{"id":613787867505,"date":"2026-05-19T12:21:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/?p=613787867505"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:25:03","slug":"chelsea-flower-show-2026-the-plants-to-know-and-how-to-grow-them-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/blog\/chelsea-flower-show-2026-the-plants-to-know-and-how-to-grow-them-at-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea Flower Show 2026: The Plants to Know \u2013 And How to Grow Them at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
Home<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Chelsea Flower Show 2026 \u2013 Plant Trends & Tips<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 | Plant Trends | Best Plants for UK Gardens | Buy Clematis, Roses, Salvias & More<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 has thrown open its gates for another year, and the early reports from press day are \u2013 as ever \u2013 making the rest of us simultaneously inspired and slightly dissatisfied with our own perfectly decent gardens. Running from 19\u201323 May at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, this year’s 113th edition is already shaping up to be a proper feast. More colour than in recent years, a renewed confidence in traditional planting, and enough clematis, roses and salvias to make even the most jaded gardener reach for their trowel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what are the early talking points? And \u2013 more usefully \u2013 which of the plants causing a stir at Chelsea can you actually grow at home? Here’s our guide, hot off the press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chelsea Flower Show 2026: The Big Trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Colour is back \u2013 properly back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After a few years of muted, tasteful palettes, Chelsea 2026 is delivering a riot of colour that feels genuinely cheering. Designers and growers are attributing the vibrancy in part to the warm spring, which means plants are in glorious full bloom rather than frowning at their wellies. Lupins<\/a>, delphiniums<\/a>, alliums<\/a> and salvias<\/a> are everywhere, alongside bold iris in reds and oranges and clouds of roses<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There is more colour,” says multi-award-winning designer Sarah Eberle. “Maybe people feel we all need cheering up.” Hard to argue with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturalistic planting is firmly in the mainstream<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The loose, flowing, naturalistic style that has been building at Chelsea for several years is now simply how good gardens look. Show gardens feature perennials, grasses and wildflower-inspired planting mingled together rather than arranged in neat rows \u2013 which is rather good news for those of us who find formal bedding a bit exhausting. The emphasis is firmly on plants that support wildlife and pollinators, with more than half of UK gardeners now saying they’ve changed their gardening habits to help nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lovely<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Japanese-inspired design is making a strong showing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Four of the nine large show gardens draw directly from Japanese design traditions \u2013 calm, considered, with water, stone and beautifully chosen plants working together. A welcome antidote to the relentless pressure to fill every inch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roses are having a moment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Roses are absolutely everywhere at Chelsea 2026, and not just in the traditional sense. David Austin has unveiled the much-anticipated Sir David Beckham rose \u2013 a soft blush variety with golden stamens \u2013 while Harkness Roses has launched five new varieties including the wildlife-friendly ‘Parkinson’s Resilience’. Whether you’re a classic rambling rose person or more of a modern shrub rose devotee, Chelsea is confirming that roses are very much having their moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Already announced on press day, this year’s Plant of the Year goes to Hosta ‘Red Ninja’<\/strong> \u2013 described as the world’s first truly red-variegated hosta, a colour apparently long sought after by breeders. Compact, hardy to -23\u00b0C and suited to partial sun, it’s genuinely quite a breakthrough. Runners-up are Hydrangea paniculata Groundbreaker Ruby (a ground-covering form whose flowers deepen from white through pink to ruby-red) and Hydrangea ‘Velvet Night Red Lace’, with its striking near-black foliage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interesting plants all \u2013 though perhaps not ones that immediately change what you’d plant this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"RHS<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Previous Chelsea Plant of the Year Winners \u2013 That We Actually Sell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is where it gets properly useful. The Chelsea Plant of the Year award has an excellent track record of spotlighting plants that really do perform brilliantly in UK gardens \u2013 and several recent winners are very much in our range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agapanthus Black Jack (2024 Winner)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That near-black budded African lily that caused such a stir at Chelsea 2024. The buds emerge almost black before opening to deep violet-blue, on elegant arching stems above a mound of glossy, strap-like leaves. Architectural, dramatic, and absolutely magnificent in pots or a sunny border. We stock a lovely range of agapanthus \u2013 and if you haven’t yet tried them, this year is the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Agapanthus<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing tips:<\/strong> Full sun, very well-drained soil. They adore pots and gravel gardens. Give them a little water in dry spells during summer, and allow up to five years for full flowering potential. Worth every moment of the wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philadelphus Petite Perfume Pink (2025 Winner)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Last year’s winner was the world’s first pink-flowered philadelphus \u2013 a genuine breakthrough in breeding that rather confirmed what we’ve known for years: that no garden should be without a mock orange. We stock two outstanding varieties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n