'Palettes are softer, shrubs are starting to creep back in and there has been a resurgence in evergreens, particularly pines, both large and small,' says Jamie Butterworth, show plant manager at Hortus Loci, the biggest supplier of plants to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Chelsea may have wrapped up for another year but the show is a constant source of inspiration and is influential in providing trend insights for the world of horticulture and as well as homeowners and gardeners in terms of how they can transform their gardens and outdoor spaces.

'There was a softness to Chelsea this year,' Jamie continues. 'We saw more colour than in previous years but the palette was gentler. There were some stand out jewels in the appearance of lupins that have previously fallen out of favour but overall the planting has been textural, soft and beautifully choreographed.'

For this year's show the Hortus Loci team grew 120,000 plants and then chose 40,000 of the best, which were then transported in 115 lorry loads. They sourced the very best specimen plants including 17 trees and supplied a total of 11 gardens at the show. So who better to give us the lowdown on the most sensational plants of the year? Here, Jamie reveals his top picks:

1. SALVIA 'CARADONNA'

The vibrant, reliable salvia grows to 70cm and is perfect for weaving through other perennial planting. It was aptly demonstrated in Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam's Breaking Ground garden.

2. LASER TRILOBUM

This is a star like umbelliferae that is zingy green and a great foil for other slightly 'showier' perennials. It flowers from May to June in any soil and will grow to approximately 100cm. It's not readily available at the moment, apart from at Hortus Loci, but watch this space!

3. CENTRANTHUS LECOQII

This plant is a more interesting cultivar of our common deeper cerise-coloured Valerian that is often seen sprouting out of walls. It sports soft mauve-pink flower heads in April to July and will flower later if you trim it in April. It's truly beloved by Hummingbird hawk-moths so it's great for a wildlife garden. It's happy in any dry soil in the sun and will self-seed in inaccessible places. It grows to a height of around 40cm.

4. LUPINUS 'TERRACOTTA' AND 'BEEFEATER'

Both of these plants featured in their jewel-like-wonder on Sarah Raven’s BBC2 Anneka Rice Colour Cutting Garden. Lupins haven't graced main avenue for a number of years but this year definitely saw a resurgence, both in Sarah's garden, Lee Bestall's garden and Chris Beardshaw’s winning garden. Lupins tend to stand out as their form is so solid it mixes better with shrubs and large flowered perennials, but there were a lot more shrubs this year and less loose perennial planting schemes.

5. VALERIANA ALLIARIIFOLIA

This plant forms a loose clump of light green leaves topped with flat heads of lightly scented pale pink or white flowers in July and August. It thrives in part shade in any soil and grows to a height of around 100cm.

6. GEUM 'MAI TAI'

This is a recent introduction and one of a series named after cocktail drinks. Mai Tai forms an evergreen clump of weed suppressing, slightly hairy, serrated leaves. From early summer onwards, wiry burgundy red stems bear semi-double ruffled flowers in a lovely shade of apricot with hints of pink. It's amazing. Suitable in the sun or semi-shade with any reasonable soil, it grows to a height of 40cm.

Source: http://www.housebeautiful.co.uk

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