Some gorgeous dahlias, a salvia that's a bee and pollinator magnet, a pink agapanthus and two red-tinged Miscanthus are just some of the delectable new plants that will be on sale this year; many are notably drought tolerant. We asked expert plantspeople and nursery owners to pick new introductions that they are particularly excited about - here are some new beauties that everyone will want in their gardens.
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Dahlia 'Jonathan Buckley'
Dahlias are among the bestselling plants at Sarah Raven. “We’ll be introducing a new range of dahlias in 2025," says Sarah. "These will include ‘Jonathan Buckley’, bred from a chance seedling of Dahlia 'Molly Raven'. It is named after my friend and colleague [and top garden photographer] Jonathan, who I've worked with for over 30 years." The pale pink petals are streaked with magenta.
H x S: 90cm x 60cm.
Buy from Sarah Raven
Dahlia 'La Belle Epoque'
Dahlia ‘La Belle Epoque’ has big dusky mauve blooms, laced with a copper tinge. The relaxed, loosely arranged petals which effortlessly gorgeous, and the long stems make them a dream for cut-flower growers.
H x S: 1m x 50cm.
Buy from Farmer Gracy
Salvia 'Phyllis Fancy'
Salvia 'Phyllis' Fancy' is new to the Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plant catalogue this year. "It is an absolute bee and pollinator magnet, and is fantastic for late-season colour, helping pollinators collect their stores for the winter," says owner Rosy Hardy. "It is a soft lilac and white with silver stems and long, elegant leaves, making it really good either pot grown (large pot) or for a sunny spot in the border, where it will reach 1.5 x 1.5m. It is full of flower from early autumn to the first really hard frosts. It may be just on the half hardy side, but is quite easy to protect and keep through the winter in a cold greenhouse."
H x S: 1.5m x 1.5m.
Buy from Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants
Caucasian cornflower
New at Beth Chatto is Centaurea bella, otherwise known as the Caucasian cornflower, is a small cushion-forming evergreen perennial. In summer, relatively large lilac-pink flowers are held well above the low foliage; the undersides of the leaves are a contrasting silvery-white. It's ideal for a dry garden or rock garden, typically in full sun and in a free-draining soil. Evergreen and fully hardy.
H x S: 30cm x 30cm.
Buy from Beth Chatto
Miscanthus Red Spear
Miscanthus Red Spear is a new release for spring 2025 from Knoll Gardens. "It is a selection that we have been trialling for some years and are now delighted to be able to offer it to gardeners here in the UK," says owner Neil Lucas. "Miscanthus Red Spear forms clumps of silver ribbed green foliage from which arise tall strongly upright stems which produce flower buds reminiscent of spear heads until they burst into bright red inflorescences that remain pointing skyward. It's proving itself a thoroughly reliable performer for our UK climate and its height and elegant nature works very effectively with eupatorium, persicaria, panicum and agapanthus. It works nicely as a drift or group in borders but is equally effective when used as a single plant or in larger containers."
Like all miscanthus, Red Spear performs best in a full sun position in a range of soils which are not too winter wet. It is a long-lived and trouble-free deciduous grass that will retain its upright outline for the winter, only requiring the old foliage to be cut to the ground each spring once the worst of the winter weather is past. Miscanthus Red Spear grows to a height of between
Height: 1.8m - 2.1 m.
Buy from Knoll Gardens (available from spring 2025)
Musa 'Ever Red'
"Bringing a tropical feel to gardens is now a lot easier thanks to Musa ‘Ever Red’, one of the hardiest banana palms available, and it looks fantastic, with red-streaked leaves," says Naomi Jones, horticulturist at Farmer Gracy. Its leaves are slightly thicker than other bananas, making it more resilient to summer winds. It also copes better with winter cold, and can survive temperatures down to around -5°C.
H x S: up to 4.5m x 3m.
Buy from Farmer Gracy
Incarvillea olgae
New at the Beth Chatto nursery is a a very promising incarvillea from Central Asia. It has upright to arching stems of pretty, dissected foliage, hold on top of clusters pink, penstemon-like flowers from mid-summer to autumn. Grow in full sun and on a light well-drained soil. It has good drought tolerance and is fully hardy.
H x S: 1.2m x 60cm.
Buy from Beth Chatto
Orthrosanthus laxus
An evergreen perennial with a form that is similar to a libertia or sisyrinchium, but smaller and more delicate. In late spring, starry sky-blue flowers open in succession. It's fully hardy and evergreen and will grow on most soil types.
H x S: 50cm x 30cm.
Buy from Beth Chatto
Miscanthus 'Lady in Red'
We’re excited to introduce Miscanthus ‘Lady in Red’ to our range," says Naomi Jones at Farmer Gracy. "It has vibrant foliage which injects colour into the garden from spring onwards, met with feathery plumes in autumn which flicker in the late-season sun. Ornamental grasses are becoming increasingly popular because they offer such a long season of interest, providing height, colour and movement, yet they demand very little in return."
H x S: 1-1.5m x 70cm-1m
Buy from Farmer Gracy
Agapanthus 'Blush Pink'
"Being limited to blue, white or mauve agapanthus is now a thing of the past – Agapanthus ‘Blush Pink’ is big news due to its soft, pastel colouring," say Naomi Jones at Farmer Gracy. Multiple umbels of attractive white, trumpet-like flowers, tinged delicately with soft pink on the outer edges of each petal, rise above its green, strap-like foliage.
H x S: 80cm x 50cm
Buy from Farmer Gracy