I’m joining in with The Propagator to share my six favourite plants from the ongoing UK flower show that runs until Sunday 10th June. It’s a good discipline to be just allowed six, but you should know there was a small battle for every one of these slots. I hope I’ll not be the only one this week to share pictures from Chatsworth, as I’d love to see other people’s highlights. Here goes:
- Digitalis ‘Foxlight Rose Ivory’
Looking this up online, the first search result is a data card for trade sellers, saying: ‘…bold novelty colors boost retail appeal and drive impulse sales’. I’m sure they will! I had thought this foxglove was part of the Illumination series, but was puzzled by the pointed lip, so was pleased to find I’d photographed the label. This doesn’t always happen, especially if I am over-excited to see the plant.
2. Polemonium ‘Northern Lights’
I’ve always had a soft spot for polemoniums. This cultivar has a radiance because the lighter centres of the flowers are displayed against lavender blue petal reverses. The yellowy-orange stamens help too.
3. Gaura ‘Rosy Jane’
I love gaura (butterfly bush), even though it does much better in my sweetheart’s Mississippi garden than it ever did in my own tiny Lancashire one. The petals of Gaura ‘Rosy Jane’ have white centres and broad pink edges, with attractive veining along the border where the two colours meet. I note that Wikipedia is listing a new name for gaura, but as the label had the ‘old’ name and as even the Wiki article seemed to be using half and half, I’m going to pretend I haven’t seen it.
4. Heirloom beans
Does ‘lovely’ and a warm sigh cover it? I think so, especially as I didn’t make a note of the names.
5. Corydalis calcicola
Corydalis always has a lovely flower form – the tubular flowers seem to swim in shoals along the stems, rather than simply grow. The ethereal colour combination is an added delight, with the luminous, pearlescent blue, the green snouts and the burgundy mouths. The label actually read Corydalis cf. calcicola – if anyone knows what cf. means, I’d love to know.
6. Ixia viridiflora
Every RHS show I’ve ever been to has at least one first, but this shot has two. As I mentioned in my earlier post about Chatsworth, I’ve not seen bottle trees at a UK flower show before, though I don’t mind betting this will not turn out to have been a one-off, given the amount of attention they were attracting. The plant that really lifts Hillview Hardy Plants’ already colourful display, making it remarkable for me, is the turquoise ixia. It’s unearthly.
I’ll leave you with a link to The Propagator’s weekly post with an exhortation to check out some of the other submissions, and one to the RHS Chatsworth website where you can find more information and pictures from the show.
Those who read my earlier post might want to join in with my ‘Hurray!’ at finding out that the People’s Choice Award has been won by ‘Hay Time In The Dales’, as I’d hoped.
Susan Rushton 
You’re right, that Ixia is something else. Wonderful foxglove too!
I imagine the foxglove would be lovely mingled in with some yellow, peachy and apricot roses.
Lovely six. Good finds!
Thanks, Ali.
Yes!
Thanks, Laurie.
Yes unearthly is a great description for the ixia. I don’t think I’ve seen a flower that colour before. A lovely and enticing six, Susan.
I hadn’t either. It really stood out, even though you’d have said the other colours were bolder.
Great photos – so interesting and unusual plants – thank you
My pleasure – it’s nice to be able to share them.
Those are nice pictures, and the Corydalis is particularly compelling, but I would still prefer pictures from your own garden. Our own gardens are always more fun.
Trust me, Tony you wouldn’t – I could just imagine your comment if you saw bluebells week after week, in leaf and in flower, in view of your comments after you saw too many snowdrops earlier this year! I will only join in rarely, but couldn’t resist this week. It’s a nice group of knowledgeable people and I trusted that at least some of them would enjoy seeing plants from the show.
It can not be any worse than my six of the same thing in different colors. Well, maybe weeks of bluebells would get to be a bit much. However, the garden shows get to be a bit much too. Even if I get tired of snowdrops, they happen to be what people grow and enjoy in their gardens. They are around for weeks because that is what they do. They do not get removed and replaced with something prettier. I work with redwoods that have been around for centuries without doing much.
Great selections and wonderful images. Love that Corydalis.
I’m glad you liked them.
That Corydalis! Want!
“Cf.” means that identification is uncertain, but the person doing the labeling thinks it is C. calcicola.
Thanks for that. I dare say a few more plant labels really ought to have cf. on in that case!
Lovely photos. That Ixia just doesn’t look real!
You’re right – it doesn’t.
These are so lovely. I especially liked the beans because they were unexpected and very beautiful!
I love the vegetable displays at the shows.