Celebrating new plants and highlighting the latest advances and emerging trends in garden plant breeding, the annual RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year Award celebrates those plants with a new or improved feature, that sets them apart from those already on the market.
Ahead of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion are invited to submit new plants for the competition. Entries are carefully considered by a panel of RHS and industry experts who whittle down the contenders to no more than 20. The shortlisted plants go on to be displayed at the show where, on Press Day, members of the RHS Expert Groups elect a winner.
Winning entries are selected on three criteria: novelty and innovation, garden performance, and likely appeal for UK gardeners. The final vote is informed by the entry information submitted ahead of the show, and appeal of the plants on display.
“The RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year competition is perhaps the most important new plant competition in the UK garden retail market. It’s a great way to communicate about new plants to gardeners – so many members of the media pick up on the shortlist and profile the plants listed,” said Graham Spencer, Director Plant for Europe.
The winner of the 2024 RHS Plant of the Year 2024 was Prunus ‘Starlight’, introduced by Frank P Matthews and exhibited by Green JJam Nurseries.
The 2025 shortlist
- Salvia Tropicolour Sunrise – Breeder La Rolando Uría and Francisco Lozano, exhibitor Middleton Nurseries. Unique colour combination for the salvia market. Vibrant orange-red petals contrast with coppery yellow calyces, and its deep green leaves have striking purple undersides.
- Hosta ‘Party Streamers’ – Breeder Hans Hansen (Walter’s Gardens), exhibitor Sienna Hosta, supplier: Fairweather’s Nursery. Unique gold-coloured, long, narrow leaves with ruffled edges, forms an attractive mound with deep-purple flower spikes.
- Hosta ‘Silly String’ – Breeder Hans Hansen (Walter’s Gardens). Exhibitor: Sienna Hosta. Supplier: Fairweather’s Nursery. Unique blue leaves with intensely wavy margins, forms a cascading mound of foliage with pale purple flower spikes in summer.
- Clematis Elpis – Breeder Raymond J Evison Ltd., exhibitor Raymond Evison Clematis, supplier Guernsey Clematis Nursery Ltd. Ruby red with vibrant, strong foliage which is a rare trait for red cultivars. Named in support of male cancer research.
- Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis Zambezi- Breeder, Keith Kirsten, exhibitor Gardeners Delight Nursery, supplier: Sarah Raven. Broad dark green leaves streaked with creamy yellow and edged by a golden-yellow margin with violet flowers on tall stems.
- Salvia ‘Peach Melba’ – Breeder: New World Plants, exhibitor Proctor’s Nursery, supplier Sarah Raven. Large, two-tone peach and deep pink flowers, neat bushy habit, hardy and copes well with the drier conditions.
- Rhododendron molle subsp. japonicum Pink Star – Breeder, Martin Ponjee, exhibitor Sparsholt College, supplier: Thompson & Morgan. Star-shaped, deep reddish-pink flowers, each with an extraordinary 20 to 30 petals.
- Hemerocallis See You Tomorrow – Breeder Michel van’t Hul, exhibitor, Sparsholt College, supplier: Thompson & Morgan. Unique day lily flowers that each last up to 7 days with trumpet-shaped yellow blooms.
- Deutzia Prettistars Pink Cloud – Breeder Botanic Experience BV, exhibitor: Stonebarn Landscapes Ltd, supplier: Suttons. Profuse flowering compact ball-shaped growth. Pink pearl flower buds, that open to white and pink-blushed petals in summer. Developed from species crossing of Deutzia hybrida ‘Mont Rose’ and unnamed seedling.
- Philadelphus Petite Perfume Pink – Breeder Alan Postill, exhibitor Sparsholt College, supplier Hillier Nurseries Ltd. First truly pink-flowered Philadephus, deep pink fragranced flowers, fading to pale with dark pink centres.
- Geranium × oxonianum ‘Gold Nugget’ – Breeder Alan Postill, exhibitor Sparsholt College, supplier Hillier Nurseries Ltd. Compact, mound-forming with unique golden foliage patterned with red markings.
- Streptocarpus ‘Betty’ – Breeder Lynne Dibley, exhibitor Dibleys Nurseries. Compact houseplant that flowers year-round with vast numbers of large, sky-blue, purple flowers. Upright habit thanks to strong dark flower stems that support the weight of the blooms.
- Prunus ‘Crystal Falls’ – Breeder Ken Tobutt, exhibitor Plant Heritage, supplier Frank P Matthews Trees. First weeping, winter-flowering ornamental cherry. Steeply weeping form allows of use in small garden and even containers. Double, pure white flowers from mid-December.
- Hydrangea ‘Fairytrail White’ – Breeder Mr. Ushio Sakazaki of WinGen LLC, exhibitor Blue Diamond Garden Centres, supplier Bransford Webbs Plant Company. Mophead-shaped flowers on long trailing stems at every leaf node, covering the entire plant.
- Rhaphiolepis indica ‘White Cloud’ – Breeder Peter van Groningen, exhibitor Sparsholt College, supplier: Hillier Nurseries Ltd. Compact, evergreen shrub with a mounded habit and prolific white fragrant flowers over a long period. Exceptional resilience to both drought and cold.
- Fuchsia Mambo ‘Kerfumam’ – Breeder Tim Kerley of Kerley & Co., exhibitor Blue Diamond Garden Centres, supplier Kerley & Co. Combines aesthetic traits of traditional fuchsias with the smaller habit and earlier flowering of modern cultivars. Better branching and shorter internodes make it compact.
- Lomandra longifolia ‘Miner’s Gold’ – Breeder Keith Miner and Jen Miner, exhibitor Ashcroft’s Perennials and Ornamental Grasses. First golden Lomandra with golden foliage and weeping habit. Highly drought-tolerant.
- Miscanthus sinensis ‘Lady in Red’ – Breeder Krzystof Slowinski, exhibitor Ashcroft’s Perennials and Ornamental Grasses. Mix of dark purple and green leaves in the summer, which in autumn change to vivid red as temperatures drop with the silver panicle flowers.
Steph Dunn James, Sales Director of Frank P Matthews explains that the shortlisted Prunus ‘Crystal Falls’ is the result of a dedicated Prunus breeding programme in the UK by breeder Dr Kenneth Tobutt. The same breeding program that resulted in Prunus ‘Starlight’, the winner of 2024 RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year competition. “We are absolutely thrilled to see Prunus ‘Crystal Falls’ recognised on such a prestigious platform. This variety embodies our ongoing commitment to growing high-quality, innovative trees that combine aesthetic appeal with a strong garden performance,” said Dunn.
Jill Kerr, Group Relationship Manager for Blue Diamond Garden Centres said: “It is a tremendous honour for Blue Diamond Garden Centres to have two plants shortlisted for this prestigious award at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We have worked closely with the breeders and nurseries to bring these plants to our Blue Diamond customers, and we cannot wait to showcase these in our Garden Centres along with many other new and exclusive plants for 2025”.
Speaking about the shortlisted Deutzia, the Suttons Category Manager Holly Clark said: “Pink Cloud really is a stand out entry this year. It puts on a real performance with minimal care. It grows in sun or shade and can go down to -20C in winter. Its compact habit means you don’t even need to prune it, and spent flowers just drop from the plant.”
“We’re really pleased to be representing Geranium x oxonianum Gold Nugget (Hillger) – we have it growing here at Plants For Europe HQ, and it’s a lovely plant for both foliage and flower. It is a reliable and hardy perennial that will grow in a wide range of conditions,” added Graham Spencer, Plants For Europe
The winning plants will be announced on Tuesday 20 May.
