Look out for the new must-have star plant arriving on the benches in our garden centre here in Woking soon – Salvia 'Love and Wishes', winner of this year's Best in Show in the New Plant Awards, at the National Plant Show in Warwickshire.
This sumptuous salvia with its velvety burgundy flower spikes is a great performer in the garden and does equally well in containers given a sunny spot, flowering continuously from May to September. It scooped third place in the Plant of the Year competition at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year too, so this is another accolade for breeders Darby Nursery Stock and Kernock Park Plants.
'Love and Wishes' beat three other gold medal winners in the herbaceous perennials category to take the prize: the lovely dusky pink scabious 'Kudo', Peony 'Itoh' with massive flowers, and a superb veined pink hardy geranium, 'Pink Pouffe'. All are sure to be really popular new additions to the garden – so grab them while you can!
Other category winners in the New Plants awards include Bidens 'Beedance Painted Red', winner of the prize for best new annual; Little Kolibri Orchids 'Victoria Falls' in the houseplant category; and Hydrangea macrocarpa 'Rendez-Vous French Cancan', voted best new shrub.
