The RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2026: A Florist Guide
Each May, alongside the show gardens and the royal visits, one of the most quietly significant events at Chelsea takes place inside the Great Pavilion: the announcement of the RHS Plant of the Year. It is a competition that has launched careers, transformed nurseries, and sent hundreds of thousands of gardeners racing to buy a single variety — often selling out within days of the winner being announced. For breeders who have sometimes spent decades developing a single plant, it can be a defining moment.
The 2026 shortlist is widely regarded as one of the most competitive in recent years, with several genuine colour and form breakthroughs vying for the title. This guide explains what the award is, how it works, profiles the shortlisted plants in full, and examines why the competition matters well beyond the show itself.
What Is the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year?
The Plant of the Year award celebrates outstanding new plants with a genuinely new or improved feature — setting them apart from anything already available to UK gardeners. It is not an award for beauty alone, but for innovation, garden performance, and broad appeal.
Floral exhibitors in the Great Pavilion are invited to submit new plants to the competition ahead of the show. A shortlisting panel of RHS and industry experts whittles entries down to no more than twenty. These finalists are then displayed at the show, and on Press Day — the Monday before the public opens — members of the RHS Expert Groups assess them in person and cast their votes.
The judging criteria are three:
Novelty and innovation. Has the plant done something new — a colour break, a structural breakthrough, improved hardiness or drought tolerance? Judges look for genuine horticultural progress rather than incremental refinement.
Garden performance. Will this plant actually perform well in UK gardens? Disease resistance, hardiness, reliability across seasons, and suitability for different soil types all count.
Likely appeal for UK gardeners. Will real gardeners — with real plots, real budgets, and varying levels of experience — want to grow this? Plants that appeal only to specialists rarely win.
The winner is announced on Press Day, giving nurseries and garden centres a crucial head start before the public arrives. For a successful Plant of the Year, the commercial impact is enormous: sales of hundreds of thousands of specimens are not uncommon in the months following the award.
The 2026 Shortlist
Hosta RED NINJA ('Nk2021')
Breeder: Ninja Kramer | Exhibitor: Sienna Hosta | Supplier: Fairweather's Nursery
The pre-show favourite, and by some distance the most talked-about plant on the 2026 shortlist. Hosta 'Red Ninja' represents something that breeders and hosta enthusiasts had long considered genetically impossible: a truly red-foliaged hosta. The colour break has been the holy grail of hosta breeding for decades, and Danish breeder Ninja Kramer has come extraordinarily close to achieving it.
The foliage emerges deep red with green margins and — crucially — holds those red tones into summer rather than fading to green as the season progresses. From late summer to early autumn, stunning purple flowers emerge above the foliage, adding a second season of interest. The plant is compact at 35 x 50cm, making it equally suited to containers, balconies, and mixed borders. It is hardy to -23°C and prefers partial sun with gentle morning light for the most intense colour development.
Hosta breeders have long worked within a palette of green, blue, and gold. The arrival of genuine red tones would be one of the most significant breakthroughs in the genus's history. Whether it is red enough to satisfy the judges — and whether they consider it a decisive break or a strong step toward one — is the central question of the 2026 competition.
Height x Spread: 35 x 50cm Position: Partial sun, moist well-drained soil Hardiness: Hardy to -23°C
Prunus 'Sumaura Fugenzo' — JAPANESE LANTERNS
Breeder: Unknown | Exhibitor: Blue Diamond Garden Centres | Supplier: Frank P Matthews Trees
The other widely cited front-runner, and a plant with a genuine theatrical quality that judges find hard to overlook. Also known as Prunus Japanese Lanterns, this sakura cherry produces double, frilled flowers with white, pink and green petals that darken as they mature, with each bloom carrying thirty or more petals in an arrangement that strongly resembles Japanese paper lanterns — hence the name.
The effect is extraordinary: clusters of hanging, layered, colour-changing blooms that shift through white to deep pink over the course of the flowering season. Young leaves emerge in bronze, and the tree produces vibrant autumn colour as a final seasonal flourish. After ten years, it reaches approximately 5m x 4m — a manageable size for most UK gardens.
