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Ten standout plants of RHS Chelsea 2024

Meet the floral stars of the show and discover inspiring plant ideas to take home from this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show

The plants at a glance
  1. Kniphofia ‘Sunningdale Yellow’
  2. Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’
  3. Angelica gigas
  4. Farfugium japonicum
  5. Arbutus unedo
  6. Crataegus x lavalleei ‘Carrierei’
  7. Papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’​s Grape’
  8. Cytisus ‘Lena’
  9. Digitalis
  10. ‘Plants with Soul’: peat-free houseplants
 

1. Kniphofia ‘Sunningdale Yellow’

Not so much a red hot poker as an unashamedly bright zesty yellow hot poker, this early-flowering Kniphofia lights up The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden in a joyous juxtaposition of yellow and purple.

The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden aims to focus on happy, colourful planting that encourages children to engage with gardening. Planted alongside other zingy yellows of daisies and euphorbias for a perfectly colour-coordinated combination, this drought-tolerant RHS Award of Garden Merit winner is as cheerful as they come.

I chose it because it’s a bit wacky and I wanted something that gave a really pure hot yellow. I paired it with yellow achillea to create contrast between the flat flower form of the achillea and the spike of the Kniphofia

- Harry Holding, designer of The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden
  • Position: full sun
  • Soil: moist but well-drained
  • Flowering period: June to October
  • Hardiness: fully hardy

Find out more
 

2. Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’

Found in the Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery, this globeflower’s pops of bright golden orange are woven through red broom and Californian poppies, almost giving the impression that the whole bed is on fire. Holding an RHS Award of Garden Merit, this is a ‘wow’ plant in a ‘wow’ setting.

Pair this versatile perennial with other hot-themed tones for a vibrant scheme in a sunny spot, or with cool greens to brighten up a shady corner. It’s a great choice for heavy, damp soils, with potential to extend flowering right through to the end of summer with regular deadheading.
 
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: reliably moist, poorly drained soil
  • Flowering period: May to July
  • Hardiness: fully hardy

Find out more
Buy this plant
 

3. Angelica gigas

The statuesque umbel forms of Angelica are all over the showground this year. Perhaps nowhere is this short-lived perennial used more effectively than in Tom Massey’s WaterAid Garden, where it towers over a calm pool alongside Rodgersia and Valeriana, bringing architectural height and drama to the garden. Angelica gigas doesn’t self-seed as readily as other angelicas, making it a well-behaved choice where space is a concern.
 
  • Position: partial or full shade
  • Soil: moist, fertile soil
  • Flowering period: July to September
  • Hardiness: fully hardy
 

4. Farfugium japonicum

Magnificent multistem hazels define The National Garden Scheme Garden, creating a cool, shady interior to the garden that allows experimentation with shade planting beneath the canopy.

Nestling alongside a stunning stone trough pool, the shiny round leaves of leopard plant catch the eye as they bounce light back to create reflections beneath the trees. Better still, Farfugium is evergreen, so continues to provide foliage interest throughout winter, though it may not be hardy in colder parts of the UK – provide a sheltered spot and a thick winter mulch. Daisy-like bright yellow flowers rise above the leaves in late summer and autumn to enhance the interest during this quieter time of year.
   

5. Arbutus unedo

A magnificent strawberry tree makes an unusual focal point for The Freedom from Torture Garden. Interest is provided by beautifully textured bark and magnified by the architectural cloud-pruned shape.

Arbutus makes a good compact evergreen tree for a small, sheltered garden, attracting pollinators and providing an extended period of interest through lantern-shaped white flowers and colourful red, orange and yellow fruits.

Arbutus are great resilient trees that are coping well with climate change. They should be used more in the UK

- John Warland, co-designer of The Freedom from Torture Garden
  • Position: full sun
  • Soil: well-drained
  • Flowering period: September to November
  • Hardiness: fully hardy

6. Crataegus x lavalleei ‘Carrierei’

A full-size specimen of hybrid cockspur thorn stands tall over the Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden. In full bloom, it’s smothered in bees and butterflies.

Forming an elegant tree around six metres tall with a graceful, rounded shape, glossy leaves that colour up in autumn and orange berries that last throughout winter, this AGM-winning but less thorny hawthorn relative is a great tree for small gardens. It’s undemanding and resilient, thriving in a variety of tricky environments such as coastal, polluted and damp locations, as well as coping with heat and very dry soils.
 
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Hardiness: fully hardy
 

7. Papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’​s Grape’

This striking opium poppy with its taffeta-like blooms is impossible to overlook as you pass by The Octavia Hill Garden. Pale greyish green leaves perfectly offset rich, velvety flowers in deepest maroon. This  undemanding and drought-tolerant annual has been a centre of attention at this year’​s Show. The bowl-shaped blooms, which are good for cutting, are followed by equally interesting seedheads.

Everyone has been asking about the poppy. It’s really easy to grow – it’s practically bulletproof

- The Octavia Hill Garden team
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: moist but well-drained
  • Flowering period: June to August
  • Hardiness: fully hardy
 

8. Cytisus ‘Lena’

With firework-like stems smothered in orangey red blooms, this AGM-winning broom is dotted through the Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery, picking up the earthy hues of the terracotta-coloured backdrop wall and the russety tones in the bark of the stunningly sculptural pines behind. The whole effect is straight out of the Mediterranean.

Cytisus ‘Lena’ is a compact cultivar of this drought-resistant shrub that is  ideal for smaller spaces, particularly thriving on acid soils. This the kind of rusty broom you really do want in your garden.
 
  • Position: full sun
  • Soil: well-drained
  • Flowering period: May to June
  • Hardiness: fully hardy
 

9. Digitalis

While many of the plants on this list are standouts for being striking, unusual, or perfectly placed in their setting, foxgloves are a true workhorse of this year’s Show.  Found in numerous gardens, they are perfect for lighting up a shady setting.

Weaving through a grove of silver birch for a simple but divinely tranquil effect, pure white spires illuminate the Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden as well as the The National Garden Scheme Garden, while vibrant pink counterparts add a pop of colour to The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden and the Stroke Association’s Garden for Recovery. Meanwhile, St James’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different lands between the two with a very pale pink foxglove that oozes pastel calm.
 
  • Position: full sun or partial shade
  • Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
  • Flowering period: May to July
  • Hardiness: fully hardy (biennial or short-lived perennial)
 

10. ‘Plants with Soul’: peat-free houseplants

Over at the Houseplant Studios, showcasing the best of indoor gardening, a stunning display of sustainably grown houseplants spills out of The Little Botanical’s studio. These ‘Plants with Soul’ will bring life and a tropical touch to any home space while treading lightly on the planet, as the UK’s first 100% peat-free, British-grown houseplant range.
  ​Houseplants are not only on-trend – being the focus of this year’s new RHS Urban Show – but they’ve also been shown to benefit wellbeing. The Little Botanical’s studio is bursting with ideas for displaying your houseplants to greatest effect, with experts on hand to answer your questions. If you’re looking to take home the perfect souvenir or gift, this appetising array of luscious greenery in all shapes and sizes offers something for everyone. The range is also available online.
 
  • Position: indoors with plenty of indirect natural light
  • Soil: moist but well-drained peat-free compost
  • Hardiness: mostly tender
Ready to Chelsify your garden? For more inspiration, check out the take-home garden design trends from this year’s Show.
About the author – Olivia Drake

With a background in biology, Olivia is passionate about sustainable horticulture and the environmental and conservational benefits gardening can bring. She is trained as a botanical horticulturist and previously worked in public gardens around the UK and overseas.

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