David Domoney

Tag: Chelsea Flower Show

  • My top 12 weird and wonderful plants from the Chelsea Flower Show

    My top 12 weird and wonderful plants from the Chelsea Flower Show

    As you probably know, I love wacky plants. I’ve already talked about my favourite plants from Chelsea, and the best black plants, but I’m always on the lookout for unusual and quirky plants. It’s great to try something a bit different, and I had to show you these beauties!

    Sarracenia purpurea

    Sarracenia-purpurea-pitchers

    This is a fantastic meat-eating plant that digests the insects that fall into its little pitchers on the ground. It also has weird-looking flower heads!

    Sarracenia-purpurea

    Trollius Dancing Flame

    trollius-dancing-flame

    I love this plant. It looks like it has flickering orange flames coming out of the flower head! Its textured green foliage means it would look great in a bright garden border.

    Fork-leaved sundew

    fork-leaved-sundew

    This is a great carnivorous plant that is native to Australia. Its name comes from its leaves, which are divided in two like a fork in the road.

    Meconopsis Lingholm

    himalayan-blue-poppy

    Also known as the Himalayan Blue Poppy. Its colour is such an unnatural shade for a flower, and it would make a great addition to a cottage garden or summer flower bed.

    Aechmea

    aechmea

    How snazzy is this? Its name comes from the Greek for spear, ‘aichme’, and it makes a fantastic houseplant.

    Iris Gingerbread Man

    iris-gingerbreadman

    Irises come in a huge range of colours, but I’ve never seen this one before! It’s a pale gingery-brown and lilac, which gives it a really odd look.

    Zingiber Spectabile

    zingiber

    This is an incredible species of true ginger, often known as the beehive ginger because of its hive-like shape.

    Cypripedium

    cyprepedium

    Often called a slipper orchid, cypripedium means ‘Shoe of Venus’ in Greek. There were some exceptional varieties, but I liked this mottled pink one best.

    Allium Sativum Ophioscorodon

    serpent-garlic

    It’s actually a variety of garlic, known as serpent garlic. This plant has amazing stems that twist around and point all over the place! It’s actually about 40cm tall.

    Leucospermum Cordifolium

    Leucospermum-cordifolium

    This is a great flowering shrub with fantastic flowers. This one in particular has bold orange petals – it would stand out in any garden!

    Lagorus Ovatus ‘Bunny tails’

    bunny-tails

    It’s one of those plants that makes you just want to reach out and touch it. Grasses are so underrated – they give your garden great texture.

    Scadoxus Multiflorus

    David Domoney scadoxus

    This incredibly flower also wins the title of ‘My favourite plant from Chelsea 2014’ – the next best thing to a gold medal! It’s just such a bold flower. I’m already planning to plant some in my garden!

  • The 10 best black plants and flowers from RHS Chelsea Flower Show

    The 10 best black plants and flowers from RHS Chelsea Flower Show

    Black plants make a great addition to anyone’s garden. They add depth and a new dimension to a planting scheme, and can even look opulent, especially if teamed with purples and reds.

    Some people think of black plants as a bit morbid, but I think they’re mysterious and elegant. Plus it’s nice to have something a bit different and unexpected.

    In truth, they are actually a deep purple rather than black. I used some in my Ace of Spades Chelsea garden in 2010, and they were all over at this year’s Show.

    Here are my top 10 black plants from Chelsea this year:

    Hyacinth Midnight Mystique

    black-hyacinths

    Viola perennis prunella

    black-viola

    Fuchsia Maxima

    black-fuchsia

    Iris Black the Affair

    black-iris

    Ophiopogon nigrescens

    black-Ophiopogon-nigrescens

    Aeonium Arboreum Schwartzkopf

    black-Aeonium

    Zantedeschia Black Star

    black-zantedeschia

    Tulipa Queen of the Night

    black-tulip

    Phormium Platt’s Black

    black-phormium

    Black dahlia

    black-dahlia

     

    Read about my favourite plants at this year’s show, and the weirdest!

  • My 10 favourite plants and flowers from Chelsea Flower Show

    My 10 favourite plants and flowers from Chelsea Flower Show

    I love Chelsea Flower Show. It’s has a fantastic atmosphere, and it’s great to see so many people coming together over a love of horticulture.

    My favourite thing to do is wander around and see all the plants that are on offer. The best place for this is actually inside the pavilion, where the growers set up stands to show off their best produce. They’re always happy to tell you a bit about them too! It’s a great way to pick up tips if you’re not sure how to care for a plant, or if you want to try something new.

    Here are my ten favourite plants from this year’s show:

    Scadoxus Multiflorous

    David Domoney scadoxus

    This has to be my favourite flower this year. It looks like an allium, but it’s actually a scadoxus. It has bold flower heads and snazzy orange petals. I’ll be planting a few in my garden.

    Auricula Star Wars No1

    auricula David Domoney

    What a great name! Auriculas make great houseplants and this one has lovely delicate flowers with rich-coloured edging.

    Daffodil Chromacolour

    daffodils chromacolour

    This daffodil has really bright, unusual colours. It really shone out from the display and will give any garden a burst of spring colour.

    Chrysanthemum Zivena

    crysanth

    Flowers with green petals are a great surprise to have in a flower bed or border. This is a big, bold plant that’s really different.

    Clematis the Countess of Wessex

    clematis

    Clematis is a classic British plant. Every garden needs a climber for walls and fences, and this is a lovely modern twist on the traditional white flower.

    Read about the best black plants from this year’s show!

    Nectarascordam Tripedale

    Nectarascordam-tripedale

    I love the delicate pink of these flowers. Pointy petals also bring a sharper edge to your beds and borders.

    Fenella Strawberry

    strawberries

    Who doesn’t love strawberries? They’re incredibly easy to grow in this country – try planting them in a strawberry pot for fresh fruit all summer! Did you know they’re also one of the only fruits whose seeds are on the outside? There were some fabulous displays at Chelsea this year.

    Pinus Mugo

    pinus

    Bonsai trees never go out of fashion, and this one is a beauty. It’s like a miniature version of a full-sized tree! Plus they’re really easy to care for.

    Check out the weirdest plants at Chelsea this year.

    Fuchsia Wendy Bendy

    fuchsia

    Sometimes, you just need a burst of colour. Fuchsia is a fantastic flowering shrub, and this one has big bright blooms. They always make me think of summer.

    Lily Hybrid Tiger Babies

    lily-tiger

    This is a fantastic bold lily with great colours. It’ll add a wild element to your garden – they always look exotic.