Frank P Matthews, the Worcestershire family nursery that supplies the tree, won the Plant of the Year title in 2024 with Prunus 'Starlight', a white-flowered winter cherry, so this category has recent form in their hands. RHS plant committee members traditionally favour trees and hardy perennials suited to larger gardens, which gives this ornamental cherry strong structural advantages in the judging room.
Height x Spread (after 10 years): 5m x 4m Position: Full sun to partial shade Hardiness: Fully hardy
Cercis griffithii BLUE LAGOON ('Rafmar 1')
Breeder: Raf Lenaerts | Exhibitor: Hare Spring Cottage Plants | Supplier: Thompson & Morgan
A genuine colour breakthrough in a well-loved genus. Cercis — the Judas tree — has long been prized for its spectacular spring display of vivid pink flowers appearing directly on bare wood before the leaves emerge. Its foliage, however, has traditionally been green, gold, or purple. Cercis 'Blue Lagoon' introduces grey-blue leaves that persist throughout the growing season, transforming the plant from a spring-only feature into a full-season statement.
The heart-shaped, silvery-blue leaves contrast beautifully with the tree's red young stems and provide a luminous, cool tone that is genuinely new to the genus. The tree is easy to grow and low maintenance, tolerating variable conditions, and after five to seven years reaches approximately 2.5m x 1.5m — a very practical garden size. It performs best in full sun to semi-shade in well-drained soil.
Thompson & Morgan, which is also behind the Clematis 'Minamo-no-Yousei' entry, describes 'Blue Lagoon' as "something genuinely unique... it's rare to see a completely new colour breakthrough in such a well-known genus." A Cercis won the Plant of the Year award in 2021 (Cercis 'Flame Thrower'), which provides a precedent but may also work against 'Blue Lagoon' in the eyes of judges looking for variety.
Height x Spread (after 5–7 years): 2.5m x 1.5m Position: Full sun to semi-sun, well-drained soil Hardiness: Hardy to -15°C
Hydrangea paniculata GROUNDBREAKER RUBY ('Lc No27')
Breeder: Alex Schoemaker | Exhibitor: Hare Spring Cottage Plants | Supplier: Suttons
The follow-up to one of the most acclaimed plant introductions of recent years. Hydrangea Groundbreaker 'Blush' made a sensation at Chelsea 2025 as the world's first true ground-covering hydrangea — a variety that grows horizontally rather than as a conventional mounding shrub. 'Groundbreaker Ruby' builds on that foundation, adding a dramatically deeper flower colour sequence to the already-revolutionary growing habit.
Flowers open white, then deepen through pink to vibrant ruby-red over the late-summer to autumn season, creating what amounts to a living carpet of changing colour. At just 40cm high but spreading to 70cm wide, it is ideal for ground cover, border edges, and containers. It requires little to no pruning and prefers sun to part-shade in moist, well-drained soil.
Dutch breeder Alex Schoemaker has staked a strong claim to having transformed the hydrangea category. Whether the judges consider 'Ruby' a significant advance on 'Blush' — or a refinement within the same breakthrough — may determine its fate in the competition.
Height x Spread: 40 x 70cm Position: Sun to part-shade, moist well-drained soil Hardiness: Fully hardy
Clematis 'Minamo-no-Yousei' (Clematis MOCHI)
Breeder: Tetsuya Hirota | Exhibitor: Sparsholt College | Supplier: Thompson & Morgan
A compact clematis from Japan with a remarkable and genuinely unusual flowering behaviour: blooms open first as single flowers with insect-friendly open centres, then gradually develop through semi-double to fully double forms over the course of a 120-day flowering season. The overall effect is of flowers that look delicately brushed or spray-painted — an ethereal quality that photographs exceptionally well.
The plant's compact habit (150cm x 40cm) makes it ideal for containers and small gardens, where a clematis that earns its space across a long season rather than peaking and declining quickly is particularly valuable. The name 'Minamo-no-Yousei' means 'water surface fairy' in Japanese, a reference to the delicate appearance of the blooms.
Judges have been slightly divided on whether the transformation from single to double over time is the innovative feature it appears, or a more subtle novelty that is hard to appreciate in a single Press Day assessment.
