophead-style flowers, this innovative Hydrangea captivates with long trailing stems sprouting flowers at each leaf node, creating a mesmerizing effect.
- Rhaphiolepis indica 'White Cloud' – A charming, fragrant evergreen shrub with abundant white flowers, ideal for container growing, borders, or the front of a bed.
- Fuchsia MAMBO 'Kerfumam' (Patio Dancers Series) – Part of the Patio Dancers Series, MAMBO offers an exquisite blend of traditional fuchsia features and modern cultivars, offering masses of large, intricate blooms throughout a lengthy flowering season.
- Lomandra longifolia MINER'S GOLD (Km-mg24') – A groundbreaking, golden-hued Lomandra with an elegant weeping habit, perfect for accenting a garden or mass planting.
- Miscanthus sinensis 'Lady in Red' – This reddish-green miscanthus undergoes a striking transformation in autumn, turning a vibrant shade of red as temperatures cool, with its distinctive foliage making it a standout choice for modern gardens.
The 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show includes plants such as the striking Salvia TROPICOLOUR SUNRISE, captivating Hostas like 'Party Streamers' and 'Silly String', the ruby-red clematis ELPIS, and the show-stopping Agapanthus praecox subsp orientalis ZAMBEZI. Also competition-bound is the long-blooming fuchsia, the innovative Hemerocallis SEE YOU TOMORROW, and the ground-cover Hydrangea FAIRYTRAIL WHITE. The panel will assess designers' submissions of these new plants, considering factors like novelty, innovation, garden performance, and appeal to UK gardeners. Home-and-garden enthusiasts will find classic plants such as the weeping cherry and the Philadelphus PETITE PERFUME PINK, along with modern choices like the unique Streptocarpus 'Betty' and the versatile Prunus CRYSTAL FALLS. The contest culminates on May 20, 2025, when the RHS Expert Groups will select the ultimate Plant of the Year.
