Posted on by susurrus

Floral Lookbook: RHS Hampton Court 2018

Single hollyhock with cream flowers and bold purple eye
A. Alcea rosea ‘Halo Cream’ with foxgloves
Coral coloured agastache with companion flowers
B. Agastache ‘Kudos Coral’ with Scabiosa ‘Barocca’, Agapanthus ‘Navy Blue’ and Achillea ‘Terracotta’
Double pink hollyhock with foxgloves
C. Alcea rosea ‘Apple Blossom’ with foxgloves
White agapanthus with ornamental grass and richly coloured flowers
D. White agapanthus with ornamental grass, achillea, scabiosa, daucus corata and helenium
Foxglove with pale peach flowers, and darker spots
E. Digitalis ‘Dalmation Peach’ with hollyhocks in the background

Flower combination F
F. Agastache ‘Summer Glow’ with Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’, achillea, scabious, digitalis parviflora and grasses
Pale pink roses with deep pink rosebuds
H. Rosa ‘Gentle Hermione’ with Rosa ‘Young Lycidas’ buds
Pink achillea with coral coloured hyssop
I. Achillea ‘Pretty Belinda’ with Agastache ‘Kudos Coral’ and Salvia ‘Blue Note’
Slender brown foxglove with colourful flowers
J. Digitalis parviflora with Achillea ‘Terracotta’, Scabiosa ‘Barocca’, Agastache ‘Summer Glow’, Salvia ‘Blue Note’ and grasses
White hollyhock with bold blush stain around a yellow centre
K. Alcea rosea ‘Halo Blush’ with digitalis and cleome
Cream flowers with arching grasses
L. Cream coloured scabiosa with ornamental grass, hyssop, scabious and achillea
Spotted pink foxglove with verbena bonariensis
M. Spotted pink digitalis with verbena bonariensis

It’s hard to beat the RHS Flower Shows when it comes to finding combinations of flowers that make your heart soar. At an event like this, everyone will see many of their personal favourites on display, together with a plentiful supply of new plant varieties and planting ideas.

Here’s my floral lookbook of images of cottage garden style plants, gleaned from the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2018. I hope I’ve included some of your favourites and that you’ll enjoy the soft, warm and heady colour combinations.

If you’re planning to visit the show, most of these were taken in the Floral Marquee: on the Botanic Nursery display (A,C,E,G,K); on Todd’s Botanics’ display (B,D,F,I,J,L) and on Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants (M). To see David Austin Roses (H) call in at the Festival of Roses Marquee.

48 Replies to “Floral Lookbook: RHS Hampton Court 2018”

    1. Thanks Derrick. I’m always attracted by colours but I wanted to capture the movement in some of these plant combinations too.

  2. I’m hyperventilating here. For one thing, hollyhocks are among my very, very favorites, and that one full-faced “Halo Cream” is absolutely what hollyhocks are about, though I can’t help noting the rudeness of the bloom on the right, trying to shove in. And let’s not forget hollyhock buds — so handsome! Speaking of which, there’s “Young Lycidas” peeking around “Gentle Hermoine” — elegant and sneaky all at once! I’m a sucker for anything white in a garden, so the white agapanthus did me in — and what a gorgeous photo! But all of these lifted me up. Thank you!

    1. I’m not convinced that morning coffee and hyperventilation is the perfect combination, though I’m sure you’ll assure me it is! I was fairly breathless when I saw all the hollyhocks too – and the agastaches. I liked the contrast of the white agapanthus with the rich, dusky, sunset colours in the background. I took another shot that was more evenly exposed, but preferred the contrast in the one I chose.

  3. Be still my trembling heart! The garden of my dreams, with a riot of colors. However, because I live in the woods, I must settle for texture and quiet beauty, which I do love. But…

    1. Individually they are interesting, but they also seem to go together so well, almost as if they’d been on the same stand. I took quite a few pictures but am left wishing I’d taken even more!

  5. Stunning. I have been lucky too see some of the coverage on tv, having just returned from a few days in Wales

    1. The BBC coverage is like having a private view of the show, although they do a great job of conveying the bustle and fun too. You had beautiful weather for your trip to Wales.

  6. A plethora of beautiful flowers and colours. Your beautiful photos warm me up, and I definitely need that here on a cold damp winter’s day in Sydney.

    1. A little whinging can be good for the soul. This would hardly qualify for the 30 second grumbling game, unless you spoke v-e-r-y slowly.

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