Height x Spread: 150 x 40cm Position: Full sun Hardiness: Fully hardy
Rosa AMIROSE (Persica hybrid)
Breeder: Kordes Roses | Exhibitor: Hare Spring Cottage Plants | Supplier: Hillier Nurseries
An entry that could make history: no rose has ever won the Plant of the Year competition at Chelsea. Rosa 'Amirose' is a persica hybrid — bred from the rare wild Rosa persica, a species from Central Asia — with an unusually compact form and a distinctive flower: peach-coloured buds open to fragrant pink blooms with a vivid purple heart, creating a bicolour effect that is unusual in roses and striking in person.
The plant is drought tolerant, disease resistant, repeat-flowering across 175 days, and at just 40cm x 50cm is far smaller than a conventional rose — suitable for containers and borders equally. The fragrance is notable. Bred by Kordes, one of Germany's most respected rose breeders, and supplied by Hillier Nurseries, it arrives at Chelsea with significant commercial and horticultural backing.
Roses have to work harder than most plants to catch judges' attention at a show saturated with them, but the persica hybrid background, the compact form, and the extended flowering season give this entry genuine credentials.
Height x Spread: 40 x 50cm Position: Full sun to light shade, fertile well-drained soil Hardiness: Fully hardy
Anisodontea capensis CARNIVAL LIGHTS CANDY APPLE
Breeder: Plant Growers Australia | Exhibitor: Sparsholt College | Supplier: Hillier Nurseries
A colour breakthrough in a genus known primarily for its pink varieties. Anisodontea — the Cape mallow, native to South Africa — produces small, prolific flowers throughout summer, and 'Carnival Lights Candy Apple' introduces a deep, saturated dark red that has not been seen in the species before. Heat and drought tolerant, it can be grown in pots or borders and will flower from May onwards.
The Hillier Nurseries connection gives it strong exhibiting credentials. Hillier won the Plant of the Year title in 2025 with Philadelphus 'Petite Perfume Pink', and also has two other plants on the 2026 shortlist. The drought tolerance and heat resilience align neatly with the broader sustainability and climate-adaptation themes running through the 2026 show.
Position: Full sun, free-draining soil Hardiness: Hardy to -5°C (sheltered position)
Pennisetum advena TINY TAILS ('Tus022')
Breeder: Tuszynscy Gospodarstwo Ogrodnicze | Exhibitor: Ashcroft's Perennials and Ornamental Grasses | Supplier: Ashcroft's
An ornamental grass entry with a particular appeal for small-space gardeners. Most Pennisetum — the feathertop or fountain grasses — can be vigorous, spreading plants with height that makes them better suited to large borders than containers or patios. 'Tiny Tails' addresses this directly, staying ultra-compact and neat at just 50 x 30cm while producing abundant soft, long-lasting plumes with remarkable flower power for its size.
It thrives in dry conditions, tolerating drought, and is suited to patios, balconies, and the front of borders. In a year when the Plant of the Year shortlist has placed notable emphasis on drought tolerance and climate-adapted gardening, 'Tiny Tails' fits the conversation well.
Height x Spread: 50 x 30cm Position: Full sun, free-draining soil
Streptocarpus 'Sirius'
Breeder: Lynne Dibley | Exhibitor: Dibleys Nurseries | Supplier: Dibleys Nurseries
One of two houseplant entries on the 2026 shortlist, and the work of Lynne Dibley — who has something of a personal connection with this competition: she bred the very first RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year winner, in 2010, also a Streptocarpus. 'Sirius' is a fully double variety with intensely coloured, long-lasting blooms and minimal deadheading required, thanks to sterility. Dibleys, a family nursery in Wales, is the leading specialist in Streptocarpus in the UK.
The double form is genuinely unusual in Streptocarpus, and the marketing materials make bold claims: Dibleys suggests 'Sirius' exceeds the performance of previous Chelsea winners in the category. Whether that confidence translates into votes from plant committee members, who tend to favour hardy garden plants over houseplants, remains to be seen.
Additional Shortlisted Plants
The full shortlist also includes:
Jamesbrittenia 'Jammin' Coral' — a heat and drought tolerant, repeat-flowering Jamesbrittenia with intense bright pink flowers and no need to deadhead, bred by Proven Winners Europe. Compact at 15–20cm, it thrives in full sun and free-draining soil.
