Making their debut at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019 are three new plant varieties introduced by Hillier Nurseries. Each brings vibrant colour to ‘The Stihl Hillier Garden’, which is designed by Lilly Gomm and sponsored for the second year running by the world-famous garden tool manufacturer, STIHL.
The three new introductions are Weigela ‘Picobella Rosa’, Isoplexis isabelliana ‘Bella’ and Cordyline ‘Pink Star’, all of which add colour to any garden and require minimal maintenance. These new plants have been sourced by the Hillier research and development team, which has a wealth of horticultural experience and expertise.
George Hillier, a member of the fifth generation of the family in the business and director of property, says: “Weigela ‘Picobella Rosa’ and Cordyline ‘Pink Star’ are absolutely stunning and these, allied with the orange hue of the Isoplexis ‘Bella’, create an inspirational pallete of contemporary new colours for gardens in 2019.”
Weigela ‘Picobella Rosa’ will produce more than 500 glorious deep-pink flowers between May and October. Its prolific and long flowering period make it a particular favourite with bees. This stunning plant will remain naturally compact, eventually reaching 50-60cm high and 100cm wide, ideal for small spaces. It requires little maintenance but does need well-drained soil. It is a tough plant surviving to -25°C, so can be grown throughout the UK. This will be available exclusively through Hillier Nurseries this summer.
Isoplexis ‘Bella’ is a beautiful new cottage garden variety that produces an abundance of golden apricot coloured flowers on spikes from July to October and will flower from its first year. The wealth of flowers also makes it an ideal plant to encourage wildlife into the garden. I. ‘Bella’ is an unusually compact and bushy variety of Canary Island Foxglove, therefore suitable for growing in pots and containers as well as beds and mixed borders. It is being introduced through an exciting new collaboration between Hillier Nurseries and Suttons. This joint venture will ensure that this wonderful new variety is made available to the widest range of gardeners through multiple sales channels.
Complementing these two stunning plants is the third introduction from Hillier, Cordyline ‘Pink Star’. This innovative plant has strikingly vibrant pink leaves giving it a bold, almost tropical look. It is ideal for mixed containers or borders and is a strong growing plant. This is a low-maintenance plant that is proven to be quite resistant to diseases such as leaf spot, which can affect the genus, and is drought tolerant. Hillier Nurseries is the first to introduce this striking new plant to the UK market.
George Hillier comments: “My favourite part of Chelsea is unveiling our plants and new varieties and watching visitors come to find them in the garden. There is so much anticipation each year about the announcement of the garden design and the new plants.”
