Many international flower shows feature new plants. Gillian Vine looks at this year's Ellerslie line-up.
Apart from the display gardens, one of the most interesting aspects of the Chelsea Flower Show is the line-up of new plants.
Nurseries all over Britain - and even some from the Continent - launch their brightest and best at the London show, not only because about 160,000 visitors will see the plants but also because of the opportunity to compete for the Plant of the Year title.
Before the May show, entries are whittled down to 20 finalists, then a panel of 100 chooses the winner.
We don't have a competition like that at the Ellerslie International Flower Show, although this year the nursery industry's Show Offs stand - which won a bronze medal - presented 12 new plants and invited people to vote for their favourite. The results are due out next month.
All the new plants will be available this year. Some are already on the market, while two new cordylines will be in garden centres come winter. For others, such as the interesting Flower Carpet Rose Pink Splash, gardeners will have to wait until spring.
One available now is the double white dianthus that was runner-up to Chelsea's Plant of the Year in 2012. Memories, bred by Whetman Pinks, of Devon, southeast England, looked a bit dull at Chelsea but really shone at Ellerslie.
A compact plant with grey-green foliage, it is sure to be a winner, thanks to its outstanding perfume.
There were three new shrubs in the Show Offs presentation - Pittosporum Silver Ball, Abutilon Lucky Lantern Yellow and Camellia Curly Lady.
Silver Ball is the latest in the Golfball series of dwarf pittosporums, growing about 40cm by 40cm in a rounded shape that makes it a good topiary choice, as well as being suitable for low hedges.
Lucky Lantern Yellow may lack some of the punch of the old orange and yellow abutilons but its big selling point is its smaller size, growing about 50cm tall and the same in width, giving it good potential as a pot plant.
Although the shrub is smaller, the flowers are comparable in size to older varieties. Like all abutilons, it will flower for months.
In spring, expect to see Camellia Curly Lady in garden centres. Although the red flowers are attractive, it is the twisted branches that are the main feature of this C. japonica hybrid. Bred in the Netherlands, it was released in the northern hemisphere in 2005 but is new to New Zealand.
Two cordylines with boldly striped leaves are C. banksia Electric Pink and C. banksia Electric Star.
Neither has the bare trunk of the familiar cabbage tree but instead has arching foliage that produces a fountain of leaves, hot pink and maroon (Electric Pink) or lime green and burgundy (Electric Star).
Both grow best in a well-drained position in full sun or part shade and are very tolerant of dry conditions. They grow to 1.2-1.5m, so are also suitable for growing in containers.
Pink Splash is an appealing addition to the Flower Carpet Rose range, thanks to its two-tone pink flowers. Blooming over a long period each year, this disease-resistant, easy-care variety would be a good rose for a new gardener who likes roses but doesn't know much about them. It grows 60-80cm tall and about 1m wide.
An early-blooming variety, The Princess lavender has deep pink flowers in spring and a smaller flush of blooms in autumn. Billed as having ''the most vivid colour seen in lavenders'', it grows about 70cm tall and as wide, so could be used for a low hedge.
Another compact plant is Leucanthemum Bridal Bouquet, a shasta daisy growing only 30cm tall. The flowers, which open from yellow buds, have heavily ruffled white petals and bright yellow centres. A long vase life will ensure their popularity.
Lobelia Hot Springs comes in four colours, all with compact, uniform growth so they can be grown as a blended tapestry. They are also suitable for pots or hanging baskets.
There were two new petunias on the Show Offs stand at Ellerslie, Twilight and Blue a Fuse. Twilight, which looks like a more harmonious version of last year's Bumblebee, has white stripes on the darkest purple background imaginable.
Like Blue a Fuse - a multicoloured petunia in violet, yellow and white with a deep purple throat - it has a neatly mounded shape. Both are recommended for hanging baskets, containers and garden beds. Each plant grows 20-30cm tall and wide.