Pittosporum 'Julien' — a compact evergreen mound, a hybrid of two Pittosporum species offering the best traits of each: sweetly scented white flowers fading to yellow, hardy to -12°C, disease resistant, and free-flowering in borders or containers.
Anthurium 'Michele' — a houseplant from the United States with distinctive leaves marked by vivid purple veins, offering a different visual register from the glossy green anthuriums currently available.
Antirrhinum 'Shiryu Kiss' — a hardy, versatile snapdragon developed by veteran British breeder Peter Moore of Kernock Park Plants, bred for resilience and extended flowering.
The Bigger Picture: What the 2026 Shortlist Tells Us
The 2026 Plant of the Year shortlist reflects themes that run through the wider show. A strong emphasis on drought tolerance and heat resilience — seen in the Anisodontea, Jamesbrittenia, Rosa 'Amirose', and Pennisetum entries — speaks to the reality of UK gardening in an era of increasingly variable climate. The popularity of compact forms suitable for containers, balconies, and small urban plots reflects both demographic change and the influence of the Balcony and Container Garden category, which has expanded Chelsea's reach among city gardeners.
The presence of Japanese-bred plants — the Prunus 'Japanese Lanterns' and Clematis 'Minamo-no-Yousei' — continues a long tradition; Japanese plant breeders have an exceptional track record at Chelsea, winning the award with Hydrangea macrophylla 'Miss Saori' in 2014 and regularly placing in recent years.
The clear frontrunner, Hosta 'Red Ninja', represents the most emotionally compelling story on the shortlist: a colour breakthrough in one of gardening's most-loved genera, achieved by a lone Danish breeder after decades of effort. That narrative, combined with genuine horticultural significance, makes it a formidable candidate.
How to Grow the Plants
Whether or not you attended the show, many of the shortlisted plants will be available through specialist nurseries and garden centres in the weeks and months following Chelsea. The Plant of the Year winner, in particular, typically sells out quickly as coverage drives demand.
For hostas like 'Red Ninja': plant in a shaded to partially shaded spot in moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Protect from slugs and snails, which find hostas irresistible. Containers work well, as they allow better control of moisture and can be positioned to catch morning light for maximum colour intensity.
For ornamental cherries like 'Japanese Lanterns': plant in full sun in well-drained soil. These are long-lived garden trees that reward patience, looking increasingly spectacular with age. Avoid waterlogged ground.
For Cercis like 'Blue Lagoon': plant in a warm, sheltered spot in full sun to semi-shade. Water regularly until fully established. These trees dislike root disturbance once planted, so choose the final position carefully.
For ground-covering hydrangeas like 'Groundbreaker Ruby': plant in sun to part-shade in moist, well-drained soil. Feed with a balanced fertiliser in spring. Deadheading is not necessary and the dried flowerheads provide winter interest.
For compact clematis like 'Minamo-no-Yousei': plant with the roots in shade and the stems in sun — the traditional advice for clematis. Support with a small trellis or obelisk. Water regularly and feed with a high-potash fertiliser from spring.
Previous Winners at a Glance
The Plant of the Year has been awarded since 2013 (and in modified form before that). Recent winners give a sense of the range:
2025: Philadelphus 'Petite Perfume Pink' (Hillier Nurseries) — the first pink mock orange
2024: Prunus 'Starlight' (Frank P Matthews) — a winter-flowering ornamental cherry with star-shaped white blooms
2022: × Semponium 'Destiny' (Surreal Succulents, Cornwall) — a cross-genetic hybrid of Aeonium and Sempervivum
2021: Cercis 'Flame Thrower' — a Cercis with multi-coloured foliage shifting from gold through orange to red
2014: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Miss Saori' — originally bred in Japan, with vivid double-petalled flowers
The full range illustrates that the award has no fixed preference for category: trees, shrubs, perennials, succulents, and houseplants have all won. What they share is a genuine 'wow factor' combined with practical garden merit — the combination that the 2026 shortlist, on paper at least, delivers in abundance.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 runs from 19–23 May at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The Plant of the Year shortlist is on display in the Great Pavilion throughout the show. Many shortlisted plants will be available to purchase at specialist nurseries and online in the weeks following the announcement.
