Its not just all about floral beauty though, for foliage can easily catch your eye.


Take Hosta ‘Red Ninja’ for example.


Revolutionary and the reddest Hosta on the market, this dark green variety with strong red foliage keeps its striking ruby colouration even into the summer. This plant has been on the lips of top horticulturists, everyone wants one, it feels contemporary and perfect for gardens both great and small. Available from Sienna Hosta who recently created a special Hosta garden for Mary Berry.


Blue Diamond Garden Centres have a large presence here in our region with premises in Nailsworth, Moreton-in-Marsh and Hereford to name a few. They took the opportunity to display a good selection of new introductions at their 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show exhibit which was constructed by Gloucestershire based designer Peter Dowle and his team at Leaf Creative, Blue Diamond’s Customer Garden Design Service.


Rosa Diddly Squat Farm Rosé


First to catch my eye was Hydrangea Velvet Night® 'Red Lace,' its truly distinctive combination of near-black, dark red foliage and vibrant red lacecap flowers offering an unusual pairing in hydrangeas. Dramatic and bold, it will thrive in moist, well drained partial shade. Secondly and as a Cotswolds girl, I was rather taken with the new ‘Diddly Squat Farm Rosé’ rose. This fragrant floribunda in soft apricot peach tones has been launched to celebrate a new partnership between Blue Diamond Garden Centres and Chipping Norton based Diddly Squat Farm.


Prunus 'Japanese Lantern'


Finally, let’s not forget our houseplants, for it is they who remain by our side when night falls and we wearily wash the mud from our trowel-tired hands! It’s no secret that I have grown to love a Streptocarpus, but the latest cultivar to be bred by Dibleys Houseplants takes this Strepto-obsession to a new level! ‘Sirius’ will certainly leave your houseguests gaga with its fully double large, inky purple flowers with deep purple veins over a pale-yellow base. Almost orchid like in its beauty but offering flowers from March until November. A real interior icon!


However, for me, the flower finale of this piece has to be the recently introduced Streptocarpus ‘Camilla’ in my favourite colour purple. Named in honour of another Gloucestershire Camilla but I’m sure she won’t mind if I share in the little of the glory!


111


Hydrangea Velvet Night


Streptocarpus ‘Sirius’


Open your garden gate to any of the above and you’re sure to be the envy of all.


Catch Camilla with Alan Titchmarsh on ITV’s ‘Love Your Weekend regularly throughout the year.


LIVE24-SEVEN.COM


ENTERTAINMENT THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116